Response to “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood

This is an interesting fiction written by Atwood with very creative writing techniques. It contains six different short pieces of stories labeled from A to F which all related to the protagonists John and Mary, and all the stories finally return to the same ending as the story A.

Except the structure, the main idea this fiction tells about is “happy ending.” However, from the contents, we can find every piece of story is end with death. This is kind of weird to call “death” a happy ending, but I think this is not what the author real wants to express since she puts a quotation mark to the title, it is however to suggest her satire to the happy ending of other fictions. As she writes in the conclusion, the only authentic ending is “John and Mary die. John and Mary die.” Therefore, it is more important to pay attention to the description of reasons, which is “how and why” the things happen that lead to the ending, rather than simply tells the plots which is “a what and a what and a what.” The author also proves this idea in this fiction. We can find that all the following stories are more interesting than the A story, since they all tell with detailed description about the reasons that cause the end of death, which shows the importance of “how and why” to a “happy ending”.

Position Choice for the Journal

I would like to choose the position as an art editor for our journal, for the reasons that first of all, I am interested in the visual design and layout for site page, such as the design and edit of headline, fonts, and photographs or other visual contents for the articles. Also I like looking for and collecting good images when I was reading a website at ordinary times. And I think I have some skills of page design and layout since I have designed the blackboard newspaper during high school times, and I have learnt to use Photoshop and Illustrator for picture processing and web design in the visual art course. 

Review of the Short Film “10 Minutes”

“10 Minutes” is a short film by Ahmed Imamovic. The film uses the frame narrative technique to shows two different stories that have strong contrast. It begins with the frame which is about an Asian tourist in Rome who wants to develop his photographs in a photo shop, and he is waiting under a clock for 10 minutes. Then the scene changes to a family in Sarajevo has the same time of Rome, a mother who is busy with taking care of her baby and cooking asks her elder son Memo to go out and get some water and bread. Memo walks a long way to get food. In his way, he meets a soldier and asks to have a look at his gun. This place is in a war and the situation of Memo looks very dangerous. Finally, he gets home in a hurry but sees the horrible sight that all his families are killed in the firefight.

The sense changes back into the clock. It is 10 minutes after, and the Asian tourist gets his photos which are taken with his family in scenic spots. 10 minutes is a short and leisurely waiting time for the tourist, but for Memo in Sarajevo, 10 minutes changes everything in his life. The film ends with a family photo and relaxing music, but it only emphasize the contrast between two stories and the different fates of protagonists. I think it is really a good way to use frame narrative technique that makes this film more impressive and have enlightenment meanings.

My Thoughts about the Short Films

Last Saturday we watched three great short films in the class. By comparing these short films with the long films, I think there are many differences. Firstly, the short film tells the story plots and main points in a very brief way. It draws the audience into the story very fast, and audience can catch the styles of film at very beginning. Because of the length of short film, the audience may not understand the whole story until the last moment of it, but also it is a good way that gives audience a sudden feeling and makes them feel inspired or impressive. As for the long film, the audience is able to be familiar with the main characters and knows more details about the story plots, so that they can have a better understanding to the meaning of this film. But also, the long films may waste some times to tell about something unimportant to the main idea that make audience feel tired and abstracted. Anyway, in general, both short films and long films have their advantages, and a good film is no matter short or long that will make audience feel impressive and inspired. 

Response to “No One is Here Except All of Us”

The fiction begins with telling the history of a group of people who live on a remote island. They are ancestors who first build their houses, tilled the fields, and raises children. However, as the narrator says, they are also migrating people even in the beginning. The tribes traveled a lot, when their homeland was destroyed and they were cast out of it, they had to leave and begin again. With so many years, the tribes becomes the forgotten people who across the face of the earth, begin again and again to find the place where is peaceful.

It is a good fiction for the reasons that at the beginning, the endless escape and re-begin make people feel tired and hopeless. The tribes are scared when there comes the war that force them to leave, and they worry about their future. Like the narrator indicates: “All the while, they told the story back: In the beginning there was a beautiful garden, and we were cast out of it, and we began again.” However, in the endless loop of stories of wandering, being lost, and starting again, what makes this repeat meaningful is the faith of re-beginning. The tribes want to recreate their world where is safe, peaceful, and full of love. When there is nowhere else to go, the world begins again. The darkness foreshadows the dawn, and the tribes realize that when menace approaches, then there is the time to create their own perfect world that without fear and death. Therefore, the ending of the fiction is full of brightness and hope that makes the audiences’ heart soars. 

The Story of a God of Death

The Story of a God of Death

In a big and silence office building, a group of well-dressed young people are waiting quietly. “Is everyone here? My name is William Stephenson.” With a cold and serious voice, a young man wears a business suit and carries a folder walks in. “I will be responsible for guiding your during the internship, and you can ask me if you have anything do not understand.”

William is a god of death, who is now working on teaching and screening the new Death. The job of Death is to recycle the spirit of dying human bases on the spirit list. And before recycling, he needs to use Death's scythe to check up this people’s life record and memory, in order to confirm and judge if this people really deserve death and recycle his spirit. If someone who is benefit for the world, or if his existence can bring big changes of the world, then his name can be deleted from the list and exempt from death. However, that situation is not possible to happen generally, so the confirmation is just in case.

Looking at this young face, William thinks back to the time when he was taking the final examination before becoming a formal Death. The final test was to check up one specific human’s spirit and recycle it. The person on his spirit list named Thomas Wallis, and in order to complete the task better, William found him and observe him carefully. Thomas is a poor but diligent youth. He works in a factory during the day, and writes novels at night for his dream to be a novelist. However, his works have never been accepted by any publisher so far.

To know him deeply, one day William shows up in front of him and talks to him. Notice the Scythe William carries, Thomas feels curious and asks: “Why you carry a Scythe?” “This is the Death's scythe.” William says with a blank face. “Is this the scythe belongs to Death?” “Yes.” William stands up and looks at him calmly, “I am the god of death, and in fact you are going to die. The reason I come is to check up whether you should die.” unexpectedly, Thomas is not looks frightened, instead, he is so excited and asks: “are you an actor? Is this a new way to perform to audience?” Suddenly, there is an idea crosses his mind, and he hurried away.

Thomas begins to rewrite his novel, which is about William, the god of death he met. The new novel seems very successful that a famous publisher contacts him and agrees to publish his novel after he finishes writing. “The deadline will be December 16^th.”

With a wry smile, William, the Death who knows everything happens to Thomas, feels struggle in his inner heart. The deadline of Thomas’ novel is exactly his expected date to die. Isn’t it too cruel to a life that eventually has his first chance after so many efforts? Isn’t the spirit of a brilliant writer deserve continue to exist in the world?

The day comes anyway. The weather is very cold and streets are covered with thick snow. Thomas carries his novel draft and hurriedly runs to the publishing house. The deadline is today’s 4 p.m., he is excited and full of expectation. “Tick Tock…” the sound of the clock becomes louder and clear, like his heartbeat.

“Watch out!” with the voice, a carriage sped across the street. The draft papers float in the air, blind his eyes. Thomas tries to pick up his draft papers, but he finds out he cannot move his legs. In the blurred sight, everything turns into red, a Death carries the scythe is coming towards him. He has a familiar face, blank and cold, as always.

In the end, William becomes a formal Death. He watches a variety of life stories in the world, and collects them when the stories end. Disregard good and evil, no matter noble or humble, he knows he just needs to fulfil his job, come towards to the dying spirit indifferently, and feel the weight of life.

Response to “The School” by Donald Barthelme

“The School” is a short fiction presents the story with the angel of view of the narrator Mr. Edgar, who is a teacher of the school that witnesses and describes the things happen there. At the beginning of the story, the teacher is teaching his students plant the trees, but the trees are all died. Next, there are a series of death happen in the school describes by narrator: the snakes, herb gardens, gerbils, white mice, salamander, the tropical fish, and later even the Korea orphan and some parents. No matter there are certain reasons or the narrator cannot figure out the cause of some deaths, the matters described above makes audiences feel dark and a bit quirky about the plots.

But what I think makes this a good fiction is that the author try to guide audience have a thinking about life and death. In the story the narrator seems to avoid confronting the matter of death as an adult, but his students think deeper when they ask if its death that give meaning to life? In addition, although in the fiction there are many descriptions about death which make audiences feel depressed, still there are some positive emotional attitudes that shows in the story. For instance, the story starts when children are planting trees, and at the end, Mr. Edgar kisses Helen which is a symbol of love. Both this two parts suggests the hope and happiness of one’s life which the author wants to inspire his audience.