Ewrt 1 c class 26

EWRT 1C CLASSTHE SHORT STORY

AGENDA• Long, Long Short Story Discussion: “Rita Hayworth and

Shawshank Redemption”• Author Introduction: Stephen King• Historical Context• Literary Style• Questions• QHQ

Stephen King 1947-

• AKA: Steve King, Richard Bachman, John Swithen, and Eleanor Druse

Stephen King: Brief Biography• King was born in Portland, Maine, and except for his

elementary school years, he lived much of the rest of his life there. He received a B.A. in English from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, prepared to teach high school English. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

• King ended his high-school teaching career with the success of Carrie, Published in 1974.

Genre• King is best known for writing Horror, but he does venture

into a more mainstream genre with some of his novels and stories. King himself compares his writing to medieval morality plays [allegorical drama popular in Europe especially during the 15th and 16th centuries, in which the characters personify moral qualities (such as charity or vice) or abstractions (as death or youth) and in which moral lessons are taught.] The Green Mile, for example, is often referred to as both a tragedy and a morality play. I will leave you to figure out if “Shawshank” fits the description of a morality play.

Literary or not?• There is much discussion about King’s place in the artistic field. Some say both his productiveness and his success make him worthy of a spot on the list of literary greats. Others acknowledge that his plots are full of surprises, but assert that his words and phrases are not; his prose style lacks the sophistication and creativity of a true literary genius. It is this more pedestrian style of writing that keeps him from achieving the status of John Updike or Cormac McCarthy.

Historical Context• Alcatraz operated as a prison from 1934 to 1963. A little over

1,500 men were housed there during its relatively brief stint as one of America’s most notorious prisons. One of the more famous prisoners was Robert “Birdman” Stroud who got his nickname while in prison at Leavenworth. Stroud became an ornithologist while at Leavenworth and became very well-known in birding circles, though few knew he was a prisoner for much of the time. Stroud was an avid reader and lived much of his life in solitary confinement. Books and birds were his best friends. 

• Stroud may be the inspiration for King’s character, Brooks Hatlen, the only other prisoner we meet with a college degree.

Historical Context: The Great Escape• One summer night in 1962, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and

Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz. They chiseled away sections of the wall around the air vent in the rear of their cells with the handles of steel spoons. While inmates played instruments loudly at a concert, Morris and the Anglin brothers broke through the backs of their cells and into the utility tunnel. They climbed the pipes and made it to the roof of Alcatraz prison. They launched into the San Francisco Bay in a raft made of prison raincoats. Some think that one or more of them escaped to Central or South America due to their library records and attempts to learn Spanish. More think they drowned.

Group DiscussionThe NarratorPoint of viewReliable or not?

Themes/Concepts

Symbols

Major Characters

QHQsTrauma and Traumatic incidents

LITERARY STYLE

•Who is the narrator?• Is he reliable? Why or why not?

•Q: Why was it so important that Stephen King wanted to put the story in the perspective of Red?

Themes/Concepts:

• Isolation• Hope

• Q: Is hope a possible theme in the story?

• Time• Corruption• Crime

Symbols

• Rita Hayworth• Q: What was so important

that the poster had to be of Rita Hayworth? Couldn’t it be any other poster?

• Andy Dufresne• What is Andy Dufresne is

symbolic of and what does he represent to Red and to the rest of the inmates at Shawshank?

• Warden Norton• What or who is Norton

symbolic or representative of?• Rocks

Discuss trauma as it applies to any one character in “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.” Use textual support to make a case that the traumatic incident has long term ramifications.

•Red•Andy Dufrense•Warden Norton•Other?

Using a psychoanalytic lens, do a character profile of any one character in “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.”

QHQs: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.”

1. Q: Red murdered his wife, yet Stephen King is able to portray him as a sympathetic character. How is this possible?

2. Q: What is Steven King saying about redemption in this story?

3. Q: Why does Andy trust Red so much?4. Q: Why is the narrator’s reputation so

important to him?5. Q: What was the significance of including the brief mention of

Sherwood Bolton, the prisoner who was freed and had a pet pigeon?

6. Q: Is redemption even possible after committing a sin or a crime?

• Read “The Metamorphosis” Chapter 1• Post #19 Discuss the details Kafka uses to establish Gregor’s life before

his metamorphosis into an insect. How do these familiar details and objects define Gregor’s character and life?

The relationship between Gregor and his father is at the core of the story. Describe this relationship both before and after Gregor’s metamorphosis.

Much of this part of the story, focuses on Gregor’s inner life. Describe Gregor’s private thoughts and emotions; use psychoanalytic theory to discuss his attitudes toward his family and outside world.