AGENDA:
READ:
"The School"
http://www.npr.org/programs/death/readings/stories/bart.html
Post a comment about the theme of this story and the style> How does it compare with Hemingway and Carver?
Check out analysis of story:
https://www.thoughtco.com/analysis-the-school-by-donald-barthelme-2990474
More comments about the story:
http://fictionwritersreview.com/shoptalk/stories-we-love-donald-barthelmes-the-school-in-which-is-revealed-the-meaning-of-life/
WRITE:
Continue working on Carver story
Contests: Nancy Thorpe Poetry, Bennington, Scholastic
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ReplyDeleteThe theme of the story is that "life gives meaning to life." Death is inevitable, but if one could find an anecdote, or a coping mechanism they would. Similar to Carver, it is written in third person perspective. However, similar to Hemingway it was extremely detailed and had a more complex meaning than meets the eye.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the theme of the book is life. At first I thought it was about death because everything wound up dying, but in the end the kids still were cheerful with their new gerbil (although the last one died) and they were still excited about the love between the teacher and his assistant. I think it is identifying how although there is death there is also life and with life comes joyous things so you don't need to focus on the negativity of death. In comparison to Hemingway or Carver this story seems to have a happy ending instead of it being a depressed sob story. It's more so of a lesson like bad times can be overcame with good times, unlike Hemingway and Carver who seem to simply identify peoples issues.
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ReplyDelete"The School" is about children trying to replace animals and objects once they're bored of them... That's why most of the objects usually last for about two or so weeks before something new enters their lives. That's similar to how children receives new toys but in a short time after, they want a new toy. By the end when the new gerbil walks in, it signifies that after the main character is done with Helen, the kids and the protagonist included are tired of her. Perhaps she'll disappear soon, or "die." No one truly investigates why all these deaths are happening, and they forget about it in the moment they receive something new. Once again, like little children and toys...
ReplyDeleteThe theme in the story is death and its meaning. Barthelme writes the story in fragments while escalating the plot very rapidly. He does this in similar ways to Hemingway and Carver who also wrote stories without being very descriptive but were still able to drive their stories along.
ReplyDeletethe school: so the writing style is one that i have never really seen before. it is very quick and almost like it is a transcript from someone just talking. the text trails off into tangents and ellipses. the author also uses slight humor to lighten the topic being addressed. this writing style is similar to hemingway and carver, but the other two authors write the story like its just actions being watched but the school author writes the story like we are viewing all of this from their perspective.
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme of the story is that life gives meaning to death. It compares to Hemingway and Carver because it doesn't beat around the bush about how death and life are intertwined together. I feel like the beginning was definitely sad with the trees dying but them as it described everything else dying, it gets almost to the point of downright hilarious. I mean, yes it talks about death but it talks about it in such a hearty tone. For example he says, "Of course we expected the tropical fish to die, that was no surprise." Everything started dying from pets to people. The end was killing me on the inside because the kids were literally asking him to 'make love' so to speak with his assistant teacher. I thought the story was humorous and something that showed a powerful message at the same time.
ReplyDeleteDonald Barthelme's short story "The School" compares to the Hemingway and Carver style of writing because it doesn't use much description but it's depressing but at the same time it's not. There was a change in the tone of the story. The theme of the story is life. All the children are faced with some sort of death but the depressing mood changes toward the end of the story. There isn't a sad ending.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this story is I guess comedy because its got a lot of humor in it, but its also kind of dark I mean like people dying geez but it does have a happy ending but its also kind of weird I mean like a gerbil just walks into a classroom how does that work
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion it compares with Hemingway and Carter because it doesn't really have a strict plot like them, they all kind of just ramble about a certain situation.
Donald Barthelme's story has a lot of description in each paragraph. I feel like its about life and death but in the end its happy and hope than when it starts with tragedy. It gives the reader a real visual of whats going on in the story. Its full of humor through escalation. From consistent bad luck and tragic causes but its still full of love.The children are faced with death and they are being protected and the reader gets uncomfortable but its a good story so it makes you still want to read.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I understand completely but I wanted write this before I found out it's meaning. Initially I thought the author was analyzing how children cope and understand death, but then came the discussion. That's when it occurred to me that this wasn't a story about death, or how death defines life. Instead it's about the circle. Someones goes another person enters. One gerbil walk out the door and a new one entered
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ReplyDeleteThe theme of the story is to "cherish your and others life" bringing new life into ones own when things isn't going good is always a way to rebuild and start over.
ReplyDelete*Someone. Another point i'd like to make is that maybe that's why when asked the teacher didn't say where everything went. Because this isn't about one person cycle in the world it's about life that we all experience and contribute to.
ReplyDeleteThe story is written in a minimalist style with short, concise sentences. This makes it technically easy to read, although, there is symbolism that is not as easy to decipher. I believe that the theme of the story is life and death. After all, that's what the entire story is about. The beginning of the story gives off this notion of death that's surrounding all of the characters, but at the end of the story a new gerbil walks into the classroom to replace the old one (that just so happens to be dead) that used to be the class pet. This shows that that notion of death is being replaced by a notion of life at the end of the story, therefore making the story's themes life and death. The style of this story compares with Hemingway and Carver's styles because of how everything is written clearly, and because of how the story isn't written in some elaborate style that's a bit more difficult to read.
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