How Far She Went by Mary Hood

For this post, I looked on creativecommons.org for pictures that relate to the story. The pictures represent characters, plot, symbols, theme, and mood.



The setting is the country on a hot August day.



She leaves with a guy on a motocycle.


Grandma puts flowers on her daughters grave.




"...Racket of motocycles laboring cross-country..." (Hood, 283)



The motorcyclist was shooting towards the lake and the girl.


A hot summer night around 6 when the motorcyclists showed up.


The grandma had to drown the dog for their safety.



The story begins in a country cemetery.


The dog tried to get the motorcyclists to stop.



"The bikers made a wide circuit of the churchyard."



"...came to the main road, there were the men. Watching...Waiting..."



The motorcycles were chasing the car trying to hurt them.



They had to hide to get away from the motorcyclists.


The motorcycle symbolizes freedom.


Even though they fought, they still loved each other.

Chef's House by Raymond Carver

This week, we read Chef's House by Raymond Carver. It is a story about Edna, the protagonist, going to visit her ex husband and ending up living with him until Chef, the static character, shows up to the house one day and decides that he wants his house back so his daughter can live there. Edna and Wes end up having to go try to find another house to live in.

For this blog, I have decided to look up websites and relate them to the story and author. I felt this was the right one to do because there were many symbols and characterization. So, I thought this would be an appropriate entry for this story.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef's_House - This explains the story and gives you a short outline to keep everyone straight and get clarification. It also gives a good explination of the themes and explains how each relate to the story and then to society.

http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/carver_raymond_1938_1988_/ -This is a background and history of the author, Raymond Carver, and an insight on his life.

http://jsse.revues.org/index493.html -This gets more in depth with the story and talks about the symbolism through the story and significance of it.

http://www.gradesaver.com/cathedral/study-guide/section2/ -There is a summary and analysis of the story that helps understand further what the story is about and the hidden meanings of it.

http://www.whitman.edu/english/carver/chronology.html -Further information on Raymond Carver and the important events that take place during his life to him.

http://www.enotes.com/raymond-cathedral-carver-criticism/cathedral-carver-raymond- More about the book that Chef's House was printed in and on the story.

http://www.wiredforbooks.org/raymondcarver/- Interviews with Raymond Carver and his childhood growing up. It also talks about the story and aspects of it.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/2010/10/18/101018on_audio_means- David Means reads Chef's House and gives you a look on the book from him speaking.

http://jsse.revues.org/index499.html- Background on Raymond Carver's style of writing and historical context on his stories and Chef's House.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Carver- More on Raymond Carver and his life.

The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore by Sherman Alexie

For this story, I am creating my own prompt. I am creating level 1, 2 and 3 questions over the story. Level 1 questions are questions that can be found in the text. Level 2 questions are ones that can't be found directly in the story and take a little thinking to answer them. They typically start with start with how or why. Level 3 questions are usually opinion based questions or discussion questions that are suggested by the story.

Level 1:
Why did Julius have an off game when everyone went to watch him?
What did the boys notice when they were sitting on their front porch working?
Who is the new "star" on the reservation after Julius?
What happened to Silas?
How many cars use the traffic signal on the Indian reservation?

Level 2:
What is the significance of the traffic signal that never gets used?
How does Victor and Adrian resemble each other through the story?
Why is basketball such a big thing for the children on the reservation?

Level 3:
What are some themes of this short story and how do they relate to the world today?

The Bees by Dan Chaon

For this blog post, I have decided to make a Wordle since this was a sotry with lots of quotes and moods. I felt the Wordle was the best choice for this story.

The link to the Wordle I created is below:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4952399/The_Bees_by_Dan_Chaon

I used these words because I thought they fit and explained the story well. It has a lot to do with the mood of the story. There is a dark mood with a sense of paranormal activity throughout the whole story. There is a psychological affect on Gene with the nightmares that Frankie keeps having but doesn't remember. As for the quote "He has come full circle, has come exactly to the point when his former life with Mandy and his son DJ had completely fallen apart," (271), I thought it was one of the most important quotes in the story. It foreshadows the events to come and talks about his past with his former wife. I felt these quotes and words described the mood and important parts of the story well.