Owen Meany Motifs Homework:Being More Calculated in Your Body Paragraphs Directions: Take the Owen Meany motif and supporting examples that you worked on today with your group mates and develop those ideas into an analytical paragraph.
Remember to focus on the following things as you write:
a. Is your topic sentence focused on a clear topic, and does it express a complete and original idea? Remember to be careful of vague and general statements that don’t really express a specific idea. Does the idea make larger connections to theme, characterization, plot, style, setting, or tone?
b. Are your examples THE BEST examples you can think of to support and “show” the idea in your topic sentence? Are your examples concrete and detailed (either a direct quote or an example from the story: key conflict, key turning point for a character, key image or metaphor, key moment in plot, etc.)?
c.Are each your examples followed and supported by analysis (2-4 sentences) that connects your example to the idea in your topic sentence?
Consider this Model (just if you’d like one!):
Topic Sentence: Expresses a clear and focused topic and idea that relates to “bigger things” stated in “a” above.
Concrete Example #1: quote or moment from story (see list above)
Commentary/Analysis: Connect example to the ideas in your topic sentence.
Here, you should explore why your example is significant to the larger ideas of the novel. The analysis here should deepen and expand on your idea in your ts.
Concrete Example #2
Commentary/Analysis #2
Concrete Example #3
Commentary/Analysis #3
Concluding Sentence: Reflects back on the idea in your ts and EXPANDS it!
Expands does not mean that you jump to a new topic.
Expands means that you consider why the idea you’ve
explored here is important, critical, urgent to the meaning
of the story.
Consider our “three things” to help you expand your ideas: once you have a good idea for your topic sentence—consider three DIFFERENT things you can say about it. You can use these ideas for your analysis ideas that follow your examples.
Mock Topic Sentence: Mishima uses metaphor in TSWFGS to reveal the character Ryuji’s belief that the love he has found with Fusako is perfect and ineluctably linked with death.
What are “three other things” I can say about this idea?
Ryuji’s beliefs about love and death are ironic because his love for Fusako will not only lead to the death of his “sailor self” but will lead to his literal murder at the end of the novel.
Mishima connects Ryuji’s deepest thoughts about love with metaphors that are connected to the sea’s brutality and its ability to destroy.
Ryuji believes that death acts as a go-between for lovers when the two lovers are paragons of femininity and masculinity.
Conclusion? Even though the love story of Ryuji and Fusako seem separate from the lives of the murderous boys, in reality Mishima uses irony, metaphor and allusion to reveal that death is present even in love.
"Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write I keep looking for casualties. The stories uncover the casualties."
Close Reading -- Chapter 1:
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Close reading of opening paragraphs
1. Read the opening paragraphs and underline any phrases, ideas, images that strike you as particularly important.
2. Answer the following questions (in writing, in a document you will call “Journal.”)*
a. What information do you learn about Owen Meany?
b. What information do you learn about the narrator?
c. What is the narrator’s tone? What specific lines tell you how to interpret his tone?
d. What prediction can you make about an idea that may develop through this novel?
3. Write a “significant statement” about the novel’s opening. Make a statement that asserts something about the novel, the narrator, the author… Write it with an arguable point that you could go on to prove.
Read the rest of chapter 1 and record your answers to the following questions in your journal:
1. What do you make of the references to religions (Catholic, Anglican, Episcopalian, Congregational) in the chapter? What is Owen’s belief? John’s? What do we know about the Reverend Mr. Merrill?
2. What sort of family did Owen Meany come from? Why does he not consider himself material for Gravesend Academy?
3. Discuss John Wheelwright’s family and personal history. What search is he involved in from the beginning of the novel? What is the function of all the “history” in the chapter?
4. How do people react to Owen Meany? Consider John, his classmates, adults, coaches, and family.
*A Note on Journal Entries: I will ask you periodically, to respond to questions/ideas/prompts in your Journal. Each response should have a bold-faced date at the top and an identifying title (ie: “Owen Meany Opening Paragraphs”). At times I will ask you to share your journal with me or with someone else. Please make sure that it is a document that you have backed up and saved. This will be built upon all year long.
Study Questions -- Chapter 5:
A Prayer for Owen Meany
“The Ghost of the Future”
Errickson and Walsh
Please choose five of the following questions to answer thoughtfully.
1. John W. Irving is often compared to Dickens in terms of narrative technique. Owen Meany is replete with allusions to A Christmas Carol. Apart from the rather too obvious “It’s Christmas!” what is there about Dickens’ story that fits the emerging vision we are getting of Owen?
2. John writes, “ But I was just a Joseph: I felt that Owen Meany had already chosen me for the only part I could play.” What does this reveal about his self-image?
3. Owen Meany’s reaction to the affections of Barb Wiggin are unfortunate. Apart from lurid titillation, why does Irving include this scene?
4. On page 212, what opinions does Owen Meany express about Jesus Christ?
5. On page 220, Owen reacts to the appearance of his parents at the pageant. How and why? Does the reaction of his parents confirm Owen’s actions, or are we left wondering what justifies his response? (You might also want to see page 235).
6. What do we learn about John in pp. 221-226? How does Canon Mackie interpret John’s interest in U.S. History?
7. At the end of the chapter, the idea of LUST is reintroduced with John’s feelings about Germaine and his desire to search for his father. What does Owen
believe about lust (253)? What is its role in the story? What is Irving up to?
End of Novel Discussion Questions
Characters:
In what ways does Irving portray John and his father as parallel/as similar? Consider belief, as well as other factors.
To what extent can the Meanys be held ‘responsible’ for Owen’s fate?
What does John represent? What does Hester represent? How does Irving contrast the fates of Hester and John?
What does Reverend Merrill represent?
Why doesn’t John ever marry or form a significant relationship with anyone?
Who is the central character in the novel? John or Owen?
How important are the cousins, and Hester particularly?
Comment on Irving’s ability to weave so many memorable and important characters into the novel.
How important are the female characters? Are they distinguishable as “types” or by any certain traits?
Style:
What is the function – and effect – of repetitions in the novel?
From an article: “Irving dismisses any demarcation between high literature and popular fiction and asserts the primacy of plot and content over style. An admirer of Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy, both of whom wrote for mass audiences, Irving is praised for his remarkable ability to immerse large casts of engaging characters in unpredictable plots imbued with provocative contemporary issues… As many critics note, his work effectively merges the realism and morality of the conventional novel with the sophisticated metafictional techniques of postmodern writers, especially through the frequent use of texts within texts and flashbacks.” What ARE the “contemporary issues” this novel addresses and does Irving choose effective means to address those issues? Is this “high literature”?
Compare the opening statements to the closing ones. How are they linked?
What is the role of humor in the novel?
What can you say about Irving’s syntax?
What’s the role of flashback? How does Irving handle flashback?
What does Irving accomplish with John’s being in Toronto for the telling of his story?
Narration:
John writes, “I have learned that the consequences of our past actions are always interesting. I have learned to view the present with a forward-looking eye” (407). What does this tell us about his craft in revealing the story (think Irving—Wheelwright—Events).
Irving’s narrative technique is so tricky… what does John KNOW? When and how does he learn certain information? How much of this novel is his transformation? His conversion? John, as narrator “casts the plot in terms of his own religious conversion.” So, is Owen connected to sainthood by us on our own or is John’s belief that then connects him that way?
What happens to narrative form if a character knows his own ending?
How important is John as narrator? Is who he is as a person important to his telling of the story?
Motifs:
What motifs come together at the end and do they do so believably and convincingly?
How does the opening chapter set the tone and set up motifs for the rest of the novel?
Cool Events, Ideas, and Aspects:
Pg. 531: John says, “The only thing wrong with me is what’s missing. Owen Meany is missing.” Discuss.
Pg. 537: “It seemed to me that Owen Meany had been used as cruelly by ignorance as he had been used by any design.”
On pages 518-519, Owen practically writes John’s Master’s thesis for him, providing the central thesis on Hardy. What is the thesis and how does it relate to the meaning of Owen Meany?
Tone and Meaning:
Evaluate the tone of this novel and how Irving creates tone.
In what ways does Owen “speak” to John and how important, then, is voice? (What are the multiple meanings of “voice” in this novel?)
Irving has stated that this is a novel about belief. What would he/does he lead us to believe?
What is the “moral” of this story?
What is the role ANGER plays in this novel?
On page 535, Owen’s copy of Thomas Aquinas includes a selection on “Demonstration of God’s existence from Motion.” How does this passage support the themes of the novel?
Is A Prayer for Owen Meany a hopeful novel?
Is Owen Meany a Christ figure? Is John a Joseph?
John Wheelwright, narrator, leads us to believe, and Owen most certainly believes, that Owen is predestined. Do you believe in this fate? This predestination? Is it made “believable” in the novel?
“Irving must encourage us to disbelieve in order to urge us to believe” (Shostak). Comment.
Is Owen Meany an instrument of God? Explain. (see pg. 87 – ch 2 Armadillo)
Does Irving go too far in telling us that Owen was a “virgin birth”? What do you make of this?
How does Irving leave room for doubt and not leave room for doubt at various parts of the novel?
At the end of the novel, what is John Wheelwright’s world view?
What is the meaning of the title?
GENERAL TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION/ESSAY:
· Bible (or allusions) in Owen Meany · Faith, Fate, and Predestination · Fate and Fatalism · Foreshadowing · Humor · Irving on Love and Parenting · John Wheelwright, Narrator · Owen as Jesus · Sentiment and Sentimentality · The Hero · The Preachers · Tragi-Comic Vision · VOICE · Narrative unraveling · Role of women · The cousins · Hardy and Dickens · Repetitions
A Prayer for Owen Meany
by John Irving
Motif Assignment:
Owen Meany Motifs Homework: Being More Calculated in Your Body Paragraphs
Directions: Take the Owen Meany motif and supporting examples that you worked on today with your group mates and develop those ideas into an analytical paragraph.
Remember to focus on the following things as you write:
a. Is your topic sentence focused on a clear topic, and does it express a complete and original idea? Remember to be careful of vague and general statements that don’t really express a specific idea. Does the idea make larger connections to theme, characterization, plot, style, setting, or tone?
b. Are your examples THE BEST examples you can think of to support and “show” the idea in your topic sentence? Are your examples concrete and detailed (either a direct quote or an example from the story: key conflict, key turning point for a character, key image or metaphor, key moment in plot, etc.)?
c.Are each your examples followed and supported by analysis (2-4 sentences) that connects your example to the idea in your topic sentence?
Consider this Model (just if you’d like one!):
- Commentary/Analysis: Connect example to the ideas in your topic sentence.
Here, you should explore why your example is significantto the larger ideas of the novel. The analysis here should
deepen and expand on your idea in your ts.
- Concluding Sentence: Reflects back on the idea in your ts and EXPANDS it!
Expands does not mean that you jump to a new topic.Expands means that you consider why the idea you’ve
explored here is important, critical, urgent to the meaning
of the story.
Consider our “three things” to help you expand your ideas: once you have a good idea for your topic sentence—consider three DIFFERENT things you can say about it. You can use these ideas for your analysis ideas that follow your examples.
Mock Topic Sentence: Mishima uses metaphor in TSWFGS to reveal the character Ryuji’s belief that the love he has found with Fusako is perfect and ineluctably linked with death.
What are “three other things” I can say about this idea?
Conclusion? Even though the love story of Ryuji and Fusako seem separate from the lives of the murderous boys, in reality Mishima uses irony, metaphor and allusion to reveal that death is present even in love.
"Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write I keep looking for casualties. The stories uncover the casualties."
Close Reading -- Chapter 1:
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Close reading of opening paragraphs
1. Read the opening paragraphs and underline any phrases, ideas, images that strike you as particularly important.
2. Answer the following questions (in writing, in a document you will call “Journal.”)*
a. What information do you learn about Owen Meany?
b. What information do you learn about the narrator?
c. What is the narrator’s tone? What specific lines tell you how to interpret his tone?
d. What prediction can you make about an idea that may develop through this novel?
3. Write a “significant statement” about the novel’s opening. Make a statement that asserts something about the novel, the narrator, the author… Write it with an arguable point that you could go on to prove.
Read the rest of chapter 1 and record your answers to the following questions in your journal:
1. What do you make of the references to religions (Catholic, Anglican, Episcopalian, Congregational) in the chapter? What is Owen’s belief? John’s? What do we know about the Reverend Mr. Merrill?
2. What sort of family did Owen Meany come from? Why does he not consider himself material for Gravesend Academy?
3. Discuss John Wheelwright’s family and personal history. What search is he involved in from the beginning of the novel? What is the function of all the “history” in the chapter?
4. How do people react to Owen Meany? Consider John, his classmates, adults, coaches, and family.
*A Note on Journal Entries: I will ask you periodically, to respond to questions/ideas/prompts in your Journal. Each response should have a bold-faced date at the top and an identifying title (ie: “Owen Meany Opening Paragraphs”). At times I will ask you to share your journal with me or with someone else. Please make sure that it is a document that you have backed up and saved. This will be built upon all year long.
Study Questions -- Chapter 5:
A Prayer for Owen Meany
“The Ghost of the Future”
Errickson and Walsh
Please choose five of the following questions to answer thoughtfully.
1. John W. Irving is often compared to Dickens in terms of narrative technique. Owen Meany is replete with allusions to A Christmas Carol. Apart from the rather too obvious “It’s Christmas!” what is there about Dickens’ story that fits the emerging vision we are getting of Owen?
2. John writes, “ But I was just a Joseph: I felt that Owen Meany had already chosen me for the only part I could play.” What does this reveal about his self-image?
3. Owen Meany’s reaction to the affections of Barb Wiggin are unfortunate. Apart from lurid titillation, why does Irving include this scene?
4. On page 212, what opinions does Owen Meany express about Jesus Christ?
5. On page 220, Owen reacts to the appearance of his parents at the pageant. How and why? Does the reaction of his parents confirm Owen’s actions, or are we left wondering what justifies his response? (You might also want to see page 235).
6. What do we learn about John in pp. 221-226? How does Canon Mackie interpret John’s interest in U.S. History?
7. At the end of the chapter, the idea of LUST is reintroduced with John’s feelings about Germaine and his desire to search for his father. What does Owen
believe about lust (253)? What is its role in the story? What is Irving up to?
End of Novel Discussion Questions
Characters:
Style:
Narration:
Motifs:
Cool Events, Ideas, and Aspects:
Tone and Meaning:
GENERAL TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION/ESSAY:
· Bible (or allusions) in Owen Meany
· Faith, Fate, and Predestination
· Fate and Fatalism
· Foreshadowing
· Humor
· Irving on Love and Parenting
· John Wheelwright, Narrator
· Owen as Jesus
· Sentiment and Sentimentality
· The Hero
· The Preachers
· Tragi-Comic Vision
· VOICE
· Narrative unraveling
· Role of women
· The cousins
· Hardy and Dickens
· Repetitions