Parts involving Time
Page 71 - "Light that past for day"
Page 73 - "Walked all throught the woods"
Page 78 - "He woke at night"
Page 79 - "The new snow"
Page 80 - "They trudged all day"
Page 81 - "In the morning"
Page 85 - "Darkness coming fast"
Page 86 - "They slept in a parked car"
Page 87 - "In the morning a cold rain was falling"
Page 89 - "Made their way back throught the town"
Page 90 - "They set out in the dusk"
Page 91 - "Followed us for two days"
Wednesday 23 November 2011
The Ending in 25 words
Man dies... boy lives... alone... man comes... offers help... boy still carrying the light... doesnt want pistol... goes with family... keeps carrying the light... uncertainty
Road Rat Questions
What element of forshadowing is employed in this section and why? (pg 62)
Before they see the 'bad people' on the road, the boy is playing with a small truck and drawing in the ash, this is a uncharacteristly happy scene, but then it is followed by a horrible scene when the road rats come in a big diesel truck, in this scene the noises of the truck are described horribly but when the boy playing with his truck it's a nice and joyful sound. These happen in very quick succession and very much shows that on the road if anything ever happens which is good or happy must be replaced by something more horrible than the good event is happy.
What does the description of the men teach us about them? (Characterisation pg 62-3)
The description obviously shows us they are evil... basically. But at the start they seem like saviours, not tyrants; they are wearing "gas masks" and "bioharzard suits" which suggest they are figures of authority, however though these are meant to be things to keep you safe and clean this image is tarnished when it says they were"Stained and filthy" which could be showing the intentions on the road. This could be showing the change in power, they now rule the road, now he Givernment has collapsed it now has to fall to an unstable group of thugs who will eat eachother to survive.
When they are first seen on the word it does not describe them as "some people were coming into view" but "the first of them" this shows that the man was always expecting them to be coming, and they were like an unescapable force.
There is also a feeling of them being like animals skulking the road, the most basic one him being described as a road rat, with out any explaination of why he would be called that.
It also describes them as "hooded" representing them as death "shuffling" in the road blindly trying to look for his prey.
McCarthy uses a simile when describing the truck 'Lumbering and creaking like a ship'. Why does he do this?
He uses this similie for a couple of reasons, one: it could be showing the bad people's shaky morale compass... (i agree this seems very bad... but its another point and means i can have more than one reason)
or two: he is going to a very biblical story of Noah and the ark, this is strange as in this description he is talking about the bad people, but the story of the ark is that God is drowning the world because it is full of evil, but this time he has not flooded the world, but left it to fend for itself, this meaning that they are the who will survive because they have an ark, which will protect them but as God has left there will be no salvation...
Why does Mccarthy describe the Road Rat in such detail? (Characterisation pg 65)
Mcarthy writes the Roat Rat's descritpion in such great detail for many reasons, for one, like the gore and blood which is shown through out the book is very uncensored he does this to show how bad the world is, simmiraly he does this with the bad person... being the road rat, he dscribes him in a lot of detail to show he is bad for the world as is the violence.
he also did it once so that you would always associate the bad people (who are alwas generlised) with the road rat.
Why is the Road Rats character so explicit whilst the man is so implicit?
The road rat is made very vulger in the scene, he swears and uses very basic, crude language when speaking, this is to show for one that he has given up on being proper and has 'adapted' to the road so dpes not have to bother with normal or polite language.
He is also meant to be portrayed as a typical "bad person" so this is a way you can seperate the two sides of the world other than just the appearence, meaning later when you meet the theif you can tell he isnt all bad as he does not speak as bad as the road rat.
What do we learn about the man through his exchanges with the Road Rat? (Pg 68. Consider the Man's impressive medical knowledge, look at the description of the grabbing of the boy and the shooting of the Road Rat)
As the roadrat and man converse you learn a lot about the man, for one he is atleast basically trained in medicine. He tells the roatrat in great detail how the bullet would go through his brain. Though you assume that the man is very smart through the book this is the first time it is said rather clearly.
You can tell he is also trained with firearms, and combat, he performs a cammondo roll and shoots from a far distance with a colt pistol, this is impressive which shows he either has killed many people on the road or he had been trained to do it, this makes a problem if not the latter, if he has learnt to kill people to survive is he any better than the man (road rat) he just shot?
"A single round left in the revolver. You will not face the truth. You will not" Who is the man echoing here? How do you believe these words are uttered?
This is the echo of his wife, telling him about the bullets in the gun. it can be seen really only in 2 ways, either that she is telling him that he is being foolish and arogant for not facing the truth, or she is telling them to stay strong and not to face the truth or it will ruin them, following the expression 'ignorance is bliss'
Why don't the other men chase after the boy and the man following the shooting? (there are clues on pg 73-4).
The men do not give chase for one main reason that it was easier to eat their friend than chase after live prey. This compares them very subtly to wolves, it is a fairly well know thing that if you are running away from wild wolves and only have one bullet (hmmm interesting coinsidence) that you should shoot the one right at the front of the pack, then the others will loose interest in you and go for the easy target... the dead wolf, this shows well in this scene.
It is not until page 77 that the man finally cleans the "gore" and "dead mans brains" from the boys face. Why? (Be aware that in the intervening pages he has kept him warm with blankets, fed him etc yet not cleaned his face)
This is a question of priorities, though in our day and society the first thing you would worry about would be to clear up gore from your son's head, however with this he chooses to keep the boy warm... for the cold will kill the boy but blood wont, it shows how what is important changes when they are desperate, it shows this more than anywhere in the book, but is used to show how normal... or less significant it is compared to the world we know.
Before they see the 'bad people' on the road, the boy is playing with a small truck and drawing in the ash, this is a uncharacteristly happy scene, but then it is followed by a horrible scene when the road rats come in a big diesel truck, in this scene the noises of the truck are described horribly but when the boy playing with his truck it's a nice and joyful sound. These happen in very quick succession and very much shows that on the road if anything ever happens which is good or happy must be replaced by something more horrible than the good event is happy.
What does the description of the men teach us about them? (Characterisation pg 62-3)
The description obviously shows us they are evil... basically. But at the start they seem like saviours, not tyrants; they are wearing "gas masks" and "bioharzard suits" which suggest they are figures of authority, however though these are meant to be things to keep you safe and clean this image is tarnished when it says they were"Stained and filthy" which could be showing the intentions on the road. This could be showing the change in power, they now rule the road, now he Givernment has collapsed it now has to fall to an unstable group of thugs who will eat eachother to survive.
When they are first seen on the word it does not describe them as "some people were coming into view" but "the first of them" this shows that the man was always expecting them to be coming, and they were like an unescapable force.
There is also a feeling of them being like animals skulking the road, the most basic one him being described as a road rat, with out any explaination of why he would be called that.
It also describes them as "hooded" representing them as death "shuffling" in the road blindly trying to look for his prey.
McCarthy uses a simile when describing the truck 'Lumbering and creaking like a ship'. Why does he do this?
He uses this similie for a couple of reasons, one: it could be showing the bad people's shaky morale compass... (i agree this seems very bad... but its another point and means i can have more than one reason)
or two: he is going to a very biblical story of Noah and the ark, this is strange as in this description he is talking about the bad people, but the story of the ark is that God is drowning the world because it is full of evil, but this time he has not flooded the world, but left it to fend for itself, this meaning that they are the who will survive because they have an ark, which will protect them but as God has left there will be no salvation...
Why does Mccarthy describe the Road Rat in such detail? (Characterisation pg 65)
Mcarthy writes the Roat Rat's descritpion in such great detail for many reasons, for one, like the gore and blood which is shown through out the book is very uncensored he does this to show how bad the world is, simmiraly he does this with the bad person... being the road rat, he dscribes him in a lot of detail to show he is bad for the world as is the violence.
he also did it once so that you would always associate the bad people (who are alwas generlised) with the road rat.
Why is the Road Rats character so explicit whilst the man is so implicit?
The road rat is made very vulger in the scene, he swears and uses very basic, crude language when speaking, this is to show for one that he has given up on being proper and has 'adapted' to the road so dpes not have to bother with normal or polite language.
He is also meant to be portrayed as a typical "bad person" so this is a way you can seperate the two sides of the world other than just the appearence, meaning later when you meet the theif you can tell he isnt all bad as he does not speak as bad as the road rat.
What do we learn about the man through his exchanges with the Road Rat? (Pg 68. Consider the Man's impressive medical knowledge, look at the description of the grabbing of the boy and the shooting of the Road Rat)
As the roadrat and man converse you learn a lot about the man, for one he is atleast basically trained in medicine. He tells the roatrat in great detail how the bullet would go through his brain. Though you assume that the man is very smart through the book this is the first time it is said rather clearly.
You can tell he is also trained with firearms, and combat, he performs a cammondo roll and shoots from a far distance with a colt pistol, this is impressive which shows he either has killed many people on the road or he had been trained to do it, this makes a problem if not the latter, if he has learnt to kill people to survive is he any better than the man (road rat) he just shot?
"A single round left in the revolver. You will not face the truth. You will not" Who is the man echoing here? How do you believe these words are uttered?
This is the echo of his wife, telling him about the bullets in the gun. it can be seen really only in 2 ways, either that she is telling him that he is being foolish and arogant for not facing the truth, or she is telling them to stay strong and not to face the truth or it will ruin them, following the expression 'ignorance is bliss'
Why don't the other men chase after the boy and the man following the shooting? (there are clues on pg 73-4).
The men do not give chase for one main reason that it was easier to eat their friend than chase after live prey. This compares them very subtly to wolves, it is a fairly well know thing that if you are running away from wild wolves and only have one bullet (hmmm interesting coinsidence) that you should shoot the one right at the front of the pack, then the others will loose interest in you and go for the easy target... the dead wolf, this shows well in this scene.
It is not until page 77 that the man finally cleans the "gore" and "dead mans brains" from the boys face. Why? (Be aware that in the intervening pages he has kept him warm with blankets, fed him etc yet not cleaned his face)
This is a question of priorities, though in our day and society the first thing you would worry about would be to clear up gore from your son's head, however with this he chooses to keep the boy warm... for the cold will kill the boy but blood wont, it shows how what is important changes when they are desperate, it shows this more than anywhere in the book, but is used to show how normal... or less significant it is compared to the world we know.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
The Gingerbread Man
The Farmer's wife walked across the kitchen. She drew a blade from the knife block on the counter and stuck into the pastry. Cutting a thin lifeless man into the pastry. Pulling the residue off from around the figure she laid the body on the work surface.
She opened the oven door
You shall be tea for the children she said
She took it out of the heat, it was burnt at the edges. The gingerbread man's solid indention of a face twitched.
You shall be for tea the woman said
Nope said the gingerbread man you are not having me. The Gingerbread man jumped off the baking tray and towards the door, he pushed it open and ran onto the farm. The wind pushing him back. Catching his breath he stopped.
I would like to eat you for my tea said the horse. He was by the fence
Nope the gingerbread man said you will not have me
The Gingerbread man scurried down a lane. A river lay ahead. Dark and deep. How was he supposed to get away. A fox walked up to the gingerbread man
I could help you across just get on my tail the Fox said
Thank you
He walked for the table and sat on it. The fox started swimming on the river. Water hitting the Gingerbread man's face. Wetting his dough feet. My feet are getting wet
Then go on my back
The Gingerbread man moved onto his back. Still wet. Still getting his feet wet. My feet are getting wet
Get onto my head said the fox
Then there was a crunch. A yell. The gingerbread man had been bitten by the fox. And with one quick snap he was gone.
She opened the oven door
You shall be tea for the children she said
She took it out of the heat, it was burnt at the edges. The gingerbread man's solid indention of a face twitched.
You shall be for tea the woman said
Nope said the gingerbread man you are not having me. The Gingerbread man jumped off the baking tray and towards the door, he pushed it open and ran onto the farm. The wind pushing him back. Catching his breath he stopped.
I would like to eat you for my tea said the horse. He was by the fence
Nope the gingerbread man said you will not have me
The Gingerbread man scurried down a lane. A river lay ahead. Dark and deep. How was he supposed to get away. A fox walked up to the gingerbread man
I could help you across just get on my tail the Fox said
Thank you
He walked for the table and sat on it. The fox started swimming on the river. Water hitting the Gingerbread man's face. Wetting his dough feet. My feet are getting wet
Then go on my back
The Gingerbread man moved onto his back. Still wet. Still getting his feet wet. My feet are getting wet
Get onto my head said the fox
Then there was a crunch. A yell. The gingerbread man had been bitten by the fox. And with one quick snap he was gone.
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