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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
Of all the readings that we had been assigned, I think that this week’s readings have the most dialogue. I was curious to understand the meaning behind the title “A Kind of Flying” and I was surprised by the optimism throughout the story. Ron Carlson provides readers with a story about a man and woman who are planning to get married, but the bride’s overbearing sister, Linda, seeks to get in the way. The narrator is annoyed with Linda’s opinion about everything from the best man’s song to her wedding superstitions. Despite it all, the groom marries his wife and they stay married for 20 years. When Linda’s daughter comes to him for marriage advice, he is happy that despite her mom’s adversary they still made it. I liked that it was a happy ending, which I found refreshing. In comparison, Raymond Carver’s “Popular Mechanics” and John Cheever’s “Reunion” had open endings, leaving the readers guessing. In “Popular Mechanics,” a husband and wife are separating and each of them wants custody of their baby. Towards the end, they each grab a limb the infant and engage in baby tug-of-war. Readers are left to wonder the poor baby’s fate. Cheever’s “Reunion” details a son’s desire to be close with his father. However, he quickly realizes that his ideal relationship will not be his reality.
ReplyDeleteKayla Garza
The story ‘A Kind of Flying’ has a unique perspective and is completely from the husband’s perspective. And while funny enough most of the family is rather superstitious about the whole raven incident he maintains a positive and carefree view of it. And throughout his whole life he maintains that positiveness and it maintained him and his wife throughout their marriage. Even allowing her to achieve her dreams despite her family thinking he would hold her back. Perhaps that is the key to a happy life, just going with the flow. In ‘Popular Mechanics’ it is crystal clear that a divorce between two people is happening. The wife yelling at her husband to pack his things and get out. But right when he is about to he states that he wants to take his child with him. This causes a struggle, with the referred to mechanics being the fight over the custody of the child. And finally in ‘Reunion’ the main character is a son visiting his father in Grand Central Station. His father a politician has some connections, but interestingly chooses not to use them, and yet he purposely makes racial and stereotypical remarks to get a rise out of the people his is supposed to serve. To where even his own son wishes not to be a part of that, and so leaves his for his train.
ReplyDeleteDavid Rodriguez 2
The readings that were assigned for this week differed a lot from the ones assigned last class. I believe these short stories have a great deal of dialogue and have a common structure of a story, which is a beginning, middle, and end. The first story by Ron Carlson is very lively and heart-felt. I really enjoyed reading it and was even surprised to have finally read a happy ending to a story. To me, it even felt as if it was a story based on reality. Marriage is not easy, and the author in this case is able to portray that image in the reader’s mind. On the other hand, Popular Mechanics and Reunion both have endings that are not conclusive. Raymond Carver tells a story about a marriage falling apart and both parents wanting custody of the baby; however, at the end, the readers are left to their imagination to what happens to the baby. Did he die? Was it a metaphor for the baby not staying with any of the parents? It does leaves a lingering question as to what the ending actually is. John Cheever on the other hand, tells a story about a boy who idealizes a relationship with his dad, but eventually ends up being disappointed and realizes his dad will never change.
ReplyDeleteAna T. Flores
In “A kind of flying” I thought it was a cute and funny story. It made me think of all the possibilities that could go right or wrong on my wedding day. In this story, their weeding cake is ruined. There was a lot of humor, but it also had me thinking about how I would react if I were in brandy’s and her boyfriends’ shoes. “Popular Mechanics” and “The Reunion” felt really similar to me. In both, it involves the parents disagreeing and it is affecting the child as well. In ‘Popular Mechanics” I first thought it was about a divorce but by the end of it I was able to understand that’s its both parents for the child. The ending was very heartbreaking and even I expected it, I was not ready for it. I understand that both parents wanted to be the one to take the infant home, but they let their rage and pride get in the way and in the end, the baby ends up being without either of them. “The Reunion” was very deep to me, because I had to see my parents divorce and some people will think that its between both parents but the child Is just as involved as the parents are and it also affects the children just as much if not more.
ReplyDeleteMarissa Sanchez
Prior to these pieces, dialogue was an element of fiction that was kind of scarce. However, in these short-short stories dialogue is pivotal in understanding the truths that the characters hold close, as well as attempting to figure out the endings of the stories before the last paragraph. In Ron Carlson’s “A Kind of Flying,” the topic of marriage is taken on in a very honest manner. From the beginning we are shown the less glamorous side of family interactions and less than perfect components of planning a wedding. However, I think that’s what truly captures me when reading this. The normalcy and honesty that the main character exhibits in his dialogue as well as his thinking truly makes this story wholesome. “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver truly takes dialogue to build the narrative as the reader is forced to read between the lines to gather what is going on between the husband and wife of the story. The bitter and emotional exchanges conjure up heart wrenching imagery without the need of long-winded descriptions. Finally, “Reunion” by John Cheever also takes the reader on a dialogue-driven journey. Cheever strategically utilizes the character element of fiction when forming the father and son dynamic the reader is introduced to.
ReplyDeleteNick Torres
All three readings made me reflect off of life in one way or another. Upon first reading “A Kind of Flying,” I didn’t really understand it, but then after reading it a second time I feel like I understood it a little better. In my opinion, “A Kind of Flying” is about the imperfections of marriage. Ron Carlson draws attention to how alienated the protagonist is being treated by Brady’s family. Brady’s family doesn’t approve of the protagonist because of his profession, I presume. However, at the end of the essay Carlson reveals that although marriage has its ups and downs, there’s a certain beauty to it. Furthermore, “Popular Mechanics” left me feeling uneasy because of the abrupt ending. It felt like there was an unresolved conflict. I feel like the parents cared more about keeping their pride than their baby safe. Often times, couples tend to care more about who is right and wrong rather than finding common ground and coming to a solution. Moreover, “Reunion” left me feeling rather emotional because I can relate to the protagonist’s story. What I got out of this essay is that time waits for nobody, and if you don’t keep your eyes on the clock you might miss it.
ReplyDeleteJulissa Balderas
In the story “A Kind of Flying” I loved the way Ron Carlson tied the ending to the title. For instance, Carlson states “sometimes it pinches like a bird’s mouth, but it’s definitely flying, it’s definitely a kind of flying” which is connected the name of the title. Also, I found the message that it conveyed with the idea of marriage not being something you can prepare for interesting, because it demonstrates a short-short fiction story can include a message. In “Popular Mechanics,” I found Carver’s short story disturbing because of the intensity of the situation and placing a baby into the mix. For example, Carver’s story states “her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby” which was a disturbing situation to put a baby in. However, the chronological order of the event occurring made the story easy to follow which I did like about this story. In the “Reunion” I found the dialogue interesting because it demonstrated the relationship between the father and son. The interaction between the waiters and the father made it clear that the father is rude to those and service an is not close with his son. In the end of the short story it reads “that was the last time I saw my father” which shows the distant relationship between the father and son that was never fixed without stating it directly.
ReplyDeleteKevin Esparza
In the three readings “a kind of flying” the main point of the story was about many things that were going wrong in a wedding, I kind of tried to understand the story more than just a wedding, and a couple going through stuff and being able to stay through it. talks about their life their children growing up. The one that really got my attention “Popular Mechanics” was about a couple arguing and the baby happened to me in the middle of it. I was really interested in figuring out if the baby died at the end when the last sentence said “In this manner, the issue was decided”, the suspense in the story was what kept me wanting to read more. “Reunion” was something a lot of broken homes can relate too, a father and son when the son feel unfamiliar with the father and it can be like that when a father is out of the picture and the father having a bad attitude towards the waitress but at the end it can be a feeling maybe that a loved one was better off not knowing them at all. Which is sad that, that’s the kind of generation were coming too.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Duque
I really enjoyed this week's readings. The use of dialogue made me get more involved with the feelings of those characters, as well as what was going on with them. One thing I like was all of the different emotions I was able to feel and connect with the different stories. In "A Kind Of Flying" I felt moments of awh and I thought of it as a cute story regardless of what happened, when they mentioned they have been together for twenty years. I could not contain my frustration while reading " Popular Mechanics", I was almost mad that this situation was happening and a baby was found in the middle of it all. I could almost feel the pain of the mom while she was fighting for her baby. And a very different sort of emotions happened when I read "Doves". I felt the disrespect towards the individuals, and how the father was so rude and disrespectful towards others when he did not get what he wanted. I have learned that through dialogue and the use of imagery you can make the reader feel and in a way transport, to the setting of where the story is taking place. I feel like I have learned a lot of what a short story is made of and how they can become real to others.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Videgaray
In the story the Reunion by author John Cheever was about a boy who was anxious to see his dad. I initially though this was going to be a loving story about how he would see his father a bond with him because he would see him after so much time. Charlie seems full of hope to be with his father yet his father seems arrogant and mean. He seems to no care about Charlie or anyone else. His father had an obnoxious attitude and even though it was never stated in the reading it was obvious that Charlie’s feelings towards the situation were changing.
ReplyDeleteIn the story “A kind of flying” by Ron Carlson was a very nice reading. The writer Carlson is basically reminiscing on the day of his wedding with Brady and everything leading up to it. He talks about all the things that went wrong that day and he talks about how some people did not approve of their marriage. Linda was always out to voice her strong opinion against their marriage. After this the story goes back to the present in which after 20 years and 3 children their marriage is great and although they had obstacle they were able to overcome them. It is very ironic when Trina Linda’s daughter asks Carlson for advice. To which he replied that marriage was “ a kind of flying”.
The second story “Popular Mechanics” is about a couple who is going want to separate. The dilemma comes when they have to decide who keeps the baby. Between all their fighting and understanding the baby gets all caught up between these problems without having any blame.
Marlen Garcia