Dear all,
1. Read My Great Ambition, choose a passage and write a journal entry on it.
2. Post your entry.
A journal entry is where you select a passage (a line, a paragraph etc...), you record the page number and line/ paragraph and analyse it. Your analysis may focus on character development, or plot development, setting etc... exploring diction or symbolism or imagery etc...
Your journal entry should be long enough to show you have explored one aspect of the text.
Thank you.
Mrs Gougeon
1. Read My Great Ambition, choose a passage and write a journal entry on it.
2. Post your entry.
A journal entry is where you select a passage (a line, a paragraph etc...), you record the page number and line/ paragraph and analyse it. Your analysis may focus on character development, or plot development, setting etc... exploring diction or symbolism or imagery etc...
Your journal entry should be long enough to show you have explored one aspect of the text.
Thank you.
Mrs Gougeon
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePage 7, last 3 sentences.
ReplyDeleteI picked the ending of the text because it is very powerful, and sad in a way. The ending was a huge stage in character development. As the writer says “grown out of”, it reminds us, the readers, about the start of the text. By using this language again, we are reminded what the writer said about people telling him he would grow out of it, and how he looked down upon the dreamers. In the last sentence, he says “like everybody else”, which saddens us as we read it because throughout the story we were hoping for a happy ending for this boy, yet he ends with the exact thing he did not want to become. He also finishes with “A dreamer” as it shows us that the character has developed specifically into what he said he wouldn’t at the start of the story, which is remarkably powerful and saddening.
Page 4 (or page 338) from "For some reason that caught me..." until "...I was thirteen."
ReplyDeleteI picked this passage because I believe that it sums up how the speakers thirteen year old self was very naive, which led to him being extremely nervous yet excited with ambition. "Looking at my watch ten times in the next thirty seconds" shows how he was so eager about his appointment, which reminds the reader how being close to achieving ones ambition can bring anxiousness and hope. Lurie makes the readers admire how hopeful he is because hope is often lacking in some people. "I used to do things like that when I was thirteen" gives the impression that people are often more happier and excited about things when they are younger, which can give off a sad feeling because people tend to lose this enthusiasm as they grow older.
Page 339, line 22 – 39
ReplyDeleteThe plot developed with the use of predominantly that of diction in this passage, in demonstrating that Lurie’s ambition is not going to become a reality.
Lurie shows that that he is far too young and naïve to achieve his dream.
“…flashing out my fountain pen all ready to make the correction.”
By this, the boy proves, by attempting to correct his mistake by writing over his artwork, when it professionally, it would not be done. This foreshadows what is to come, for it suggests that he is not yet ready, or capable of becoming a comic strip artist.
“Lamely”, “Silences”, “Plagued”
All of which said by Mr Randell, being quite negative diction, do not look hopeful, and does indeed imply the death of his dream. Especially since Lurie is so nervous in his presence, does carry the implication that he respects him, trying to impress, that what he says is what will become the future of what he dreams.
“Any old time at all will do”
With Lurie saying this at a formal occasion such as this, and this being quite informal shows that Lurie does not quite understand, or follow how to behave in different circumstances further would suggest that he is far too childish to be able to fulfil his aim, and this may also imply that his dream is just a childish one, not being quite so realistic as he once thought that it was as later proves to be true.
Page 336 – 337 “My school suit was out of the question….” Until “…no one would even look to see if I was wearing shoes”
ReplyDeleteThis passage is about Lurie as a thirteen year old, trying to decide on what to wear to his appointment with the comic book company. He begins the passage with “My school suit was out of the question”, telling the readers that as a thirteen year old, he had very definitive judgements and was confident in the decisions he made, implying that he believed in himself. However, when Lurie follows with the sentence about the ink stains caused by fountain pens, he puts in brackets “(A real fountain, ha ha)”. This comment is made by his current self, who is reflecting on the naïve pride his thirteen year old self had for owning a real fountain pen and being proud of it. It has a very sarcastic tone to it, implying that the author has now “grown up” and has lost the spark and fascination he had as a child, and is almost embarrassed by the fact that he used to be proud of owning a “real” fountain pen. Lurie then reverts back to speaking in the perspective of his thirteen year old self, and uses diction such as “ludicrous”, “ruthlessly rivet”, “proper Windsor knot” and “eye-dazzling” to reemphasise his self-confidence and pride. By juxtaposing his current and thirteen year old perceptions, the author provides a very stark contrast to the reader of how his personality has changed as he grew older.
Page 335 "I was the only person in my class..." to " A generation of hopeless romantics!"
ReplyDeleteThis passage is about Lurie and how he believes that everyone else is a dreamer for thinking about other jobs as he believed that being a comic-strip artist was the most sensible job in the world. This passage shows the confidence and passion possessed by thirteen tear old Morris Lurie and develops his character by showing how he had strong convictions about what to do in life. The line: 'A generation of hopeless romantics!' shows how Lurie has an infallible belief that any job other than being a comic-strip artist is outrageous and ludicrous. This whole passage is laden with irony. The irony comes from the fact that Lurie believes his slightly far-fetched job is much more sensible than those of his classmates, this irony is especially strong in the line: 'the business tycoon (on the Stock Exchange)' the added brackets in this line make it seem as if a business tycoon on the Stock Exchange was one of the most far-fetched and insane things that Lurie had ever heard even though it is much more likely than someone becoming a comic-strip artist. The character of Lurie is further developed because at the age of thirteen he is already discussing things such as the Stock Exchange and nuclear physics - this further adds to the irony of this passage because even though Lurie is smart enough to understand these concepts he still thinks being a comic-strip artist is one of the most sensible careers he can choose.
page 337 "Then there occurred one of those things..." until " 'But a telegram,' my mother said"
ReplyDeleteThis shows character development of the mother as we see that she basks in the fame of her son showing how his parents are both dysfunctional. The fact that she told all of her brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts before telling him about it shows us how smug and boastful she is as a character and how fame was more important than her own son. The fact that her son is last in the list of people she told shows us how she placed her son in her list of priorities when talking about fame. "And finally, when I came home from school, she told me." uses a lot of pauses to emphasize her sons disappointment towards his mother as he was expecting that she told him first out of all the people. The fact that she didn't, shows her ego. His excitement for the telegraph is apparent through him stating how rare these were in the household showing us how meaningful it was to him. But he is stripped of the opportunity to open it as his mother does first, acting on her own selfishness. "I told you never under any circumstances, to open my mail!" shows how furious he was in the revelation that his mother opened the telegraph before him. His mother, being the selfish woman she is, responds with the selfish answer of, "But a telegram." Emphasizing her arrogance and egotistical drives. This shows the dysfunctional relationship between mother and son as both are driven by different motives and ambitions.
Page 337 - 338 “ Wearing my Good Suit and my corn yellow tie...” until “I was in a fine state of nerves”
ReplyDeleteThis passage is about when Lurie gets on the train to go to his interview. In this passage he is very nervous and excitable, I believe that this is really the first time we see Lurie as a young boy in the story, which develops his character. Before this passage he seems to be very mature for his age and acts older, but when he gets on the train it shows how young he really is.
“I kept jumping up from my seat and looking out of the window” this shows the readers how excited and eager he is to be on a train and get to the interview. The actions described seem childish by using the words “jumping up”, as though Lurie could not contain himself and needed to get all his energy out, which I find is a contrast to how he acts mature and fairly composed before that.
“What was the name of the last one? What if I went too far? What was the time?” These questions also develop the character and show how young Lurie is at the time as he starts to question himself and get nervous. By having Lurie question himself and worry it makes him seem more vulnerable, younger and in need of his parents. This helps to develop his character, showing that he was only thirteen at the time although he seems more mature.
Page 338, from "The offices of Boy Magazine..." until "...who I was."
ReplyDeleteThis passage addresses the impression that is created by Lurie as he arrives at the Boy Magazine offices for the first time. The vivid description of what the narrator imagines the magazine's offices to be like in stark contrast to the real appearance of the offices is used by the author to emphasise the naivety of the narrator's thirteen-year-old self, as well as setting a dull atmosphere for the impending interview. "They were part of an enormous building that looked like a factory, and were not at all imposing or impressive, as I had imagined them to be." In this line, the narrator gives a very brief description of the actual appearance of the place, appearing surprised that the building does not look how he pictured it. This shows that the boy had not just given a slight thought to the place, but had also created an image in his mind of how he had expected the offices were going to look. To emphasise the naivety of this expectation, the narrator continues to describe the exact features that the boy had anticipated the building to have. "No neon, no massive areas of plate glass, no exotic plants growing in white gravel." The frequent use of "no" gives a negative review of the setting, as though it is lacking in things that it should have, which in actuality is only the things that the boy wanted the building to have. This shows that the boy had created this image in order to please himself, only to be let down by the reality of the place, which shows his naivety. The next part, in brackets, talks about how the boy pictured himself working at the offices, brushing through and past these flamboyant features "...with a pipe in my mouth." The image that is created by this line is very vivid and creates a very exaggerated picture of an office, almost romantic in the sense that the boy had pictured this to be his ideal working environment. By making note that the boy had also pictured himself to have a pipe in his mouth, the narrator mocks his thirteen-year-old self due to the fact that the boy associated himself having a sophisticated, realistic job at these offices with being allowed to use a pipe. This shows that the boy had created a very fantastic image of himself working there before he knew for a fact whether or not he was even going to have his comic published, let alone be offered a job position at the offices. The jump to such conclusions affirms the boy's naivety and as a result makes the brief description of the office building sound very boring. This dull, disappointed atmosphere is only reaffirmed by the following line, "I pushed open an ordinary door and stepped into an ordinary foyer and told an ordinary lady sitting at an ordinary desk who I was." The frequent use of "ordinary" to describe the actual setting gives an over-exaggerated image of a dull and very normal office building, and reinforces the boy's feeling of disappointment that is created by his expectations not being met by reality. By setting the scene in this negative manner, the narrator leaves the rest of the interview scene hanging on a bored and disappointed tone.
Page 340, from “How A Great Newspaper Is Produced…” until “…whole day off?”
ReplyDeleteThis passage is about Lurie being taken to a tour by Jim around the magazine’s factory. The capitalization of "How A Great Newspaper Is Produced" indicates that it is a title and, as this particular sentence structure is repeated by Lurie in such a way, it illustrates how the tour inside the factory was scripted in which you would give to entertain a child. When he accepts the tour, it was as if he was accepting the title of an ignorant child. This was further supported when he was given an "ice cream which Jim had sent out a boy to buy.” The ‘boy’ who had gotten the ice cream symbolizes that Lurie was unimportant in the eyes of the men, and the “ice cream” symbolizes that the men think of him as a boy that needed treats to be cheered up. This makes Lurie seem more immature and out of place as this contrasts to the illusion that he had earlier, fantasizing about “walking to work every morning…with a pipe in my (his) mouth.” Furthermore, during the tour, he was given simple instructions to follow by Jim. “I climbed up where Jim told me to climb up” showed how Jim was as if talking to a mere child and how Lurie was being a very good obedient boy, like he was supposed to be. Also, “highly secret process” indicates the tone how adults normally use with children to make simple things seem magical or more important. Through these small but significant actions, it is implied that even though Lurie was at a supposedly “serious business appointment”, he was treated like an immature child which then solidifies that Lurie is still a child.
Page 336 the paragraph starting "show me again the letter " to " there'd be a cheque.
ReplyDeleteFrom this paragraph we learn more about Lurie's Dad,
Firstly, he wants to be right, we see this from "Ha, listen, listen. The Dad is exited to find that he is right and there is not going to be a cheque, however he disregards his sons feelings, and humiliates him, laughing in his face "Ha" and puts his son down.
Secondly, we learn the Dad only cares about money, he doesn't congratulate his son, all he is interested in is the cheque, he is impatient. He becomes annoyed because there is no cheque, he doesn't care about Lurie's achievement, to hi it isn't an achievement without some material gain, in this case, money. You would expect a father to be pleaded or even proud of their son for this but Lurie's Dad shows no sign of wanting to congratulate his son showing he is selfish.
Page 336 7-5 last lines
ReplyDelete"But my mother did. A day..... Was I a fool" this line shows the way in which success through school was the only way to think, it was also unsupportive upon nu restricting his dreams and ambitions, his father saying that unless he earns money give the impression that he doesn't respect him until he makes money
From Kim,
ReplyDeletePage 336 from ‘Now let me properly introduce…..’ until ‘there’d be a cheque’
This passage is about when Lurie introduces his father to us, the readers, by telling his own opinions about his father and through their conversation. Lurie describes his father as a ‘great scoffer’ which foreshadows that he always humiliates his son and Lurie gets annoyed at him. It is also indicated that the father is very impatient and immature especially when he asks Lurie if the magazine company has sent him the money over and over again, ‘fifty times a night, at least’. Throughout the conversation all he talks about is money and it seems like he is such a materialist as he does not care about his son and his ambition but only the money that Lurie is going to earn. The father is also portrayed as an unsophisticated man because the way he talks sounds very childish and full of sarcasm - ‘Ha, listen, listen’ – he isn’t supposed to talk like that but to encourage his son as a father who has an ambitious, hopeful son who is excited to achieve his own dream.
Page 337 starting "Now, as the day of my appointment drew nearer" until "my face in the bathroom mirror. 'yes.'"
ReplyDeleteNu is quite influenced by his father since in this passage he agrees with his father about them not sending a cheque and that they would have if all they wanted to do was by his comic. Since he is still young he just instantly assumes that they wanted to hire him. He unrealistically thinks 'A full time career as a comic-strip artist on the permanent staff of Boy Magazine!' He does not even think of whether they would hire a teenager to work for them. He also asks himself the question of giving up school for it and says 'yes' that he is ready to give up school for it. He says this with' great calmness and great authority' which sounds very grown up and mature, something that he clearly is not.
Page 336 Paragraph 2 line 2 "They were all dreamers.
ReplyDeleteLaurie is commenting on the fact that all the people in his class are unrealistic in their goals however he himself is unrealistic. You may also view this part as phonetic irony as later on he views himself as a dreamer. He views himself as more realistic due to the fact that he "studied a comic" were no one else has studied what they want to become however he never had professional teaching on the matter.