I think this story is a story about a girl who has to deal with the traditionalist and Christian worldview that her parents and those around her have while trying to navigate talking to a boy and growing up while those around her are continuously judgemental and doesn’t seem like they want the best for her. I also agree that it is kind of like a fairytale in a way kind of similar to Romeo And Juliet where her parents don’t really want her to be talking to boys or doing what she is doing but because as the boy states “your father is at the barbecue” but she is still hesitant about going for a ride with him and seeing where things will go because she is scared what her father would say or do if she saw the two of them. Eventually when Arnold starts getting aggressive and insults Connie’s sister she threatens to call the police and eventually leaves. I think this story is a fairytale that ends up not being able to work out because of the patriarchal and religious beliefs that are going on around her which she doesn’t seem to want to follow which in the end leads to her leaving and not trying to work it out with the boy because of the worries she has of how she will be perceived.
Daily Archives: November 17, 2022
The story reads to me as a psychological coming-of-age story with Christianity under tones. The story begins with Connie just living her life like any other teenager. Going out to the mall with her friends, meeting boys, etc. The story seems like the kind where we watch her journey that may include love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. Except Connie is extremely vain and only values outward appearance. Immediately, my impression of Connie is that despite that she is simply an “innocent lamb” she is committing a sin in her case is vanity while Arnold Friend could be seen as “The Devil.” Based on his demeanor and approach to Connie. He talks sweetly to her and somehow knows her name despite Connie never meeting this man. He appears unexpectedly at her house and drives a conspicous vehicle along with a friend. Two strange men who want Connie to come with them. They never expressed what their intentions were, yet Connie feared for her life. Ultimately, giving in to the threats and the harassing, Connie gives in and is lured outside, never to be seen again. This is also referenced in Paragraph 10 of Korb’s Essay: “Connie, of course, does not recognize the story’s demonic elements when the reader does. These references quickly add up: her utterances of “hell” and “Christ” when Arnold shows up; his supernatural awareness of the details of Connie’s life, particularly his ability to “see” the family barbecue; his vampiric inability to enter Connie’s house”
In the article, “how to read a poem”, from the poets.org, by Edward Hirsch, The author helps me read poetry by showing us some points and how they are important, He also states some mistakes that readers do when reading a poem. Some mistakes that he pointed out was that, when reading, is that they should understand what they encounter on the first reading. The second thing is that the poem is some kind of code, and that each code has a specific idea and they need to crack this code. One last thing is that the poem can mean anything readers want it to mean. Now the ways he help us to read the poems are by saying that how by reading the title of a poem can give you a hint and idea or imagination of what the poem can be about sometimes. He says this in the paragraph titled, reading a poem aloud. Another thing is he also says his lines are often difficult . but states, This act of competition begins when you enter the imaginative play of a poem. brining t it your experience and the point of view. Another thing is in that paragraph he states that reading poetry progresses overtime and that it takes time and skills. In the paragraph getting started, the author says, reading poetry is a challenge, but like so many other things, it takes practices and your skills and insight. improves as you progress. These are some ways that author teaches us and help us to read poetry.
At the beginning of the story, it developed as typical teenage experiences. She liked boys and wanted their attention. I know a ton of ways how that can lead to something bad at the same time I knew it wasn’t uncommon for developing girls. I didn’t feel as though that contributed as much as someone might think, to the events that took place at her home. It doesn’t take a genius to realize a child acting like a woman doesn’t make her a woman. A predator will want to pursue her either way. In this case, Arnold Friend, was the predator. A charming predator. It almost seemed as though he could’ve been a professional predator with how he knew Connie’s parents weren’t home and weren’t coming back during the time of his arrival. His confidence showed me he’s done it before. When he began to describe what the family was doing in the moment, it came across more like a psychic ability. Even my daughter mentioned how his name was similar to Arch-fiend, which is some sort of demon lord in their Yu-Gi-Oh game, however I can’t imagine assuming that this man had powers. But for a child? Im sure manipulation in that fashion is quite simple. He made her believe he knew so much that she wouldn’t be able to outsmart him. He was able to send her into an entire panic of fear simply by talking to her. He maintained her curiosity with childish conversation about the design to his car and joking around about his friend. Unless the story tells of the car floating away in midair or creating a portal to her parents to show what they’re doing, I would never have believed it was supernatural. She was a young simple girl and with that premise […]
