The Stone Gods (Discussion, Conclusion); Santayana, Argentina Introduction & Contemporary Writers

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This morning, let's take another 20 minutes or so to complete our discussion on The Stone Gods. See previous post for sample discussion questions. Please complete and turn in your Socratic review sheets for credit.

We made slight reference to the idea that history and human events (like natural ones) tend to be cyclical or repeat themselves. To branch out a bit then, take a look at the handout on George Santayana. He is most famous for the quote: "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." For progress to be possible, he says, "we must not only remember past experiences, but also learn from them; to see different ways of doing things" and "real progress is not so much a matter of revolution as of adaptation."

Listen to the linked article on Santayana and then respond in writing to anything you heard or found interesting or thoughtful.

Period 2:

Let's start off with a little research and brainstorming about Argentina. Take the next 15 minutes to contribute to the PADLET. You should write a post about what you know already, at least 1 question for the class to research and find out (what I want to know...), and at least 1 post for "what I learned from my research..."

Then we'll take a look at some contemporary Argentinian writers.
  • Fernando Sorrentino "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella"
  • Marco Denevi: "The Lord of the Flies"
  • Ana Maria Shua: "Without a Net"
  • Maria Negroni: "The Baby"
HOMEWORK: Complete any short stories we did not read in class AND post a COMMENT in the COMMENT section of this blog (below) with your vote for the best short story from this group. In your "review/comment" please write a very brief summary of the story (its premise) and explain why you think the story works, what makes it unique or memorable to a reader, what artistic or literary devices it uses in its structure, or reasons why the story, in your opinion, is better than the others. Finally, create a short writing PROMPT for the class based on what you learned or thought about for the story you chose as best.

Just a reminder that your portfolios are due Monday. Please come to class ready to put your portfolio together (I will be giving you time in class to complete your reflection and submitting your work for the marking period).

Comments

Pahz Cherelin said…
My favorite short story from the group was The Lord of the Flies. The premise of the story is a musing on the type of god different groups of flies would create as a means of satirizing religion. The story works because it is concise and yet clearly gets its point across in an intriguing manner. The point the story displays--that if it is absurd for us to think about the Lord of the Flies and all his different imagined personas, then why is it not absurd to think about our imagined gods in exactly the same way?--is also valuable as well.

Prompt: use a short story with animals to make a broader point about religion or philosophy.
November 2, 2019 at 5:37 PM
Pahz Cherelin said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
November 2, 2019 at 5:37 PM
Brad Craddock said…
Thank you, Pahz for prompt (& summary!)
November 3, 2019 at 12:13 PM
Anonymous said…
I liked the short story titled,The Baby. I didn't understand it at first but I read it again on my own. The story is about a woman who wants a child but keeps losing the baby so she imagines one basically and the baby keeps disappearing. When first reading the story it didn't really click in my head what was going on however it has a deeper meaning and may require another look.
November 4, 2019 at 7:43 AM
Anonymous said…
I liked the story titled "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella". I thought the story would take on more of a horror tone with the character dying. However, it took more of a comedic approach and made me laugh when the story ended. I think it was the best story because it was something that would happen ordinarily but the author made it so funny and relatable because I've been hit on the head with an umbrella so many times.
November 4, 2019 at 8:56 AM
Anonymous said…
My favorite short story is "There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella" by Fernando Sorrentino. The story is very lighthearted with the simple premise of a "weak, mortal man" hitting the speaker of the story with his umbrella constantly. By the end, the speaker admits that he needs the man to hit him to survive since he has grown so used to it. I really like how the author describes the characters and develops their relationship. The beginning establishes the setting and describes the man with the umbrella. As the story progresses, the audience gets to see how accustomed the speaker becomes to the man, until he reveals a revelation that "I will no longer feel those soft blows of his umbrella that help me sleep so soundly." I think this story sticks out to me more than the other stories because it has this character dynamic where they both need each other to essentially keep living. Even in death, the speaker believes that getting hit with an umbrella will continue. The characters are very likable to me, strengthening the story with its already cheeky plot.

Writing Prompt: Write a short story in which two characters are connected to each other in a unique, strange way.
November 7, 2019 at 6:34 AM
Anonymous said…
I liked the concept in "The Lord of the Flies". Despite it being short, it packs a lot into with an existing lore and a larger story could be pulled from it. There's a tone of ambiguity throughout the short story that kept me hooked.

Writing prompt: use animals to make a point about religion.
November 7, 2019 at 7:47 AM
Anonymous said…
My favorite short story was "The Baby." I thought it was going to end up being a horror story about a baby drowning but instead it was about a baby enjoying its bath. I like how misleading it seems to be at first when it says 'I can't find him' and it leads the reader to believe the baby has drown in the bathtub, but the next line 'I turn around and there he is again' resolves that thought.

Writing Prompt: write a story that sounds like a horror at first but ends up being innocent
November 14, 2019 at 12:22 PM
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