11.23.2009

HW 25 - Story Comments and Analysis

To Dinorah,

"The third time was actually my first time. And it was like her thirtieth time. I knew it because those guys around me told me their night adventures with her. Then I felt disgusted."

I like this part a lot, because usually people values "first time" and called it cool. But when his third time is count as the "first time", he seems to hate it. Very ironic.

To Richard,

This is a very confusing stories, because in some ways it seems like he is a cool person since he has some insights about the world. Also, he thinks and be aware of things around him. But what makes him very lame was that he doesn't care about this and that. Although in class we mentioned "not care" is an element that is consider "cool". In your story, it doesn't seem that way. "Not caring" about "anything seriously" actually makes him a very lame person to me.

You have a very good point in your story that sometimes not caring is not necessary "cool" all the time.

To John,

I think the part that Ryan passed the note to David was not that "cool". Maybe texting and take out the phones when they are not supposed to make more sense in terms of "cool" in my definition. Anyway, I think you got the element of being cool in this story.

To Andy,

I agreed with John also this story it is somehow very mysterious. You create the characters that could have so many possibilities, and the readers did not get all sides of them. (I didn’t even see any names in this story, which it shows what I mean.)

The story is very plain in a way, but I do see the idea of cool in here. But whether the guy who is staring at clouds is cool, or the guy who plays video games and sign on aim, I don’t think you draw the line clear in this story.

To me, they are both not cool regarding on my definition. xD

To Sandy,

Wow, Sandy. I really like this story just like all the ones above me. Based on my definition of cool, I do think the character that you are depicting is cool. I really like the way that you show but don’t tell in this story, and most of the description is well enough for the others to see she is cool.

Although you did not intend to tell the readers what’s going on at the end, it makes Lynette a very mysterious character. Is she pretending to be tough in front of the friends? Or is it something personal that she wouldn’t share. In this case, I do see that she does care about her situation inside, but externally, she is not showing that she doesn’t care but just decided not to tell.

Very nice story, it defines cool differently over all the stories that I have read.
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One pattern that I see throughout all the stories that I have read is to be special and make a commitment to your own self. All these characters that I have read are very truthful to who they want to be, and never intended to be somebody else. They have their own ideas of being “cool”, or did not even intended to be cool but others view them as “cool”. Somehow they just act different over the rest of the crowds and they do not have to be popular from what I see throughout all the stories. What it really makes them cool, is to have attention from certain people. Just like what we discussed in class before that being cool is just depending on the “groups” that you are in. In certain groups, you might be super cool, but in the other group, they might view you as not that cool or lame.

Like in Andy and Richard’s stories, there are only two characters in it. So the reader cannot really say being popular is consider cool. But all you can draw from that is that they are special, and they are somebody that you do not necessarily see over the rest of the group. But while being special and cool, in other words different from the others, they are somehow the same as the ones who admired them. However, often times, the characters do not really realized that they are actually the same. Because most of us, as human always think we are special and think we are different from the others. Always looking for the better and wanted to be superiors to have control over certain things.

Overall, Sandy, Dinorah, and John’s stories have certain crowds/groups that people are in, and they play a role as the archetypes. Either the peacemaker, or the badass, they do have their own characteristics depending on the archetypes. This contradicts with the “being special” idea of consider cool, because although they are special. They are not necessary the only one, they are just one of the typical in the group. If the “cool” one hangs out with his similar types, it would be bunch of the same types. Although it did not mentioned in most of the stories, I will assume that the one who is cool must have someone that they look up to. None of the idea of “being cool” seems to be pure, it is more of like a combination of the ideas of your own and from the others.

From all these patterns of being the special one, plays a role, be different…etc., the major pattern of being cool is to pursuit a certain sense of pride from the others as a satisfaction of being accepted, and thus it proves you once existed. It is not about right or wrong, it is about a way of living then pass down to the next generation and modifies it as another way of living. Either copying the others or being your own self, within all, people are just being who they are and reaching for the “mythic” state of living.

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