johoca

For Thursday you need to read Where are you going, where have you been. Oates dedicated the story to Bob Dylan. It is believed by many critics that she dedicated it to particular songs, one of which is ‘Baby Blue’. Here is a link to the video http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ec2q_bob-dylan-its-all-over-now-baby-blu_music and the lyrics can be found with this link http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/its-all-over-now-baby-blue. You might also think about the title of the story and what it might mean. Remember after reading the story you should write a 100 word entry into your blog (anything but a summary), before we discuss the story in class and look at the students’ blogs who did the mini presentation in the class for the questions that we will discuss on Thursday. A film version of the story is available in the IC, if you are interested. Happy reading.

While you are reading the story consider the following questions and be ready to discuss them on Thursday.

• What type of narrator is telling the story? When is the story based?

• What type of story is it?

• What sort of a portrait does the narrator create of his father?

• Why do you think the writer chose father’s day for the narrator’s father to be buried?

• Find the references where the narrator blame himself for his father’s death. Why does he blame himself?

• What does the key represent?

• Write one thing that the reader can learn from this story.

• Do you think that it is possible for a child to really to know one’s parents? Explain. (you can write the answer to this question on your blog)

image retrieved October15, 2008 from http://www.antique-hardware.com/key.jpg