ENG 1101 Fall 2021 0277

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  • 11/16 questions on the short story "Shiloh"
  • November 16, 2021 at 9:11 am #75735

    Prof. Masiello
    Participant

    3) A short story by Bobbie Ann Mason called “Shiloh”:

    http://english204-dcc.blogspot.com/2011/05/shiloh.html

    a) Who are the main characters?

    Why is there a conflict?

    What has caused a severe rift between them?

    b) What does the husband, Leroy, do to pass the time?

    Are these things we expect of a man to do?

    c) What does the wife, Norma Jean, do to keep busy?

    Why do you think she involves herself in so many activities?

    Which one of them seems unusual for a woman to do?

    d) Why do they go to Shiloh? What is Shilo?

    Do you think this place is symbolic?

    e) Unlike with much older stories, this one was written fairly recently, in the 1980s, and it has references to actual song and movie titles.

    Do you like to see and read about actual things when you watch films and read stories?

    What is the appeal of including such things? (It has the same reaction in movies, but then it is called “product placement” and companies pay lots of money to have their songs, products, and logos inserted.)

    f) Notice the reference to a dust cover’s color (a bed skirt). What meaning does it have if any?

    Note: good writing should include sensory appeal, words that appeal to our five senses. It is easy to appeal to our senses of sight and hearing, not so much to our senses of taste, touch, and smell. (In movies, we can see and hear beautiful and ugly things, but we cannot experience the other sensations.)

    Use this as a suggestion to include specific details: real places and real brands, visual details when you do your own writing. Think of creating pictures in the minds of your readers.

    g) Google who was Norma Jean and who was the man that was called “The King” (Leroy means king). Why do you think the author named her couple after two famous American cultural icons. It is highly doubtful she just pulled names out of a hat.

    November 23, 2021 at 9:51 pm #75826

    Jaheim Wilson
    Participant

    1) The main characters are Leroy Moffit and his wife Norma Jean.

    2) There is conflict because Leroy is now stuck in his home due to the injury to his left foot from his tractor. His wife doesn’t seem to be happy about his presence.

    He was a tractor-trailer (big wheel truck) driver. like an 18 wheeler.

    3) The death of their infant child has caused a rift between them. There is awkward energy between them.

    4) Leroy mainly spends his time making figures like log cabins, or a lap made from craft kits. He is exploring his artistic side.

    5) No these actions are not expected from a man. We usually expect men to work on cars, or fix repairs in the house.

    6) The activities Norma does to keep busy are bodybuilding, playing the organ, enrolling in school, and staying up studying.

    7) I believe to become more independent. And to not have to rely on others.

    Also, maybe to avoid being home with her husband.

    8) Mainly her picking up bodybuilding, and enrolling in school. During these times this was uncommon.

    9) They mainly go to Shiloh because Mabel wanted them to see the Civil War Battleground.

    10) It is actually symbolic of the start of feminism in the U.S. It was during this time that ideology was flourishing.

    Well, in a way the symbolism is about the strain (the battle) between these two people. The Civil War was a terrible conflict within what was supposed to be a United States. A marriage should not be its own battlefield.

    11) Yes I do it makes me appreciate the films and books so much more.

    12) I believe to help give it more popularity and it makes it a lot more memorable.

    It has a greater reality. Maybe you have seen old TV shows where the names of the cereal boxes on kitchen tables had to be disguised so as to not promote a product. Now product placement is expected.

    13) The idea of Norma breaking away from traditional genre norms. The off-white color shows her becoming independent.

    Maybe. The color detail could also just be a visual item to add to the sensory appeal all writers should aim for.

    14) While I wasn’t able to find who “the king” was, Norma Jean was a reference to Marilyn Monroe. The wife was named after her because of her transformation through the story. All of her actions made her more independent and capable. She broke the mold of gender roles just Marilyn Monroe did.

    The King was the nickname of Elvis Presley. (Michael Jackson was referred to as “The King of Pop.” Journalists like to find such alternate names, like “JLo.” In traditional America, one could say Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley were American symbols, sex symbols of a beautiful woman and a handsome man, and by extension symbols of American women and men. Maybe the writer was using such allusions to say Leroy and Norma Jean also were symbols of a deteriorating marriage.

    December 1, 2021 at 11:04 am #75877

    matthewf
    Participant

    A) Leroy Moffit and his wife Norma Jean. There is conflict because Leroy injured his leg from the tractor and because of that he has to stay home. The cause of the rifted is by their infant’s death. rift = the correct word

    It is a large truck, not a farm trailer: a tractor-trailer is an 18-wheel truck.

    B) Leroy spends his time making objects and things he likes to do such as making figures. These things are not expected of what a man does because normally a man would do things that consider hard working and requires to use a lot of strength to do so.

    C )The activities Norma does to keep busy are studying, bodybuilder, and going to school. I think the reason why she decides to take up many tasks is that she probably wants to show others how mature and independent she is. Things that seem unusual are where a woman is doing most of the are working like bodybuilder and etc. It is supposed to be a man’s job to take care of those hard work but in this story, it seems to be the opposite.

    Yes, this couple is acting the opposite of what is traditionally male and female behavior.

    D) The Shiloh is a place where the Civil War was taken.
    It is symbolic during the battle about feminism.

    Or about the conflict between this married couple.

    E) I would love to see the outcome between the book and the film.
    The appeal to give such things is to show others how well it was performed and what they use to grab their attention.

    And to create a sense of identification for the reader who experiences these words and things in real life.

    F) The dust cover color shows something about Norma about her personality and the things she had done as a hard worker.

    G) I wasn’t too sure who was “The King” but for Norma, she is the Marilyn Monroe and it was famous so they decided to pull the characters out and make a movie out of it. This showed us what women can do just like Monroe did.

    Matthew, please see what I just write to Jaheim about these names.

    December 5, 2021 at 6:12 pm #75949

    Osman Hassan
    Participant

    1) Who are the main characters?
    Leroy, Norma Jean, Mabel

    2) Why is there a conflict?
    Leroy has been a truck driver for a significant amount of time, however, after an accident he is now home all the time. This is a change that Norma was not expecting and seems to be unhappy with it, whereas Leroy thought his wife would be celebrating the fact.

    3) What has caused a severe rift between them?
    Distance

    4) What does the husband, Leroy, do to pass the time?
    He builds/crafts things from kits.

    5)Are these things we expect of a man to do?
    This is not something we expect a man to do, it is more so something a child would find fun.

    6) What does the wife, Norma Jean, do to keep busy?
    Exercises, plays instruments, works, goes to school.

    7) Why do you think she involves herself in so many activities?
    She is not content with her life, so she keeps herself distracted.

    8) Which one of them seems unusual for a woman to do?
    Working and exercising seem unusual as they are stereotypically what men do, and not women.

    9) Why do they go to Shiloh? What is Shilo?
    They go to Shiloh because Norma’s mother, Mabel, suggests it multiple times. Shiloh is the place where one of the battles of the civil war took place and resulted in a win for the US/union

    10) Do you think this place is symbolic?
    This place is symbolic of conflict, similar to the conflict Leroy and Norma have.

    11) Unlike with much older stories, this one was written fairly recently, in the 1980s, and it has references to actual song and movie titles.
    Do you like to see and read about actual things when you watch films and read stories? What is the appeal of including such things? (It has the same reaction in movies, but then it is called “product placement” and companies pay lots of money to have their songs, products, and logos inserted.)
    I do like it since it makes the story more real to the reader and allows them to draw connections to the real world and experiences they may have had.

    12) Notice the reference to a dust cover’s color (a bed skirt). What meaning does it have if any?
    The color of the dust cover is off-white, which is white with a yellow or gray tinge. The white could be representative of the love/connection they once had, whereas the tinge of yellow or gray could represent the obstruction of their connection caused in part by the distance between them.

    13) Google who was Norma Jean and who was the man that was called “The King” (Leroy means king). Why do you think the author named her couple after two famous American cultural icons. It is highly doubtful she just pulled names out of a hat.
    Norma Jean is Marilyn Monroe’s real name and Elvis Presley is referred to as “The King”. The reason for choosing celebrities may be to show that they too are imperfect and go through the same struggles and hardships as regular everyday people.

    December 6, 2021 at 3:38 am #75954

    Daniela S
    Participant

    A.)
    The main characters are Leroy and his wife Norma.
    There is a conflict because his wife Norma is bothered by the fact that her husband is always home which can get a little tiring because people do like their space and time apart.
    The reason for the way they act towards each other or how you say, “rift” is the death of their child.
    B.)
    Leroy has been spending a lot of time with his creativity. In my opinion men can do whatever they want to do, just as women. But in my opinion using his creativity to do things is more feminine things to do, as for masculine he should do maybe engineering related work.
    C.)
    Norma has a job and goes to school. Something I do find interesting about her is her instrument playing. She also does a lot of exercise I believe she’s keeping herself busy so she can distract her mind off the things that can’t seem to get out of there, or/and to keep distant from husband. Her exercising is a little exaggerated, but it is a good way to keep your mind off things.
    D.)
    The Shiloh is where the Civil War took place. It symbolizes a lot of feministic perspectives.
    E.)
    Yes, I do like to read about things when I watch the story or film of something, for like a full background knowledge. Especially if it leaves me curious.
    Appeal can mean like a new look or like a cherry on the top.
    F.) ??
    G.) The king as in Elvis Presley and Norma as in Marilyn Monroe. I’m not quite sure why the author might’ve chosen Elvis Presley as the king but as Norma I can see why it’s Marilyn, she was a very determined women.

    December 11, 2021 at 4:38 am #76040

    Tatiana
    Participant

    The main characters are Norma Jean and Leroy

    There seems to be conflict because now they have to actually be around each other, and his wife doesn’t enjoy his company. I think she was fine with them being together but didn’t want to spend time with each other.

    I feel a lack of communication but also not listening. He was so stuck on a cabin when she said she didn’t want one. I feel he was stuck on it because he was insecure about the relationship, and he should have spoken to her about it. For example, their child’s death that’s something they should have spoken about.

    He did arts and crafts during his free time.

    Back then no men weren’t expected to participate in these activities because they were seen as less masculine. But today men most definitely do participate, and nobody cares.

    She worked out, played Instruments, and even went to school to keep busy.

    I think she participated in so many activities because she wanted to get some time away from him. The longer he was in the house the more things she started to pick up.

    Weightlifting but the only reason it seems unusual is that it’s seen as a man’s hobby.

    I like to see actual things in tv shows or movies but only if it’s funny. If it’s not humor, then I just overall don’t care.

    I know the king is Elvis, but I don’t know anything about him, so I don’t know what his name means. But Marilyn Monroe was known to be beautiful but also smart. And she’s honestly an Icon when people think of iconic women, she makes the list.

    December 18, 2021 at 12:10 pm #76134

    Dmitry Terentyev
    Participant

    (a) The main characters are Norma Jean Moffitt and her husband Leroy Moffitt. The conflict is that Norma has lost interest in her husband and Leroy thinks it is going to end their marriage. All this started happening after the sudden death of their infant.

    (b) Leroy has developed interest in sewing and building models. The society does not expect men to involve in such activities and shames them for having an interest in such activities. I personally think that interests are not gender specific. People ought to do whatever they like without worrying about any judgment.

    (c) She busies herself in a lot of in roles generally expected from women like keeping the house warm and make food for her husband etc. She busies herself because Leroy feels like a stranger to her who does not understand his wife. Norma also does weightlifting which is not considered to be very feminine by society.

    (d) Shiloh is the battlefield of Civil War and they go there because of constant insistence from Mabel. This place is symbolic to the catastrophic marriage between Norma and Leroy. Though they do not fight a lot, yet the marriage has reached its emotional threshold.

    (e) I personally love to see and read about things because it makes me connect to the story a lot more. It is like the connection you feel with a person who likes the same songs or products as you.

    (f) The off-white color is not pure white, hence it reflects upon the relationship of Norma and Leroy which too does not any pureness left. Both of them are concealing their feelings towards each other. Moreover, Norma is having an affair.

    (g) Norma Jean was the real name of Marilyn Monroe and The King was the nickname of Elvis Presley. I don’t see any other motive behind choosing these names as her characters other than a mere fondness of the two icons.

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