Corman’s Corner

“Admonish” is the 2009 Word of the Year.

Today, we will go over the questions assigned to “A Marker on the Side of the Boat”. My (one reader’s) responses follow. There are other “right” answers to these questions.

“A Marker on the Side of the Boat”

1. (b) What do you think is the predominant mood of this story? Select one passage that you think truly captures this mood and give reasons for your choice.

The mood is nostalgic (a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past). This is demonstrated in the first and second to last paragraphs.

“In my life, I’ve been here, there, but I’ve had few chances to visit Hanoi…. But, in spite of this, when I shut my eyes to peer into the crevices of my memory, I can always conjure up, if only dimly, a general image of its street scenes. This remote, alien city, with which I have had no intimacy, had, over the years, silently insinuated itself into my consciousness as a deeply beloved place.”

“After the war, on my rare visits to Hanoi, I would always return to that same street. I would simply walk down it, not to find anything or go anywhere.”

The author often thinks fondly of the woman who cared for him, and wishes that he had not lost her: that he could see her again.

1. (d) Find at least one example of irony in the story.

It is ironic that the public shelter that the woman and soldier were heading to for safety was bombed. In this case, being out in the open was the safer choice.

3. Descriptive Language. Identify three passages in the story that, in your view, contain the most striking examples of effective descriptive language. What techniques were used? What was the impact on the reader?

“The walls appeared to have been painted a pale green, although faded with time. The ceiling was dark. The warm air redolent of camphor. I shifted lightly. The bed creaked beneath my body. I was under a blanket, with my head on a pillow: tranquil, dried, warm, it was unreal. I turned my body. On a night table by the corner of the room, a small oil lamp gave off a dirty yellow light. A clock kept company with time by monotonously ticking off the seconds.” Strong sensory details (sight, touch, sound and smell), create a feeling of calm and comfort after the description of the cold, rainy weather and the feverish soldier.

“…the horrible air siren started wailing, interrupting my sentence…. Never before had this messenger of death reverberated so terrifyingly. The way it howled and screamed–desperate, angry, hysterical–made people want to scream along with it.” Personification is used to create a feeling of panic in the reader.

“The loud roars of 100-millimeter guns going off in unison. Brilliant flashes. Flame arrows, in pairs, thunderously lunging upward, tearing into the cloud ceiling, leaving red trails behind them. Surrounded by the frantic sounds of our troops’ firepower…”. Sensory details are used: sound and sight. Again, a feeling of frenzy is created.

We will also discuss ideas for our comparison/contrast essays. I have thought of the following points:

• Both stories are about regret.
• Both show the effects of war on people.
• Both protagonists are assisted by another, and this changes their lives.
• Both make use of imagery. This imagery contributes to tone.
• They share the same point-of-view.
• They both deal with the Vietnam war (one directly and one indirectly).

This list is not exhaustive. It is just to get us started. Students may want to review how to write a literary essay and a comparison/contrast essay by visiting the composition section of the blog.

The students needed a little more time today to finish the questions for “A Marker on the Side of the Boat”. We will go over the questions tomorrow. They began to collect information for their essays.

Today, the students must hand in their answers to the questions for “On the Rainy River” and “The Return”. They must also hand in their two edited drafts for their persuasive paragraphs.

The students will be reading “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” (Imprints – pp. 60-68). They need to answer questions 1 (b + d) and 3.

Using a venn, or other graphic organizer, the students began to compare and contrast the outlook on war presented in “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” and “On the Rainy River”.

Mr. Fussell worked with the students on exam preparation.

Using their edited copies (by peers and myself), the students made changes to their persuasive paragraphs and posted them on their blogs.

They then read the short story “The Return” (Imprints 12 – p. 44). They were asked to compare/contrast the symbolism of the river in “The Return” with that of the river in “On the Rainy River”. They were also asked to share how the setting in “The Return” helped to create the atmosphere. (We reviewed the terms atmosphere, mood and tone. Definitions can be found in the prose section of the blog.) Students were to identify words and phrases that contributed to the atmosphere. Answers to these questions were to be written down.

Today, the students worked in groups to edit their persuasive paragraphs. We then discussed the questions related to “On the Rainy River” assigned yesterday. We also discussed what the river in story symbolized.

Students who were away today must write down what they think the river symbolized, and post this, along with yesterday’s questions, on their blogs.

The students were asked to print two copies of their persuasive paragraphs. One copy was given to me. The other will be used in a peer editing activity tomorrow.

As a class, we came up with a definition of courage. We then briefly discussed the Vietnam War before I had the students read the short story “On the Rainy River” (Imprints 12 – p. 70).

In writing, students are to answer the following questions:

• Was the protagonist courageous? Why or why not?
• Did he think that he was courageous? Why or why not?
• What would you have done in the same situation?

Students who are away should post their answers on their blogs and then email me to let me know that they are there.

The students worked on their persuasive paragraphs in the library. The paragraphs are due tomorrow.