Week 2

Week2: Uggh! Our second class is over and to be honest I’m a little disappointed. I understand that in every subject, no matter how interested you are in it, there are tedious components. But I expected more from this class then a lecture on plot and characterization. One more lecture on exposition, rising action, falling action, etc. in my educational career and I was going to explode. This frustration, however, was quickly calmed by the stories we read. I didn’t mind applying the lectures to stories like “How to Tell a True War Story,” by Tim Obrien, and “The Tale of the Wife of Bath,” by Geoffrey Chaucer, because they were riveting narratives. And frankly, I don’t think I would’ve appreciated “How to tell a true War Story” without my taking a scalpel to Bob “rat” Kiley’s character. Homework can be a funny thing, because while I often scoff at its uselessness, it often makes the material more personal. The discussion forum this week had us examine Bob Kiley’s character by referring to Mrs. Bolduc-Simpson’s “10 easy steps to analyzing character,” and thank God for it. This assignment forced me to read a story that, due to its merciless sincerity, I will never forget. And because I was then able to break it down in a comprehensible essay, the story became a part of me.