George Saunders & Lane Smith The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip

UPDATE: Maruyama-san at the International Student Center has black-and-white copies for anyone who wants one. The generosity of their copy-budget is bottomless! I have the original still for anybody who wants to borrow it as well.

Form and Genre: What did you think about reading a so-called children's book? Did it make you laugh? Did you like the art work or was it too strange for you? What were some of your responses to the story and the style of writing? We could call this story a fable, which is a simple story with a clear moral (or several). What did you think of the moral(s) of the story?

Content of the story: The book portrays a small community that is reluctant to change; in other words, it is "socially conservative." The girl, Capable, is the only one willing to think about doing things differently, which we call socially progressive.

Some questions and observations to consider before, during, and after your reading:

• Consider the gappers and their love for goats, and later fences--what does the book teach readers about love?
• Capable's father likes things to stay the same and gets angry when they change. Why? What makes him change his attitude?
• The neighbors see the gappers suddenly concentrating on Capable's goats and interpret that as a judgment from God. What does this book imply about the uses of religion?
  
• If you think about this book as a comment on the American Dream and/or the Protestant work ethic, what conclusion does it lead you to?

Please add to this list using the comments button!

Writing a Response Paper

Due at beginning of class December 8

This writing task is not a formal essay, although it does need to be clear and well-organized. Here is what you need to consider for this paper. Follow these steps to choose your topic first.

1. What text (story or movie) was your favorite this semester? Look back at each text and your notes about it, trying to remember how it made you feel when you read it and when we discussed it in class.
2. Re-read (or re-watch) your favorite text. What did you like about it? Think about why this text was so interesting or enjoyable for you.
3. List a few of the things you liked about it. What do those things have in common? Is there a theme or topic in this text that really made you think?
4. Describe in detail, using quotations, some of the parts of this text that deal with that topic or theme. Why are they important to the text?

Okay, so now you know a bit more about your topic. How are you going to write a response paper about it? Your paper should do the following:

1. Name the text and summarize it in 2 or 3 sentences. You can assume I have read or seen it, but just to remind me.
2. Give a clear, detailed description or quotation of the part you want to pay special attention to. If it is a scene in a movie, tell what happens and who does what and who says what. If it is from a story, give a summary of the scene and some quotations directly from the text.
3. Explain your response to the text clearly and in detail. Don’t just write: “I was shocked.” Instead, write: “I was shocked by the way [name of character] acted in [some situation] because [reason].”
4. Explain why you think this scene or passage is important in understanding the whole text. What is its relation to the whole? Why does the author or filmmaker include this scene or passage?
5. Finally, explain what about that scene or passage is important to you and why. This means your response and the reasons behind your response. You can include some kind of personal experience or background if you think it helps.

Type up the paper on a computer, run the spell-checker, and print out two copies. You need to bring both copies to class on December 8 for peer review.