To be honest reading this book was very hard for me. It had many difficult words I didn't know about and I think this book didn't really have a main story that was going on. It just kept on talking about some events on and on and on. The book was very hard to understand this book but there was a part in the book which reminded me about something that my grandfather told me which was about his own story.
The page that reminded me about something was pg.49~50. In pages 49 and 50, the book is illustrating a scene where the man and the boy finds a person who was burnt and couldn't walk by himself on the road. The man and boy follow the person who was injured. Then the person who was hurt falls down on the ground. The boy wants to help the person but the boy's dad just leaves the man because the boy's dad cannot do anything about the wounded man.
In this scene, I could remember a true story which my grandfather always tells me whenever I see him. It's a story about his own experience in the war between South Korea and North Korea. It was a long time ago. My grandfather was 16 years old when the people from the army tok him away from his family to fight for the country. He was very scared and he didn't want to kill anyone because he never used a gun before. He thought to himself that the only way he could survive was to kill the enemy. Hence, he started shooting at the other people. He killed a lot of people but he also got injured. His back got burned by hot fire and his leg got shot by a gun. To explain it easier, he was almost the same situation with the person in the story who got injured and lied on the road. He still can't move his leg so easily and he always hides his back from other people. To go on with my grandpa's story, he said that he was injured so badly that some people went past him but no one helped him because they thought my grandfather had no hope. This is the same as the story scene when the father leaves the person lying on the ground because there is nothing he can do for the person. However, different with the story, in my grandpa's story, eventually someone in the army found him and helped my grandpa.
After flash backing about my grandepa's story, I could easily know more about the father's feeling who left the injured person and I could also feel sorry for the man who was wounded. The flash back gave me a chance to understand this scene easier.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
This is the scene of pg. 22. It's a supermarket that is located in the outskirts of the city. As the apocalypse hit the whole world, the supermarket is also badly damaged. I tried my best to depict the scene as faithfully as possible.
"On the outskirts of the city they came to a supermarket. A few old cars in the trashstrewn parking lot. They left the cart in the lot and walked the littered aisles."
The reason why I picked this scene among the others is that this was the most cinematic and distinctive one. In most other scenes, everything looked the same as the two characters endlessly walked along the deserted road and passed through devastated villages; nothing was so differentiating. However, this supermarket was a place that cannot be seen so often so it was relatively unique. Also, the huge size of the building created the scene more cinematic than any others.
pg.23: "You have some, Papa."/ "I want you to drink it."
And if you go through the next page, you can see the two characters take out a 'free coke' from the broken vending machine. They share this one can of coke and that was a bit memorable to me. They were the only survivors and they had no choice but to depend on each other. Paticularly the man had to sacrifice for the boy. Page 11 proves it. In page 11, the mans says he would die too if the boy dies. This means the boy's existance the reason for him to remain alive. In fact, he needed a company who can always be with him, talk with him and survive with him. Therefore the man's dedication for the boy was sincere, almost like a fatherhood(I'm not sure if he is the real father). The scene in the supermarket described such situation in a very memorable way. This is another reason why I was fond of this supermaret scene.
with some descriptive labels
revised - Is it any better now?
Seora-Creating a timeline of the events(Assignment 2)
When I first opened this book, I just wanted to close it back because I knew at my first sight that it would be very difficult for me, and I wasn't wrong. It contains of so many difficult words that I can't understand and those that I have never seen before. And, the structure of the book was something that I have never seen before. The protagonist; which is "the man" has no name as you can see. And the other main character, which is his son, "the boy" has no name either. Another weird part is that there are no chapters. The story just goes on and on without it. I think this kind of structure was possible because the books' setting is post-apocalyptic and there are no main characters other than the man and the boy, also the plot of the story doesn't stop, and it just goes on as they are moving south.
From the first pages of 3 to 50, I couldn't really say that there were any events that were really interesting. In page 3, the man had a dream, where he was walking in a cave and he encountered a beast. This dream that he had made me think about the beast in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In page 4, the man said "There'd be no surviving another winter here", so I could suspect that the situation has been like this for a very long time. While he was moving toward south with his child, he was looking for anything of color, any movement, and any trace of smoke. I could see that the man feels a great responsibility of taking care of his son. They're always wearing tarp and carries an emergency bag in case they have to abandon their cart. While they were walking, they found a gas station in page 6. The man was looking for stuff that he could use and he fetched some oil for their lamp and he called his father's house. I think he was just having one last hope that his parents would be alive too. One page 8, it starts to rain, and on page 16, it snows. I found this very interesting because even though the world was doomed, atmospheric phenomena still exists. In page 12, I remember this because it touched me very much. The man said "You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget". After that, I couldn't see anything more interesting other than the memory of the man's perfect childhood. On page 21, they reached at the See Rock City. They went inside the supermarket and he could see the traces of other survivors out there. The man gave his son some Coca Cola. In this part, I'm sure that everyone reading it could feel the love between them. In page 24, they came upon an old frame house with chimneys and gables and a stone wall which is where the man grew up. The boy is scared to go in, but the man insists in going inside. I would have not wanted to go in either seeing all those bodies laying out in the road. What if my parents were in there lying on the floor, and I wouldn't want my childhood memories to be ruined because of fire. On page 27, a big earthquake came. Fortunately, it didn't hurt them. In between some special events, the author keeps mentioning about how much the man loves his son, and that the boy is the only reason why he is alive. On page 35, the man and the boy are having a conversation about how all the trees in the world are going to fall sooner or later, but not on them. On page 37, they found a river and a big waterfall. They went inside the river and has lots of fun. The boy really likes it there because there is something they can eat and because of the river. However, the man thinks that it is dangerous and must move one because it's getting colder. On page 44 to 47, they had to go under the truck in order to cross the bridge. In this part, we could see the traces of other survivors again. On page 49, they found a man who is dragging one leg slightly and stopping from time to time to stand. The man and the boy were watching him while they were walking behind them. It looked like he was hurt and the man guesses that he was struck by lightening. He was walking very slowly, but finally he just sat in the road and did not get up again. The boy wanted to help him, but the man knew that there was nothing they could do for him, so they had to just keep walking toward south.
This is the overall events that happened in the first pages of 3 to 50. It was comparatively easy for me to do this because I wrote down comments in the book while I was reading, and the important events. I think this made me understand the plot of the events much more. I hope in the next pages that I have to read, the story would be more interesting for me.
From the first pages of 3 to 50, I couldn't really say that there were any events that were really interesting. In page 3, the man had a dream, where he was walking in a cave and he encountered a beast. This dream that he had made me think about the beast in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In page 4, the man said "There'd be no surviving another winter here", so I could suspect that the situation has been like this for a very long time. While he was moving toward south with his child, he was looking for anything of color, any movement, and any trace of smoke. I could see that the man feels a great responsibility of taking care of his son. They're always wearing tarp and carries an emergency bag in case they have to abandon their cart. While they were walking, they found a gas station in page 6. The man was looking for stuff that he could use and he fetched some oil for their lamp and he called his father's house. I think he was just having one last hope that his parents would be alive too. One page 8, it starts to rain, and on page 16, it snows. I found this very interesting because even though the world was doomed, atmospheric phenomena still exists. In page 12, I remember this because it touched me very much. The man said "You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget". After that, I couldn't see anything more interesting other than the memory of the man's perfect childhood. On page 21, they reached at the See Rock City. They went inside the supermarket and he could see the traces of other survivors out there. The man gave his son some Coca Cola. In this part, I'm sure that everyone reading it could feel the love between them. In page 24, they came upon an old frame house with chimneys and gables and a stone wall which is where the man grew up. The boy is scared to go in, but the man insists in going inside. I would have not wanted to go in either seeing all those bodies laying out in the road. What if my parents were in there lying on the floor, and I wouldn't want my childhood memories to be ruined because of fire. On page 27, a big earthquake came. Fortunately, it didn't hurt them. In between some special events, the author keeps mentioning about how much the man loves his son, and that the boy is the only reason why he is alive. On page 35, the man and the boy are having a conversation about how all the trees in the world are going to fall sooner or later, but not on them. On page 37, they found a river and a big waterfall. They went inside the river and has lots of fun. The boy really likes it there because there is something they can eat and because of the river. However, the man thinks that it is dangerous and must move one because it's getting colder. On page 44 to 47, they had to go under the truck in order to cross the bridge. In this part, we could see the traces of other survivors again. On page 49, they found a man who is dragging one leg slightly and stopping from time to time to stand. The man and the boy were watching him while they were walking behind them. It looked like he was hurt and the man guesses that he was struck by lightening. He was walking very slowly, but finally he just sat in the road and did not get up again. The boy wanted to help him, but the man knew that there was nothing they could do for him, so they had to just keep walking toward south.
This is the overall events that happened in the first pages of 3 to 50. It was comparatively easy for me to do this because I wrote down comments in the book while I was reading, and the important events. I think this made me understand the plot of the events much more. I hope in the next pages that I have to read, the story would be more interesting for me.
Jack -- assignment 2
The Road is a book that explains the living of a father and his son, who are the only human beings. They are going to south, where is warmer, and during the journey, they get into many places. For instance, they drop by a station and get the oil. Then they get into a house and get blankets. After visiting a dam, they start to climb a mountain. The father and his son at last arrive at Rock City and stay in a truck. I could know that their journey was tiring and gloomy.
At the first time that I read The Road, it was really hard for me to get the exact characters, settings, and what the characters are doing because there was not any background knowledge I could get from the introduction of the story. However, as I read more and more, I found several information about the three thing I mentioned above.
The thing that I can notice is that the two characters are the father and the son, since the man takes care of a little boy and calls a little boy "son". The father worries about his son because the mono gray scenery all over the world can make his son crazy and depressed; therefore, he frequently asks his son whether he feels good or not. In addition, the father gets the necessities from discarded shops and uses a supermarket cart in order to transport them to where they stay. For example, when the father moves the tarp, which is used as a table for them, he uses the cart to move it.
Second, the two characters were living in destroyed area where the ash is everything that can be seen. Even though the father uses his binocular to search the tiniest evidence of human being, he is not able to find any. But he can't relax. He uses a mirror to look back, and he takes a great care of a slight movement near him. If I were in that situation, in which I have to be concerned of everything, I would not be able to make a living. Feeling too nervous, I would die, crazy. Also, what I want to emphasize is that they are living inside the world that is full of ash. Have you ever breathe the air of ashtray? The smell of the ash is not the important thing, but the fine powder is the one. It can make a big trouble when I breathe because I should inhale all the bad ingredients of ash, and perhaps, the father gets sick due to that polluted air. He constantly coughs, from time to time, with blood.
*Question: Is he talking to himself or somebody like a God?
Can I ask you something? he said.
Yes. Of course.
Are we going to dies?
Sometime not now.
He says "we", which means the man whom the father is talking to is not the one of them, but there is nobody to have a conversation with.
Lastly, I was curious why the boy does not know anything about coke. I can't remember but somewhere, the father gets Coca Cola and gives it to this son. His son, strangely, says that it is bubbly. Isn't this ridiculous that modernized person does not know anything about the coke?
-I had to use a lot of 'some' words because so many things were uncertain yet, actually for me.
Creating a time line of the events (Assisgnment 2)
While I was reading this book I had a really hard time understanding what was going on. Usually in other books the author introduces the characters, settings and situations at the very first chapter. But in 'the road' no details where shown. Another weird thing was the protagonists do not have names. Just 'the man' and 'the boy'.
Anyway page from 3 to 50 doesn't really have noticeable events. At the beginning, from page 3 to page 11, the man wakes up in the forest and checks out if the boy is okay. Before he woke up he dreamt a dream. The man had wandered in a cave where the child led him in his dream. In the dream he encounters a beast, dripping its mouth and staring with eyes white and sightless which was eerie. The man starts to walk out to the road and checks out if everything is okay. He then goes back to the boy and plans to move on. An hour later the man and the boy were on the road carrying their knapsacks. They cross the river and reach a gas station. While the man travels to south he picks up things they need for survival. While they pass through the road they see a city. Burned houses, fallen trees and abandoned stuff was the things he could see through his binoculars. After that it starts to rain and they wait until it stops. They prepare for the night packing things they need. In the morning the man and the boy starts the day as they did yesterday. They pass through the city with caution and finds no sign of life. Just dark, grey ashes. In page 18 the man dreams about his wife. Pale, wearing a dress of gauze. He woke up in the morning, watching the snow. Till page 20, nothing occurs and they go south then arrives at a dam. They meet another abandoned city called See Rock city in page 21. At the city, in a supermarket the boy has a chance to drink Coca Cola. Then they go on. After a while they came upon an old frame house with chimneys and gables and stone wall. It was the house where the man grew up. They go in and the man thinks about the time when he stayed and reminds of his childhood. However the boy urges the man to leave the house because he was scared. Three nights later in the foothills of the eastern mountain an earthquake happens. The man dreams of his wife once more but it was a dream about his wife's death. In page 39, they stay in another forest with nothing alive in it and swims in the river. The boy feels comfort here, having morals for meal, watching the wide river. But later the man in page 41, convinces the boy to leave because it is not safe. While they cross the river it rains and they stay a night in a truck. In the morning they pack their things again and go under the truck to pass the bridge. This happens from page 44 to page 47. From page 48 to 49 they figure out that somebody had come out of the wood in the night and walked down the roadway. In page 50 While they stroll down the road they see a man shuffling along the road before them , dragging one leg and stopping from time to time. They observe the man as they follow him. Later he drops to the ground and does not stand up. The man was covered with dark ash and his eyes were burnt shout. The man guesses that he was probably struck by lightening. The boy wants to help the collapsed man. But there were nothing they could do for him so they leave and the boy cries.
As I said at the beginning there was no specific events through page 3 to 50. So that made it more tricky for me to line up the events that happened.
Anyway page from 3 to 50 doesn't really have noticeable events. At the beginning, from page 3 to page 11, the man wakes up in the forest and checks out if the boy is okay. Before he woke up he dreamt a dream. The man had wandered in a cave where the child led him in his dream. In the dream he encounters a beast, dripping its mouth and staring with eyes white and sightless which was eerie. The man starts to walk out to the road and checks out if everything is okay. He then goes back to the boy and plans to move on. An hour later the man and the boy were on the road carrying their knapsacks. They cross the river and reach a gas station. While the man travels to south he picks up things they need for survival. While they pass through the road they see a city. Burned houses, fallen trees and abandoned stuff was the things he could see through his binoculars. After that it starts to rain and they wait until it stops. They prepare for the night packing things they need. In the morning the man and the boy starts the day as they did yesterday. They pass through the city with caution and finds no sign of life. Just dark, grey ashes. In page 18 the man dreams about his wife. Pale, wearing a dress of gauze. He woke up in the morning, watching the snow. Till page 20, nothing occurs and they go south then arrives at a dam. They meet another abandoned city called See Rock city in page 21. At the city, in a supermarket the boy has a chance to drink Coca Cola. Then they go on. After a while they came upon an old frame house with chimneys and gables and stone wall. It was the house where the man grew up. They go in and the man thinks about the time when he stayed and reminds of his childhood. However the boy urges the man to leave the house because he was scared. Three nights later in the foothills of the eastern mountain an earthquake happens. The man dreams of his wife once more but it was a dream about his wife's death. In page 39, they stay in another forest with nothing alive in it and swims in the river. The boy feels comfort here, having morals for meal, watching the wide river. But later the man in page 41, convinces the boy to leave because it is not safe. While they cross the river it rains and they stay a night in a truck. In the morning they pack their things again and go under the truck to pass the bridge. This happens from page 44 to page 47. From page 48 to 49 they figure out that somebody had come out of the wood in the night and walked down the roadway. In page 50 While they stroll down the road they see a man shuffling along the road before them , dragging one leg and stopping from time to time. They observe the man as they follow him. Later he drops to the ground and does not stand up. The man was covered with dark ash and his eyes were burnt shout. The man guesses that he was probably struck by lightening. The boy wants to help the collapsed man. But there were nothing they could do for him so they leave and the boy cries.
As I said at the beginning there was no specific events through page 3 to 50. So that made it more tricky for me to line up the events that happened.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Assignment 2 -(2) Situation that reminds me of something that happened in my life
While reading the book, ‘The Road’, I could easily feel that this book was totally different from the books I’ve read before (though I’ve read very small amount of English books). When I was reading other books, I could at least understand basic information about the story, such as setting, characters, events, etc. However, right now, even I finished reading until page 50, I’m still having lots of difficulty understanding about basic information of this book.
By the way, I once was very glad while I was reading, because I could find can-be-understood events among those hard-to-understand stories. They were on the very first page (pg.3) and page 18. Those were a kind of descriptions of nightmares the man had had. Particularly, in his dreams, he once was with a beast, and once was with his dead wife in a scary image, one to one. And those descriptions made me remind of horrible nightmares I once had when I was young.
When I was in the elementary school 6th grade, I went to America for 2-month trip. For the first 30 days, I traveled western and eastern parts of the US with my grandparents, and for the next 30 days, we stayed in my cousin’s house located in LA. During the trip, it was a super fun. But as time passed by, I started to miss my family (which means my parents and older brother who was in Korea at that time) so much. I even was scolded by my grandparents for using international call for too long. Maybe, my strong wish (or desire) for meeting my family would have made such a scary night.
On that day, I went to bed, and fell asleep as usual. I played soccer and baseball so that I was really tired, and I remember that I fell asleep very fast after lying down on the bed. Suddenly, I was standing on somewhere. The place which is familiar to me, but not been seen for a long time. It was my house in Korea! I was really glad to be there and started to look around to find out where I was in my house. Even it was very dark, (it may have been night in my dream when I was visiting my house) I could soon realize that I was in my room. I was glad with joy, and started walking around the room. When I started my first step, I stepped on something. I wanted to find out what it was (or what those were), so I turned the light on. Well, to tell the truth, I think the light turned on by itself when I thought like ‘I want to find out what it is’. The first thing I saw was sticky blood all around my feet and my father, mother and brother lying down on the floor, covered with blood. They were half-opening their eyes and mouths. They seemed like they were beat and stabbed by somebody.
Even I was sleeping, I could feel that my body trembling in a moment, and without noticing, I was awake on the bed in my cousin’s house, covered with sweat and tears. It was a very short moment, but it also was very scary that I had to call my family right away to check if they were alive or not. As a person who had experienced similar thing with the man (especially, meeting someone who’s in a scary image), I could think about the man’s feeling once more when I was reading those parts. And those scary dreams could help me pay more attention to the stories while I was reading.
By the way, I once was very glad while I was reading, because I could find can-be-understood events among those hard-to-understand stories. They were on the very first page (pg.3) and page 18. Those were a kind of descriptions of nightmares the man had had. Particularly, in his dreams, he once was with a beast, and once was with his dead wife in a scary image, one to one. And those descriptions made me remind of horrible nightmares I once had when I was young.
When I was in the elementary school 6th grade, I went to America for 2-month trip. For the first 30 days, I traveled western and eastern parts of the US with my grandparents, and for the next 30 days, we stayed in my cousin’s house located in LA. During the trip, it was a super fun. But as time passed by, I started to miss my family (which means my parents and older brother who was in Korea at that time) so much. I even was scolded by my grandparents for using international call for too long. Maybe, my strong wish (or desire) for meeting my family would have made such a scary night.
On that day, I went to bed, and fell asleep as usual. I played soccer and baseball so that I was really tired, and I remember that I fell asleep very fast after lying down on the bed. Suddenly, I was standing on somewhere. The place which is familiar to me, but not been seen for a long time. It was my house in Korea! I was really glad to be there and started to look around to find out where I was in my house. Even it was very dark, (it may have been night in my dream when I was visiting my house) I could soon realize that I was in my room. I was glad with joy, and started walking around the room. When I started my first step, I stepped on something. I wanted to find out what it was (or what those were), so I turned the light on. Well, to tell the truth, I think the light turned on by itself when I thought like ‘I want to find out what it is’. The first thing I saw was sticky blood all around my feet and my father, mother and brother lying down on the floor, covered with blood. They were half-opening their eyes and mouths. They seemed like they were beat and stabbed by somebody.
Even I was sleeping, I could feel that my body trembling in a moment, and without noticing, I was awake on the bed in my cousin’s house, covered with sweat and tears. It was a very short moment, but it also was very scary that I had to call my family right away to check if they were alive or not. As a person who had experienced similar thing with the man (especially, meeting someone who’s in a scary image), I could think about the man’s feeling once more when I was reading those parts. And those scary dreams could help me pay more attention to the stories while I was reading.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Diana's Response p. 1-50
"Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, heTwo things are happening in this dialogue: 1) the man is trying to protect his son from being affected by the images of death and decay surrounding them by telling him to exert control over what he witnesses and 2) the antithesis in the last sentence reveals the little control that the man has himself over his memory. The relationship between the man and the boy is at times one of mutual help, but more often the father tries rather futilely to protect his son. However, in this world he does not have enough control to truly protect his boy from hunger or from horror. His effort to do so is moving. Throughout the early part of the novel, the man struggles with dreams and memories of life before the apocalypse as he is unable to reconcile the world he used to know with the reality before him now. Ironically, the son is better able to cope with the world than his father, having grown up in it.
said. You might want to think about that.
You forget somethings, don't you?
Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you
want to forget." p. 12
Here, the man is reflecting on the early days after the world changed from what it was before and again having trouble reconciling his past with his present. However, the reflection is that the boy already understands the present very well, having grown up under only the conditions that exist at that moment. Earlier, when the boy drank the coke and he asked his father if he'd "ever" have one again his father claimed ever was a long time. But now we can see that the boy's sense of time is different and more practical for this new world than his father's. He accepts the loss of things like coke and civilization as normal and regular. "Ever" then, is a condition of things, rather than a length of time."The frailty of everything revealed at last. Old and troubling issues resolved into nothingness and night. The last instance of a thing takes the class with it. Turns out the light and is gone. Look around you. Ever is a long time. But the boy knew what he knew. That ever is no time at all." p. 28
"Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was? p. 32"Again we see the difference in the perceptions of the world of the man and the boy. For the man, the world exists in this ashen, decayed state as a loss of what once was. For him, things in the world are "never to be" again, and he cannot stop thinking about the possibilities. For the boy, these things simply never were. He does not feel the aching loss of his mother because he was too young to know her. He does not worry about the past; in fact, he is somewhat afraid of knowing it, like his fear when the man took him to his childhood home.
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