Midnight in Paris

                Midnight in Paris is by far one of the most cliché and predictable movies I have seen in a very long time. However, that did not take much away from the plot; it was simple enough to follow but the development of characters throughout made it complete.

                Initially it was difficult to accept Owen Wilson as a serious character because I remember him as the wedding crasher among several other roles he has played where the character is something of a joke. But the seriousness of the movie sets in fairly quickly. We initially see the spark of love between him and his fiancée, Inez, that is most likely what brought them together. However, it also doesn’t take long to see the differences between the two when it comes to the big ideas: where to live, what to write, what to do, etc. It already seems like something of a flawed relationship. To top it off, Inez is enamored by Paul’s intellect and knowledge from the beginning; I noticed this immediately when watching the movie and sensed that there was something between the two, similar to how Hemingway sensed it. Paul’s attitude in general made him come off somewhat as a snob, and it was just the kind of person Inez was attracted to. To Hemingway it was so obvious, just as it was to the viewer.

                Without knowing anything about the plot, and only the movie title, I knew that something extraordinary was going to happen when the clock struck midnight for the very first time. And in the way that Gil talked so much about the past, coupled with typical Hollywood, I’m not surprised that this led to time travel. Gil got to see all of his favorite artists from the 1920s, interact with them and share ideas just as if he were part of their inner circle. It was clear from the first meeting with Stein, and therefore Adriana, that Adriana would be a strong love-interest of Gil. Although it didn’t pan out the way he initially hoped, he learned a lot about himself and humanity in general – many of us believe that life was better at another time. But he realizes that the present is what we are given, and what we must deal with.

                After hearing what Hemingway thought of the book, Gil confronted Inez and his fears were immediately affirmed. But at this point they were no longer fears – he accepted the change. He realized through his time with Adriana and the others that he and his fiancée would not be able to live happily together. After he left her, the true disgusting nature of Inez and her parents were revealed. Something that was just subtle at the beginning was now fully blown and obvious.

                I hate to say I knew it all along, but Gil’s final love interest in Gabrielle was obvious from the beginning, but that’s not to say I knew quite how it would end. However, an attractive female character appearing multiple times throughout the movie is no mistake. She lived in the present, shared similar interests as Gil, and best of all she was a native Parisian! From the beginning, one could see that she was exactly the type Gil was looking for all along. The movie absolutely had a happily-ever-after ending, even though the two only just met.

Hemingway & Stein

                Hemingway’s story seemed to focus a lot on Gertrude Stein as a character, but the piece was also a commentary on his own writing style. It appeared that Stein had an influence on him, although he probably did not want to admit it sometimes. The two shared a common passion in writing, but their styles and opinions on writing differed greatly.

                Hemingway’s approach made sense to me: continue an idea until it was done, but still leave another idea for the next day. That way you would know where you left off precisely, and would be able to pick back up from the same point. In contrast, if you get everything down all at once, it might be difficult to come back the next day with new ideas to put down on paper. Hemingway thought it best to always leave something to write for the next day so that there was always work to be done.

                As evidenced by Hemingway’s story involving Gertrude Stein, the two of them were very passionate about the arts and writing. Although in Hemingway’s writing, Stein seemed a bit selfish and old-fashioned; she did not care for other writers who did not already praise her, save a few. And she was stuck in one way of writing and had trouble accepting new styles that she did not understand.

Despite how well Stein and Hemingway seem to have gotten along, the content of Hemingway’s story made me dislike Stein as a person. She even boasted about how one day she would be published in the Atlantic Monthly, followed by saying Hemingway was “not a good enough writer to be published there or The Saturday Evening Post” which seemed very disrespectful for someone he was so friendly with (p 14). Her ignorance also shows when she states “The main thing is that the act male homosexuals commit is ugly and repugnant and afterwards they are disgusted with themselves…. In women it is the opposite. They do nothing that they are disgusted by and nothing that is repulsive and afterwards they are happy and they can lead happy lives together.” (p18). Here she generalizes all male homosexuals as disgusting people who cannot live with themselves, and claims female homosexuals are extremely happy people who do no wrong. Although it is not explicitly stated in the story, I assume Stein is homosexual and that is why she has this twisted and ignorant view. On a similar note, it was odd that she didn’t like reading what dead men wrote. When Hemingway brought it up, she thought it was a complete waste of time and effort despite the enjoyment that he got from reading their stories.

Stein’s writings themselves were lost on me. I’m hoping I’ll understand a little better when we discuss it in class; having a fresh perspective usually helps me understand. A couple things that I did notice is that they are all about seemingly random inanimate objects. She also uses repetition in each piece. (i.e. “what is a spectacle, a spectacle is…” or “the one, one is…” or “and them to see to see to it…”).

Creative Response to Revelator

Extension of Revelator

Keldon watched as scenery flew by. He hoped the bus would take him somewhere far away, keeping him safe if at least just for now. The bus was following the river. He knew this river, Andes River it was known as. Noting the current direction, he was able to figure that he was heading north, more or less. He also knew where the river led; if the bus continued to follow it he would end up in the suburbs of the city and eventually the outskirts. The bus didn’t stop frequently, and before he knew it the buildings became far and few between. Perfect, he thought. He needs to keep hiding.

The bus had stopped momentarily. Keldon contemplated his next move. Surely Croft and Erica would not answer phone calls from him. They want nothing to do with the crime. He could still feel the grip of the Ruger, as if he were still holding it in his hands. Focus he told himself. Focus on the task at hand.

“Mind if I sit here?”

It was Erica. Keldon was dumbfounded. She sat down.

“We trailed you to the bus stop. Thought it would be less suspicious if we got on the bus at a later stop. Don’t forget you still owe my dad. $5,000”

“I have it right here.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“Let’s focus on getting back to your dad. The rest isn’t important right now.”

“I heard gunshots. Don’t tell me that is not important! What happened?”

“Quiet. I’ll explain later. In private.”

He was afraid he’d feel her fist once more across his face. Nothing. What Croft said must’ve stuck with her; no marks. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

“Where should we go?”

“You tell me, you’re the fugitive.”

“A motel? I need time to get my shit together. And we could use a safe place for Croft to meet us.”

“OK.”

The bus was due to turn around soon, he thought. He wasn’t really sure where it was going, actually. Before he knew it he lost track of the Andes. He was lost, but not far from home. Now seemed like a good time to get off. Signs of civilization remained; some small local businesses that he assumed were occupied, but not many people coming and going. Not exactly prime real estate. It was quiet. Erica followed him off the bus.

“What happened?”

“They’re dead. Both of them.”

Erica was silent once more. They walked awhile before seeing an Express Inn in the distance. It was a little beat up, certainly no Ritz-Carlton but it would serve its purpose. Keldon pointed at it the moment he saw it.

“Call your dad. We’re staying there tonight.”

They booked a room for two. Keldon didn’t want to draw suspicion, so he made sure to act like her boyfriend as convincingly as he knew how. He had room 243. They went up the cold concrete stairs to the second floor and found their room. The numbers seemed ominous. Huge numbers staring back at him, daring him. Keldon breathed an audible sigh as they locked the door behind him.

“My dad is coming.”

They waited awhile. Keldon did not want to discuss any details until Croft was there. The wait for him felt like an eternity, and the whole time he contemplated the feeling of Erica’s fist and the feeling of the gun in his hand. The first made him angry, and the second made him feel powerful, but also scared of that power. He realized he forgot to put the safety back on the Ruger after the shooting. He didn’t want to hurt himself so he carefully removed the gun from his waist band and put the safety lock on. Croft walked in.

“What the fuck?!”

“Hi.”

“What the fuck happened back there? I just needed the money, I didn’t need you to kill them!”

Keldon sat down and explained his story. Croft didn’t agree with his decisions, but nonetheless moved on realizing that it’s too late to go back now. He also realized that with blood on Keldon’s hand, the operation was too risky. Sure if they pulled it off, there was no way they could be caught. But if they happened to get caught before then, it was all over for them. No, it had to be called off. Croft just wasn’t willing to risk it. Keldon wasn’t happy with the decision, he couldn’t live a fugitive. He wanted to be clean again, but he didn’t know how.

“So how much did you end up with?” Croft asked.

“Not sure.”

Keldon pulled his pockets out of his pants, and wads of cash began to spill out. Ones, fives, tens, and twenties. Sure there were a lot, but they wanted to focus on the bigger denominations. They sorted as much as they could, and figured they had about $16,000 plus several hundred dollars in various smaller bills. They spent fourty-seven dollars for the night in the room.

“Give me the Ruger.”

“Why?” Keldon asked.

“Because it is mine. And I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

Fair enough, Keldon thought. He slipped the gun from his waist band and handed it to Croft, holding the gun by the barrel. Click click. Without missing a beat, Keldon twisted the gun out of Croft’s hand; his grip was weak and he forgot to check the safety. Erica’s cowardice got the best of her. She fled, she did not want to be linked to any other deaths. Keldon knew what just happened and knew what he had to do. He tried to kick Croft to the ground but he only fell backwards a few steps. Only now Keldon had the Ruger, and he took the safety off. He fired two shots and Croft dropped to the floor. He couldn’t react fast enough to save his life.

It made sense to Keldon. Why Croft wanted to kill him. The plan went to shit and the money was the only positive outcome. Keldon was a fugitive and Croft did not want to be linked to him. But he didn’t have time to contemplate that now. He grabbed as much cash as he could and took the wallet and keys from Croft’s pants pocket. He realized Erica was gone, but doesn’t remember her leaving. Time seemed to be slowing down. It was as if every step he took was being judged meticulously. He ran to Croft’s truck while thinking about his father. How would he feel if he knew what he had become? He probably wouldn’t feel anything, Keldon thought. Or he’d pretend not to. It was all his fault, after all.

Explanation of Choices

                Continuing a story, while consciously thinking of the voice of the author, was something I never had to do before. The most important thing that I initially noticed is that although the story is written in the third person, the narrator knows the thoughts of Keldon and no one else. This gives a clear focus of Keldon as the protagonist. I tried to separate the narrator from the character, which can get confusing when the narrator knows so much about him.

                I noticed the story used a fair amount of dialogue, and tried to incorporate a similar style in my new ending. The characters were always brief when they had something to say, and this played into my style of writing. They said only what needed to be said and nothing more, and it was an integral part in developing the plot in the original story as well as my extended ending. It was also obvious in the story that there was a lot of tension, usually expressed by choice profanities, although not frequently. I tried to follow this also, matching characters as best as I could with what the author intended.

 Keldon developed rather quickly in my alternate ending, which I would attribute to how he killed the two men in the pawn shop. At first, he took a punch from Erica and didn’t even react, as if he were too much of a wimp. After killing the men in the pawn shop, he was no longer afraid to hurt somebody. This showed when he killed Croft in the end. Suddenly he was not afraid of what he was, and after killing Croft he began to embrace it.

I chose to end it rather quickly, however I think it was necessary to prevent my extension from becoming another story on its own. Admittedly I think it ended rather abruptly and with moments of very quick but very intense action. Keldon had grown into his new image by the end, and the protagonist lives on. I did this to keep a sense of mystery as to what happens next, which the author did. The author also left out a key detail which I felt should’ve also been left out: What did they want to do with the $5,000? A good story can be told while leaving some big details extremely ambiguous, and I tried to follow the author’s direction on this.

Overall I feel I made the right choices in order to keep this story in the voice of the author. It was admittedly a difficult task for me but I’m happy with the result.
               

Hamilton, Weems, & Walker

Ann Hamilton is an artist who focuses on large-scale visual items, such as towers, sculptures or boats. Although her work is considered art, it breaks one common stereotype for art; most of what she produces serves a purpose. The Meditation Boat, for example, is a fully functioning boat that can be taken out on the water. I find it much easier to appreciate art that has a use; as such I have a great respect for architects and Ann Hamilton can almost be called one.

Carrie Mae Weems is a very intriguing artist that I found difficult to understand. Her work is entirely made up of slideshows of pictures that tell some kind of story. Some have captions and others don’t. “The Kitchen Table Series” was one which I think I understood on a very shallow level; it appears to be about a woman with a husband who was using drugs and drinking. One day her husband was gone, and the audience can only assume it was from the drugs but this is not explicitly shown. The woman cries while drinking a bottle of wine. She gains some comfort from her friends and eventually has a kid of her own, and in the end turns out to be a strong single mother. Other works appeared impossible to understand, such as the “Sea Island Series.” It also appeared that a lot of her work deals with racial and gender issues, which we can assume is very prominent in her life. I also noticed that she had a child at the age of sixteen, which was very likely to have affected her work; it becomes very personal to her.

Kara Walker is an artist in the “original” meaning of the word in that she draws art. Similar to Carrie Mae Weems, much of her work is racially charged. Very few colors are used, and the ones that are tend to be dark and gloomy; otherwise everything else in her work is black. Unfortunately her art is not the type I can appreciate, because I simply don’t understand what her drawings are about.

Diaz and Moore

                The stories How to Talk to Your Mother and How to Date a Brown Girl (Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie) are both how-to stories, implied by the title, that apply to very specific people for their specific situation. As such, they aren’t meant to be followed step by step; rather they are a story of the author’s personal experience that just happens to be told in a specific format.

                The first story is from the perspective of a presumably young black man. He tries his absolute hardest to impress the girl he has a date with, without giving her the impression of trying too hard. He’s interested in this girl for all the wrong reasons, though, evidenced by “If she’s a whitegirl you know you’ll at least get a hand job.” It’d be a lie to say that the average person doesn’t think about sex when it comes to dating, but the way he put it in the story seemed very crude.

Throughout the story, the author uses a lot of “ifs” (i.e. “If she’s a whitegirl” or “a homegirl would have”) that give the story an appeal to a slightly wider audience, enough to make the reader think that this was not written as a personal experience. However, there are some dead giveaways that this is indeed a personal story. “But usually it won’t work this way. Be prepared. She will not want to kiss you…. I don’t like anybody touching my hair, she will say. She will act like somebody you don’t know…. You will not know what to say.” This quote gives the story a very personal touch; the author explains explicitly how things can go wrong, and with such detail it is assumed that it has happened before.

The mode of storytelling in How to Talk to Your Mother was a bit peculiar – the author chose to re-tell specific events from her life in reverse order. This made it tough to follow the life of the protagonist; certain events came into play without any context of how or why they were talking about it. For that reason, I felt the story was too hard to follow and detracted from the point the author was trying to make, as a result making the story less enjoyable. The message I understood was that a healthy relationship with your mother when you are young is essential, and you will regret not having such a relationship later on in life. The author also chose to write about specific details of the protagonist’s life that were not directly about her mother, but may have been a result of the relationship between them. At one point, the author wrote “you have an abortion.” And at another point “You are pregnant again. Decide what you must do.” The first abortion shows that she is scared of being a mother, perhaps because of how she felt about her own mom. The latter pregnancy shows that she has not made her decision yet, but it is up for debate and could potentially go either way. And she is definitely still scared. Her relationship with her mother has affected her life in several ways, although they all seem so indirect.