The Sky is Grey

From the start, I thought this would be a difficult story to read simply because of the grammer that was used. All of the shortening of the words as well as the use of words I have never even heard of was very confusing. As I continued to read on, it became easier, and I even started to like the story. I felt bad that this family was so poor, the little boy refused to let his mother know just how much pain his tooth was really causing him. It was apparent that this story is set in the past, and probably down in the south somewhere. I also found it very brave of the little boy to walk out in the cold while it was sleeting, and he was in pain but yet he never complained. I felt that this really revealed how poor the family really was. For the most part, I really ended up liking this story.

Tomorrow-The Movie

After reading the story and then watching the movie, it is obvious that there are some major differences. The movie seemed to focus more on the personal life of Fentry as opposed to the court hearing in the story. The movie was really able to grasp the concept that Fentry is a very simple man, and his life was simple as well. The movie did a better job at portraying the relationship between Fentry, and his soon to be wife Sarah. When the time rolled around that Fentry had to give up his boy, I felt sad for him. I didn't think it was fair that those men could take his son away. This situation wasn't described as well in the story. As a whole, watching the movie helped me understand the story more. The story is written in such a way that it is hard for people nowadays to comprehend.

"Tomorrow"

It was clear from the start that this story was going to be about some sort of trial. Uncle Gavin is trying to solve the mystery of one of the towns-people, and what he was doing with a child. Because this story is written in a language that is more closely related to older times, it was much harder to get into and read. This is personally not one of my favorite stories, but I do believe that it is a great example of a great american writer.

Memento Mori-The Movie

After reading the story, and then watching the movie it is obvious that there are some differences. The story doesn't go into as much detail as the movie does. I personally enjoyed the movie more, because it helped me understand how Lenny became unable to remember anything that has to do with short term memory. I was able to comprehend the idea of the tattoos, and why he needed them to remember. I feel that in the movie, Lenny used more pictures with notes attached to them to help him remember. He was also not shown in a hospital setting as much as he was in the book. One thing I did not like about the movie was how open-ended it was left. The ending is left at a point that we, as watchers, don't know what will happen to Lenny.

"Memento Mori"

When I first started to read this story, I was surprised how quickly I was able to get into it. I don't normally like to read short stories, but this one was different. The beginning of the story was by far my favorite, but it left some many different things unknown. The reader is able to form their own opinion about what might have happened to the man, and where he might be. As the story progresses, there is still a sense of mystery that is being presented. The author doesn't flat out state why the man is in a hospital type setting, why he has a tattoo on his arm, or why he can't seem to remember anything. I also liked the way that the author was able to incorporate so many different aspects of the man's life. One thing I couldn't figure out was what had actually happened to the man. From my personl perspective, it seems that he was in some sort of accident where his wife was killed and he was brain damaged. He had to write notes to himself to keep on task, and help him remember that his wife was no longer with him. The biggest problem I had with this story was the ending. I did not like how open ended it was, and that it seemed like there was no real conclusion. I would, however, still recommend this story to someone else.

"The Killers" and Heroic Fatalism

"The Killers" and Heroic Fatalism: from Page to Screen is an essay that critiques the famous short story. There are several interpretations that have since made it to the silver screen, but the two most famous are the 1946 and 1964 versions.  Each film is described, and related to the awards it may or may not have won.  I felt this essay was one that was easy to read, while keeping to the point. It was able to give the reader a scene by scene play of the different versions. It also helped with the clarifying some of the confusing elements of the play. Like I noted in my previous blog, "The Killers" has not been  one of my favorite short stories.  This essay was able to introduce a few new feelings of liking towards such and influential piece of literature. This essay also touched on the dialogue used in the plays. Even though it was written in a time long ago, "The Killers" is still understandable. 

The Killers

Before I really got into The Killers, I thought it was going to be another boring story written by another boring old man. Personally, I still believe my guess was correct. This story was hard for me to read and get into. I didn't find it appealing to my liking simply because there was nothing truly exciting going on. In the beginning, the two men that enter the restaurant are extremely rude to the staff. After they small talk with the two waiters for a while I, as the reader find out that they are looking for someone. They have been instructed to find and kill someone by the name of Ole Anderson. Throughout the entire story, we never get to find out why they are searching for this man. That was something else I did not like. I wanted to at least know if Anderson had committed any sort of offense that would result in the need to be killed. I could go on and on about what I did not like about this story, but that would just be a waste of time. In the end I would have preferred to read something with a little more "meat." This is something that I definitely do not want to read again. On the up side, the video of the students re-enacting this story was funny.