"O'Brien's manner became less severe. He resettled his spectacles thoughtfully, and took a pace or two up and down. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and patient." page 245
This scene occurs when O'Brien questions Winston for the first time, immediately following the first shock of pain that Winston feels. O'Brien seems to be playing the good-cop-bad-cop routine, except he's the only one playing. Throughout the novel, at least up to the point when Winston and Julia are caught, O'Brien seems to be on Winston's side. When Winston and Julia go to his home, O'Brien appears to be some sort of guardian. In the interrogation room, he switches between that O'Brien and the O'Brien who inflicts pain upon Winston and nearly exposes his face to hungry rats. Winston informs the reader directly of this and also of O'Brien's intelligence. Even without Winston's description of O'Brien's intelligence, though, the reader can see how truly smart he is. No dumb or moderately intelligent individual could switch so easily between appearing to be Winston's friend and inflicting pain upon him with machines.
Showing posts with label direct characterization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label direct characterization. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Short Story Adaptation
Plot
If I was adapting "The Lottery" into a full-length film, I would add a few conflicts before Tessie's murder. The movie would begin with the end of the previous stoning and would focus specifically on Tessie's reaction to the stoning. This would effectively emphasize her hypocritical reaction to her own stoning. I would also include scenes in the homes of several village families. This would set the stage for the lottery and the effect that it has on each different family. Other than that, a film version could be exactly the same as the short story and still be entertaining, so I would not change anything that has already been written.
Point of View
In an adaptation, I would keep the third person omniscient narrator, but I would make the narrator more of a spy or a nosy neighbor. The narrator would be able to take the audience into the homes of each family. This change would allow the audience to feel closer to the villagers and identify with their families. By doing so, the audience would be more engaged in the movie. The ultimate goal is to make the movie exciting and interesting for an audience, and giving the narrator more of a free reign would create that excitement and evoke a stronger response from the audience.
Characterization
The way that the narrator has characterized Tessie and all the other characters is a combination for direct and indirect characterization. I would definitely keep that, but I would focus more on characterizing Tessie indirectly. Adding a relationship with the daughter she attempts to throw under the bus would be a good way to emphasize the desperation which accompanies the lottery. It would highlight the aspect of Tessie which allows her to try to betray her daughter. I would keep the same style of characterization, but I would expand on it and give the audience a better insight into the villagers', specifically Tessie's, lives. Just like the point of view, an expansion of the characterization would make Tessie's stoning more emotional for the audience.
Setting
I would keep the setting the same. A small village seems to be an appropriate setting for a story like "The Lottery." I would have the story set in the early 1900s. An audience seeing the movie today would find a story such as this unbelievable if it was set in the present day, so it needs to be set in a somewhat distant time period. That would also make a relative lack of technology more sensible. It would make it easier to set a potentially barbaric story without making it completely, obviously barbaric.
Theme
I'd keep the same theme in a movie as in the short story. The theme in the short story is that a bad occurrence is okay, even necessary, until it hits close to home. For this story to become an exciting movie, keeping this theme would be the best choice. It's crazy enough that an audience would be almost uncomfortable, but it would become somewhat believable. Tessie would be seen at the previous stoning seeming almost sad but not quite regretful. Tessie at the next lottery, however, would still lose it when she finds out that she has to die. Showing both would effectively support the theme and make the audience walk away from the film wondering how and why a society would have a lottery.
If I was adapting "The Lottery" into a full-length film, I would add a few conflicts before Tessie's murder. The movie would begin with the end of the previous stoning and would focus specifically on Tessie's reaction to the stoning. This would effectively emphasize her hypocritical reaction to her own stoning. I would also include scenes in the homes of several village families. This would set the stage for the lottery and the effect that it has on each different family. Other than that, a film version could be exactly the same as the short story and still be entertaining, so I would not change anything that has already been written.
Point of View
In an adaptation, I would keep the third person omniscient narrator, but I would make the narrator more of a spy or a nosy neighbor. The narrator would be able to take the audience into the homes of each family. This change would allow the audience to feel closer to the villagers and identify with their families. By doing so, the audience would be more engaged in the movie. The ultimate goal is to make the movie exciting and interesting for an audience, and giving the narrator more of a free reign would create that excitement and evoke a stronger response from the audience.
Characterization
The way that the narrator has characterized Tessie and all the other characters is a combination for direct and indirect characterization. I would definitely keep that, but I would focus more on characterizing Tessie indirectly. Adding a relationship with the daughter she attempts to throw under the bus would be a good way to emphasize the desperation which accompanies the lottery. It would highlight the aspect of Tessie which allows her to try to betray her daughter. I would keep the same style of characterization, but I would expand on it and give the audience a better insight into the villagers', specifically Tessie's, lives. Just like the point of view, an expansion of the characterization would make Tessie's stoning more emotional for the audience.
Setting
I would keep the setting the same. A small village seems to be an appropriate setting for a story like "The Lottery." I would have the story set in the early 1900s. An audience seeing the movie today would find a story such as this unbelievable if it was set in the present day, so it needs to be set in a somewhat distant time period. That would also make a relative lack of technology more sensible. It would make it easier to set a potentially barbaric story without making it completely, obviously barbaric.
Theme
I'd keep the same theme in a movie as in the short story. The theme in the short story is that a bad occurrence is okay, even necessary, until it hits close to home. For this story to become an exciting movie, keeping this theme would be the best choice. It's crazy enough that an audience would be almost uncomfortable, but it would become somewhat believable. Tessie would be seen at the previous stoning seeming almost sad but not quite regretful. Tessie at the next lottery, however, would still lose it when she finds out that she has to die. Showing both would effectively support the theme and make the audience walk away from the film wondering how and why a society would have a lottery.
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The Longest Movie Ever Made
Plot
The movie was disappointingly different from the story. The entire plot is wrong besides Benjamin's reverse aging. In the movie, the events are drawn out so that the viewer can see every part of Benjamin's life and get a better sense of who he is and how certain events have affected him. The reversal of his aging issue puts a new spin on the story by making him more conscious of his reversed aging. Hildegarde has a problem with Benjamin getting younger in the story, but here it is Benjamin who sees a problem although he has a child in both cases. That reversal makes Benjamin a more believable character because he is concerned about raising his daughter the way any father would be. Personally, I hate it when movies differ from the storyline presented in the book, but the differences in plot here gives the movie more substance and made it more entertaining than the story.
Point of View
The movie has a few different points of view. Caroline reads the story, but it's Benjamin's story, so it's a first person point of view. Caroline serves the same purpose that Tim O'Brien's daughter served in The Things They Carried. They both clarify and interpret information for the audience so that the story is more credible. The fact that the story is Benjamin's first-hand account makes him more real to the audience and evokes feelings of empathy. When Daisy takes over the story, it is as if Benjamin's story continues, but the helplessness which grows in him becomes apparent because he can no longer tell his own story. The first-person account of the movie is much more appealing than the story because hearing a story first-hand is more reliable and more exciting.
Characterization
Benjamin is indirectly characterized, but he is also directly characterized. He has many relationships throughout the movie, but the most important ones are those with Queenie, Daisy and his father. Benjamin's relationship with Queenie makes him look like an obedient son who just wants to please his mother and occasionally messes up. This relationship is endearing, and it makes the audience start to like Benjamin. His relationship with Daisy characterizes him as caring but also as a typical guy. He makes mistakes, but everyone does that. What truly matters to her is that he cares. Benjamin's relationship with his father characterizes him as forgiving and understanding. His father reveals his identity, and Benjamin accepts him even though he has a right to be angry. Each of these qualities is endearing and provides plenty of character for Benjamin, but he also characterizes himself and directly tells us that he doesn't mind being different. All of this evidence makes Benjamin seem like a real, complex person who could really exist.
Setting
The movie is set several years later than the story, and that brings new conflicts like WWII into the picture. Really nothing about the setting is the same between the story and the movie, so everything except the most basic plot line is different. The Louisiana location makes me think of the Creole culture in New Orleans and the popularity of cultural practices and "hocus pocus," for lack of a better term. That makes Benjamin's condition seem more reasonable, as does the clock that ticks backwards. The primary reason for the change in setting is to create more conflict in Benjamin's life because that's just more interesting. He wouldn't have conflicts with women the way that he does if the movie was set in the late 1800s like the story is.
Theme
There are multiple major themes in the movie. Queenie presents the idea that being different is okay. Benjamin frequently tells people when he's only a few years old that he's different, but he knows it's not a bad thing because Queenie makes sure he knows that. Benjamin presents the strongest theme which is the idea that nothing lasts forever. He watches so many people come and go in the nursing home, and every single one of his relationships ends at some point. He knows that every aspect of his life will change or fade, so he makes the most of it while he can.
The movie was disappointingly different from the story. The entire plot is wrong besides Benjamin's reverse aging. In the movie, the events are drawn out so that the viewer can see every part of Benjamin's life and get a better sense of who he is and how certain events have affected him. The reversal of his aging issue puts a new spin on the story by making him more conscious of his reversed aging. Hildegarde has a problem with Benjamin getting younger in the story, but here it is Benjamin who sees a problem although he has a child in both cases. That reversal makes Benjamin a more believable character because he is concerned about raising his daughter the way any father would be. Personally, I hate it when movies differ from the storyline presented in the book, but the differences in plot here gives the movie more substance and made it more entertaining than the story.
Point of View
The movie has a few different points of view. Caroline reads the story, but it's Benjamin's story, so it's a first person point of view. Caroline serves the same purpose that Tim O'Brien's daughter served in The Things They Carried. They both clarify and interpret information for the audience so that the story is more credible. The fact that the story is Benjamin's first-hand account makes him more real to the audience and evokes feelings of empathy. When Daisy takes over the story, it is as if Benjamin's story continues, but the helplessness which grows in him becomes apparent because he can no longer tell his own story. The first-person account of the movie is much more appealing than the story because hearing a story first-hand is more reliable and more exciting.
Characterization
Benjamin is indirectly characterized, but he is also directly characterized. He has many relationships throughout the movie, but the most important ones are those with Queenie, Daisy and his father. Benjamin's relationship with Queenie makes him look like an obedient son who just wants to please his mother and occasionally messes up. This relationship is endearing, and it makes the audience start to like Benjamin. His relationship with Daisy characterizes him as caring but also as a typical guy. He makes mistakes, but everyone does that. What truly matters to her is that he cares. Benjamin's relationship with his father characterizes him as forgiving and understanding. His father reveals his identity, and Benjamin accepts him even though he has a right to be angry. Each of these qualities is endearing and provides plenty of character for Benjamin, but he also characterizes himself and directly tells us that he doesn't mind being different. All of this evidence makes Benjamin seem like a real, complex person who could really exist.
Setting
The movie is set several years later than the story, and that brings new conflicts like WWII into the picture. Really nothing about the setting is the same between the story and the movie, so everything except the most basic plot line is different. The Louisiana location makes me think of the Creole culture in New Orleans and the popularity of cultural practices and "hocus pocus," for lack of a better term. That makes Benjamin's condition seem more reasonable, as does the clock that ticks backwards. The primary reason for the change in setting is to create more conflict in Benjamin's life because that's just more interesting. He wouldn't have conflicts with women the way that he does if the movie was set in the late 1800s like the story is.
Theme
There are multiple major themes in the movie. Queenie presents the idea that being different is okay. Benjamin frequently tells people when he's only a few years old that he's different, but he knows it's not a bad thing because Queenie makes sure he knows that. Benjamin presents the strongest theme which is the idea that nothing lasts forever. He watches so many people come and go in the nursing home, and every single one of his relationships ends at some point. He knows that every aspect of his life will change or fade, so he makes the most of it while he can.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Sadly, Without Brad Pitt.
Plot
The plot of the story emphasizes the eccentricity of the storyline. The climax which takes place when he discovers "baby of threescore and ten" seems out of place because a climax typically occurs at the end. This odd strategy emphasizes the oddity of a seventy-year-old baby being born. Also, there is very little conflict during what would be Benjamin's teenage years. Normally, conflicts would be rampant in a story about a young adult, but his life seems to have very little conflict, especially with his parents. The typical rocky relationship between a parent and a young adult does not exist between Benjamin and his father; they're described as "companionable."
Point of View
The narrator is third person omniscient. The narrator explains in the beginning that Roger hopes the baby will be a boy so that he can go to Yale (chapter one, paragraph three). The reader is also informed of the fact that Benjamin feels "more at ease in his grandfather's presence than in his parents'" which could not be known by a limited narrator. This serves to create an emotional connection between the reader and Benjamin. By knowing his feelings, the reader feels the awkwardness of aging backwards and becomes more engaged in the story. It makes the story both more understandable and more interesting for the reader. Personally, once I started to understand Benjamin, I was much more interested in the story and finishing it than when I started.
Characterization
Fitzgerald uses direct characterization to give the reader an immediate sense of what each character is like. Roger Button is characterized as a coward from the beginning. When the doctor blows him off and implies that something is wrong with the baby, Roger loses "all desire to go into" the hospital because he doesn't want to face the circumstances. By presenting the reader with an immediate picture of each character, Fitzgerald is sure to evoke the reactions he wants. He doesn't give the reader the time or the reasons to doubt his evaluations of each character. The reader has almost no choice but to agree and see the characters as they're meant to be seen because there is no room for interpretation.
Setting
The narrator tells us on page 5 that the story is set in 1860. The setting makes the story somewhat more believable because a birth defect seems more likely. The time period also makes the family's disappointment more realistic. Roger Button would have hoped to pass his wholesale hardware business on to his son, but having a son with some sort of defect would ruin the possibility of that. Socially, the Buttons could be ruined by the fact that they had an odd son, and in the pre-Civil War era in the South, social status was important. Because of the setting, Benjamin's situation is exacerbated, and it becomes a huge issue in every aspect of his and his family's lives.
Theme
The theme of the story is that life is about perception. When Benjamin looks fifty, he's happy. He's not experiencing a mid-life crisis, and Hildegarde even says he's at "the romantic age." Most men at fifty perceive their lives as half over, and have a much less cheerful demeanor than Benjamin does at fifty. At the same time, he feels like he's missing out on the activities of a normal twenty-year-old's life. He perceives certain ages differently than everyone else does. He proves that a person's attitude about life is based mostly on his or her perception of life's events.
The plot of the story emphasizes the eccentricity of the storyline. The climax which takes place when he discovers "baby of threescore and ten" seems out of place because a climax typically occurs at the end. This odd strategy emphasizes the oddity of a seventy-year-old baby being born. Also, there is very little conflict during what would be Benjamin's teenage years. Normally, conflicts would be rampant in a story about a young adult, but his life seems to have very little conflict, especially with his parents. The typical rocky relationship between a parent and a young adult does not exist between Benjamin and his father; they're described as "companionable."
Point of View
The narrator is third person omniscient. The narrator explains in the beginning that Roger hopes the baby will be a boy so that he can go to Yale (chapter one, paragraph three). The reader is also informed of the fact that Benjamin feels "more at ease in his grandfather's presence than in his parents'" which could not be known by a limited narrator. This serves to create an emotional connection between the reader and Benjamin. By knowing his feelings, the reader feels the awkwardness of aging backwards and becomes more engaged in the story. It makes the story both more understandable and more interesting for the reader. Personally, once I started to understand Benjamin, I was much more interested in the story and finishing it than when I started.
Characterization
Fitzgerald uses direct characterization to give the reader an immediate sense of what each character is like. Roger Button is characterized as a coward from the beginning. When the doctor blows him off and implies that something is wrong with the baby, Roger loses "all desire to go into" the hospital because he doesn't want to face the circumstances. By presenting the reader with an immediate picture of each character, Fitzgerald is sure to evoke the reactions he wants. He doesn't give the reader the time or the reasons to doubt his evaluations of each character. The reader has almost no choice but to agree and see the characters as they're meant to be seen because there is no room for interpretation.
Setting
The narrator tells us on page 5 that the story is set in 1860. The setting makes the story somewhat more believable because a birth defect seems more likely. The time period also makes the family's disappointment more realistic. Roger Button would have hoped to pass his wholesale hardware business on to his son, but having a son with some sort of defect would ruin the possibility of that. Socially, the Buttons could be ruined by the fact that they had an odd son, and in the pre-Civil War era in the South, social status was important. Because of the setting, Benjamin's situation is exacerbated, and it becomes a huge issue in every aspect of his and his family's lives.
Theme
The theme of the story is that life is about perception. When Benjamin looks fifty, he's happy. He's not experiencing a mid-life crisis, and Hildegarde even says he's at "the romantic age." Most men at fifty perceive their lives as half over, and have a much less cheerful demeanor than Benjamin does at fifty. At the same time, he feels like he's missing out on the activities of a normal twenty-year-old's life. He perceives certain ages differently than everyone else does. He proves that a person's attitude about life is based mostly on his or her perception of life's events.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Characterization
O'Brien's strategy for characterization in the novel is telling stories from different characters' points of view. In Norman Bowker's case, the story about how he "almost won the Silver Star" (135) shows his feelings about the war and what kind of man he is. He cares about honor, although that probably applies to most of the men in the war. The fact that the story concerns his father shows that he looks up to his father. His relationship with his father is important to him, and he cares what his father thinks. O'Brien does this with almost every soldier in the novel which gives them all a personality. By giving the men personalities, O'Brien makes their stories more believable. He also creates a bigger, better picture of life in Vietnam.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Chaspter 18, But Less Angry
The one cool thing about chapter 18 is that the reader gets a lot of information about Spanish bull-fighting. I really like that all the facts and traditions were mentioned. The Spanish words like "muletas" on page 215 make the reader feel like they have an understanding of what's going on with the bull-fight. Also, the description of Romero's movements really helps the reader envision what's happening in the bull-ring. This also contributes to Romero's characterization. I think in this case it would be direct characterization. Hemingway tells the reader outright that Romero seems determined and focused. He has his eye on the prize, and he's not giving up until he gets what he wants and gives the crowd what they want.
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