Week 13 Discussion

Who I would compare Raymond Carver’s simplistic approach to writing  is “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara. Raymond Carver’s style revolves around simplicity, the idea that less is more and utilizing everyday commonly used words to bolster their writing. This is similar to what we see in “The lesson” By Toni Cade Bambara, as she also implements simple words and vocabulary to help broaden the audience. Within the story she reflects on her upbringing, how she grew up in poverty and at an early age was exposed to and understood both social and financial inequality, as she recalls many of her experiences living in her neighborhood as a child. We witness that she continues the trend with using language that allows for the reader to easily digest what she’s trying to convey, an example of this is when she states “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country”. This serves to further emphasize her use of language that is easily understood.

Raymond Carver has a less is more approach when it comes to writing. His sentence structure is unique, often feeling like the sentences stop abruptly, leaving more to be desired. Which is a trait we would often find in poetry rather than prose. His stories delve into the complexities of human emotions. The simple language and descriptions give just enough for readers to feel the gravity of emotions without it explicitly being said. “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.” (Carver) Thoughp, the author doesn’t write detailed descriptions of settings or imagery. We still get the main point of the paragraph, and understand the depth of the characters’s apprehension.   Anne Sexton is an American Poet. In class, we read her poem Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I would describe her writing style to be very intense revealing a lot about human nature. Her metaphors and imagery are often very pungent and well thought out. You can see this depicted in the poem we read by her. “And so she danced until she was dead,
a subterranean figure,
her tongue flicking in and out
like a gas jet.” This leaves a very vivid image in the reader’s mind that is quite off-putting.   I feel like Raymond Carter could benefit from writing with in-depth description and imagery. It could help get a more emotional reaction from readers, whereas his deadpan writing style can not.

For this comparison, I chose Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” style to compare Raymond Caver’s “Cathedral” style. In Caver’s story, he writes straightforwardly about everyday interactions. An example of this is when the characters of the story are having a conversation about a blind friend who is going to spend time in their house. The wife says to make him stay comfortable in the house and the husband says, “I don’t have any blind friends,” I said. “You don’t have any friends,” she said. In contrast, Gabriel Marquez writes in a more detailed and colorful to make vivid images of the story in our minds. An example of this is when he describes how small the village is in the story of “The Most Handsome Drowned Man.” “There was so little land that mothers always went about with the fear that the wind would carry off their children, and the few dead that the years had caused among them had to be thrown off the cliffs”.

Raymond Carver and Langston Hughes were both celebrated American writers, but their writing styles differed in significant ways. The writing style of Raymond Carver was known for being simple and straightforward. He frequently emphasized the difficulties faced by working-class characters and the elements of daily life. Carver’s narrative stood out by its clear language, sparse description, and absence of unnecessary details. He was a big fan of leaving room for the reader to fill in the blanks and the power of understatement. Carver’s writing style is immediately apparent in the first lines of his story “Cathedral”: “This blind man, an old friend of my wife’s, he was on his way to spend the night.” These sentences’ simplicity is a reflection of Carver’s minimalist style and his ability to express depth through restraint. In contrast, poet and author Langston Hughes was known for his lyrical and vivid narrative.  His writing frequently evaluated African American experiences and touched on issues of identity, prejudice, and pursuing one’s dreams. Hughes’ use of metaphorical language, rich imagery, and emotional resonance defined his writing style. In “Harlem,” Hughes poses the question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” in verse. Strong imagery and metaphorical language are used in this line and the ones that follow to convey strong feelings and satire on society. Hughes’ writing style enthralled readers with its poetic and evocative quality, while Carver’s emphasis on simplicity allowed readers to interact with the story. Carver’s minimalist style cultivated an air of sophistication, but Hughes’s work captured readers in vivid details and intense feelings

I’ve selected “Snow White” from the Brothers Grimm to contrast Raymond Carver’s writing style with. Raymond Carver keeps things simple and straightforward while narrating stories. However, the Brothers Grimm employ more intricate and conventional fairy tale vocabulary, particularly in “Snow White.” Carver expresses facts and feelings in an honest and clear manner. “I remained with my eyes closed. I was at home. I was aware of that. However, I didn’t have a sense of being inside anything (Carver). Furthermore, the Brothers Grimm’s use of evocative language to describe their literature creates a sense of enchantment. “Once upon a time, in the middle of winter when the flakes of snow were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat at a window sewing” (Grimm). Grimm is using words to create a beautiful scene in the reader’s mind, setting a magical atmosphere in the story.

I compare the pared-down writing style of Raymond Carver to the style of Toni Cade Bambara-The Lesson because they both have that easy-going language in their articles that makes the reader understand and read it as if they are talking to you face to face.In other words they use natural language in the simplest form with expressions that are used in present tense. A phrase from the lesson “she was black as hell, cept for her feet, which were fish-white and spooky. And she was always planning these boring-ass things for us to do, us being my cousin, mostly, who lived on the block cause we all moved North the same time and to the same apartment then spread out gradual to breathe” that uses similar language to Raymond Carver is “This blind men,an old friend of my wifes,he was on his way to spend the night.His wife had died .so he was visiting the dead wife’s relatives in Connecticut.”They both have the same style of energy that describes the thoughts,point of views and opinions the author is trying to point out for us readers. Expanding a connection of social life class and real-life feelings.

I’m making comparisons between the Brothers Grimm and Raymond Carver’s restrained writing styles.The The simplicity and directness of Raymond Carver’s literary style are evident in its emphasis on commonplace events and feelings. His poetry is simple and direct, unlike “Snow White” by the Brothers Grimm makes extensive use of descriptive language. Carver’s “Cathedral” illustrates the narrator’s protectiveness towards his wife and jealously towards her past suitors. Both tales deal with sentiments of insecurity and jealousy. This trait is seen often in the narrative, as Snow White’s admiration and attractiveness caused her to become envious. The incidents and common individuals in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” and “Snow White” short stories represent emotions that are relatable to everyday life, such as rage, jealously, and the will to do damage to others. These tales tell us that sometimes our wishes come true and that occasionally our wishes are not granted. Insecurity and sentiments of jealousy are explored in both tales.    

I compared Raymond Carver’s simple writing to  “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara. I like both the worter because they both uses simple day to day language for there writing.Bambara our narrator lives in poor neighborhood she learn there economically equality and social injustice that people habe there. In many sentencse he uses and continuously to make the language easy for the people. In the sentence  “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country” (Bambara.). I think this is the easiest language i have seen i like the story most. The lesson is same like this it is very easy langiage to understand.

I compared Raymond Carver’s simple writing to that of the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White.” Both stories explore feelings of jealousy and insecurity. For example, in the story “Cathedral,” the narrator shows odd protectiveness toward his wife and jealousy toward her previous boyfriends. He skips over any information on her ex-husband and just makes passing references to him throughout the narrative. “The man she was going to marry…didn’t have money, either. But she was in love with the guy, and he was in love with her, etc.” (Carver). This behavior can be seen throughout the “Snow White” story because Snow White’s beauty and the fact that she was adored by everybody led to the Queen’s jealousy. The events and ordinary people in Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral,” like those in “Snow White,” portray real-life feelings like anger, jealousy, and the desire to harm others. It also teaches us that sometimes we cannot get what we desire.    

Raymond Carver and Guy De Maupassant both employ distinctive writing styles that reflect the literary conventions of their respective time periods. Carver is know for his minimalist, pared-down prose, while Maupassant’s ” The Necklace” exemplifies a more ornate and descriptive narrative style. For example Raymond carver’s minimalist style is evident in the spare and straightforward prose, as seen in the following passage ” He got his beard up and lathered. He worked the lather onto his with the brush. He put the razor to his cheek and took a swipe.’ I don’t know , bub. I just don’t know ,’he said, and he worked at his face.” It demonstrates Carver’s use of short declarative sentences and simple language to convey the mundane actions of the characters. The focus is on the immediate actions nd dialogue, with minimal descriptive details. In “The necklace,” Maupassant’s descriptive style is evident in his rich portrayal of the protagonist and her world, as seen in the following passage : “She was simple since she could not be adorned; but she was unhappy as though kept out of her own class; for women have no caste and no descent, their beauty, their grace, and their charm serving them instead of birth and fortune.” The narrative provides rich descriptions and delves into the protagonist’s emotional turmoil, reflecting the social and psychologial complexities of the character’s experience. They both Carver and Maupassant share a commitment to portraying the human condition and the struggles of everyday life.  

This time, I compared and contrasted Raymond Carva’s writing style with that of the Brothers Grimm in Snow White. I read two of Raymond’s poems. And I felt his directness and simplicity. I’ll try to explain it briefly. Raymond’s words seem straightforward and focused on everyday experiences and emotions. For example, in [My daughter and Apple pie] he described a simple domestic scene in clear language. On the other hand, the Brothers Grimm’s style in Snow White uses a rich explanatory language that is easy for readers to understand. For example, “Once upon a time in midwinter, when the snowflakes were falling like feathers from heaven, a queen sat sewing at her window…” is filled with vivid imagery and detailed descriptions as seen in this opening line. I am. My conclusion is that Raymond Carver’s stripped-down writing style is characterized by simplicity and directness of language, focusing on everyday life and subtle emotions. In contrast, the style of the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White” had a richly descriptive feel, focusing on a fantastical and more overt emotional depth.

The other reading that resonate with the writing style of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara. Both the stories uses first person narrative. They are narrated by a single character who talk about their experiences. Furthermore, the writing style of Carver is similar to that of Bambara since both the writers uses simple, day to day language. In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara our narrator, Sylvia, who lives in a poor neighborhood uses simple language to talk about her experiences, as she learns about the economical equality and social injustice face by her people. “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country” (Bambara.) Sylvia uses day to day language to narrate the situation, and avoids using complex vocabulary. In this sentence, she repeatedly uses the word “and” which means the writing seem like a regular conversation. “She wanted to talk. They talked. He asked her to send him a tape and tell him about her life. She did this. She sent the tape. On the tape, she told the blind man she loved her husband but she didn’t like it where they lived and she didn’t like it that he was a part of the military-industrial thing” (Carver.) In this narration of a conversation/memory between the wife and the blind man the author writes in a way that makes it seem like the narrator is having a conversation with a friend.