Based on Justin Taylor's Flings, select two short stories one between pages 1-93 and the other between pages 94-119. Discuss the tension in each story. What type of tension? What are your first reactions? What did you like most about the two stories you have selected? Also, what question(s) do you have about the book? Students should try their best to elaborate their answers using textual evidence from the text. Your response should be no less than 250 words.
16 comments:
Based on Justin Taylor’s short story “Flings”, tension is supporting. In this short story, friends were being helpful to one another, and were there to support each other ideas. My first reactions were, “There are more people that are needed like this.” The text states , “He talked to Kat about his decision. They both cried, but later, recounting the story to his best friend, Danny, on the porch over nightcap beers while Kat slept, Percy tried to make it sound as if only Kat had cried.” This quote is an example of the tension that the short story has. The other short story “Poets” tension is getting to know each other. In this short story a girl name Abigail Page didn’t know this boy so she kept her distance from him. A quote to support this, “When Abigail came in and Cal was already seated she made a point of sitting far down the row from him, every unoccupied terminal between them another condemnation.” This quote is evidence that the tension is you should get to know someone before you treat them wrong. What I liked most about the first short story was that everyone had the one friend that was always there to help them with issues and give advice to each other. What I liked most about the second short story is that the two people got a chance to meet each other and have a talk.
In the book Flings, there is a short story called “A Talking Cure” the tension comes from thee profanity, romance, and sexual actions and conversations. These words and actions keep the reader interested and keep them reading. For example on page forty-nine paragraph four Lacey states “And also […] you” any reader can infer that she is upset. Whenever someone says “[…] you” to anybody they are obviously very angry with thee person. It is a very intense phrase that is used to make people upset, to get back at them. Also on page forty-nine through fifty Lacey and Zachary are talking about the past when Lacey had oral sex with Zachary’s bestfriend (Evan Stanza). She did this while she and Zachary were together. Lastly my first reaction to this story was does Lacey and Zachary have an open relationship, where they can be with other people. In the second short story called “Mike’s song” has tension between Angie and Ken. On page ninety-eight Ken ask Angie a question and she responds with “Jesus Christ, why would you even say that” she also states “please for [….] sake, can we just, like, not?” By her choice of words she the readers can tell that she is annoyed about the question and situation that ken is talking about. She did not want to be on the topic about Ken’s friend Brad. My first reaction was why are Mike and Miranda getting a divorce? And how does their family feel about their divorce? “A talking cure” and “mikes song” are similar because they both are about a couple’s relationship. The difference is that “A talking cure” is about a more sexual couple’s tension in the relationship and “Mike’s song” does not have very much tension the most is a brother and sister argument.
The two stories I choose were “Flings” and “Mike’s Song”. The tension in the short story “Flings” is when Danny goes to the grave and that brings tension because then the police came and wanted to get Danny's attention so he shot a gunshot to get his attention. My first reactions to this was that I thought Danny was going to get shot because he didn’t hear the policeman when he said to put his hands up. The things that I liked the most about “Flings” was the friend relationship they until it they all broke apart, unlike in the short story “Mike’s Song” because in that short story it talks about sad things like the parents getting divorced and the parents are Mike and Miranda. The questions I have for the short story “Flings” are, how old is Dylan? And who threw Percy off the horse, was it Kat’s successor or somebody else. The tension in the short story “Mike’s Song” was when Mike said that Miranda and him are selling the house because that made their kids pack up everything they needed since the house was getting sold. My first reactions were why did Mike and Miranda get divorced, and why are they selling their house when one of them could’ve stayed with it. The things I liked most about this short story was knowing that Ken and Angie were called Irish twins because they were eleven months apart, and unlike the short stories “Flings” they don’t talk about people getting shot. One question I have for this short story is why Mike and Miranda got divorced?
Based on Justin Taylor’s book, the short story I used was “Sun Gold”. The tension of that short story was the struggle makes the story. The part I like more in that short story is when Taylor finds subjects worthy of his talent. Rather than being tethered to lazy genre trappings, plot unfolds according to his own logic. My first reaction to the short story is when Taylor was too lazy.
Based on Justin Taylor’s book, the short story I used was “Mike song”. The tension of the short story is deflating fatalism. The part I like more in that short story is when Mike was at a phish concert with his grown kids. My first reaction was when Mike almost gets in a fetal traffic accident on his way home from attending the concert. This is my favorite part on the story.
Based on Justin Taylor’s “Flings” the first short story I read was “A Talking Cure” and many things in that story built tension. For example tension was built because Zachary was ready and was going to do what he needed to do but Blake was not really in the mood to do anything. In the story it says, “Together we moved to the increasingly stories couch, undressing one another, but Blake can’t seem to get in the mood.” That proves that Blake was not in the mood but Zachary and Lacey were in the mood. My first reaction was do Blake really like Zachary or is he doing it so he would not hurt his feelings. What I like most about this story is that they were mostly honest with each other about their past. One question I have, would be do Zachary still like boys even though he is engaged to Lacey. Another short story I read was “Mike’s Song” where tension was created between the father Mike, and the mother Miranda because they are getting an divorce, so they had an lot of tension between them. In the story it states, “Come spring he and Miranda are selling the place thus completing, finally, their divorce settlement, so the kids have to decide what’s important enough to keep and what can be thrown away, which so far seems to pretty much be everything.” That explains that their actions impact the children and their decisions. My first reaction was is Angie and Ken really okay with their parents getting a divorce. What I enjoyed most about this short story was that they had an childhood memory to keep them connected.
In Justin Taylor’s “Adon Olam” (pages 55-76), he tells of a story from another view, a girls view that tells about her friends with a pair of twins. One of the twins have a sarcoma that was putting pressure on his left lung and his heart. He was tired most of the time and didn’t do much of the things his twin and friend did.
Based on Justin Taylor’s “Flings”, the text states, “my first thought is im about to get robbed” , it built suspense. When the narrator said he was counting a stack of money he noticed someone coming. He thought he was about to get robbed but the only thing that was coming was an employee. Based on Justin Taylor’s “Carole, Alone”, the text states, “I can see a shape among the shadows; something out there is alive” , that built suspense. She muted the T.V , put on her slippers, and passed through the dark house. She stepped on the patio and saw a shape among the shadows outside. She figured something out there was alive. The tensions that were shown throughout the 2 short stories were suspension. The 2 short stories built suspense because I had no idea what was going to happen next in the story . My reaction was very curious towards what was going to happen next. What I liked most about the 2 stories were how both of the narrators grabbed my attention. They were specific about what was going on and they used words to build suspense which also made the 2 stories much more interesting.
Reading the book fling by Justin tailors is like reading more than one books by the same author. The two stories I picked in the book flings by Justin Taylor is sun gold the second story in the book, and the third story, CAROL ALONE. In Sun gold, the text state that a waiter works at a bar and restaurant like applebee's. He tells a lot of his story inside a huge mushroom costume, he wear to bring customers. His life is not that hard. He smokes weed, take cash which his boss let him, and chases girls named “Melissa, Jessica’s, a waitresses. Then a girl named Poling Sun gold gets hired and started messing up his easy life.
In “Carol, Alone,” an old woman tries to figure out how to live without her husband after he died. Her life is not lonely. Her time can no longer be measured by her age, or relationships, but small moments that would last forever, She feels as she doesn’t have any hope but also understands the feeling of having hope. The story flings by Justin Taylor is a good book it is full of ideals that would not been as good in nonfiction book. I think Justin taylor is one of the best author I read in a long time I will keep on reading more of his book because it funny and he’s not scared to express his ideals.
My first reaction to the stories I read was like wow I have to read more Justin Taylor books. Justin Taylor has a talent that a lot off young author don't have Justin Taylor have you coming back after every small story in the book to see what is new what is going happen next. Justin Taylor is a book of ideals because in his stories he just explored like a top off a shaken soda top. Justin Taylor is a very talented author he keeps on writing he would end up to be one of the best author in nonfiction stories and fiction stories.
Justin Taylor’s Flings Blog response
“Flings”
The tension in this story is between Rachel and Danny, the conflict begins when Danny figures out that he has feelings for Rachel. That causes tension because he can’t really express those feelings due to the fact that Rachel doesn’t feel the same. Danny doesn’t want to ruin what they have already so he keeps quite. Another addition to the tension is that Danny knows Rachel is on drugs but he keeps the secret from Rachel’s best friend Ellen who lost her brother due to drugs. That caused even more tension between the two “friends” because it makes Danny feel like he is lying to Ellen. The kind of tension in this story is psychological, it’s psychological because Danny loves Rachel so much that he is willing to lie to another friend just to keep her secret safe.
“Poets”
The tension in this is brought on by the female character Abigal and the foolish games she likes to play. In the beginning of the story she plays with the male character’s feelings, she knows has feelings for him like he has feelings for her. The tension in this story is based off of love just like the first story except with this one they do get together.
I chose the story "Flings" because it seems interesting and scandalous....personal I enjoy scandal.đ
I picked the story "Poets" because the title was eye-catching and it caught my attention because I enjoy poetry but that wasn't what it was about sadly☹.
Based on the short story “Flings” by Justin Taylor’s Danny and Rachel have a weird relationship where they don’t have feelings for each other but they have sexual intercourse. Rachel is the main character of Danny’s American novel that he is writing. Danny looks at Rachel as if she is a person in a trial run not as a human with feelings. The tension between Rachel and Danny is tension within a relationship. Rachel is being to have feelings for him that she not really sure about but Danny on the other hand has no feeling he just sees their relationship as some that will help his career. Danny hoped that Rachel got weaker because she was weak she came to him for comfort. Rachel was out living her life while Danny was making story about her and is a villain. Some they were basically in love with out telling each other. Both Danny and Rachel were in love with each other but wouldn’t tell each other.
The text “Sungold” talks about this boy and girl named Polirina. The tension in this text is mystery and relationship because they don’t necessary know what kind of relationship they have but they have some type of relationship. The guy in the text that didn’t state his name looks at women in a demeaning way. That causes the girl to like him but like that part about him. He is a very open person and says what he thinks and feels which makes them click because she isn’t afraid of hearing the truth and neither is he. These short stories both have tension in them. They both have sexual desires in them, which cloud their vision of the person and what they want from the person. So these short stories have a lot income despite their different story lines.
Based on Justin Taylor’s “The Talking cure” (43), I believe that the tension of this story is being honest because of the way the Lacey and Zachary’s relationship is going because they are making process. For example, at the beginning of this story Lacey is so excited to marry her fiancĂ©e Zachary that she was having a hard time changing her name whether she will take her fiancĂ©e’s last name or if she will drop her first name. So one night, coming back from a reception drunk she wanted to play a game where they tell their partner something that they don’t know about them. At first Zachary didn’t want to play the game but, it ended up happening anyway. So when they started to playing the game Lacey reveal that she sometimes she fakes with him and doesn’t really pay him any attention and he was a little hurt by this but he does a great job of not showing it. This is an example of the tension being honesty because the game that they are playing is about honesty and whether it will change their relationship. My first reactions reading this was that this was going to be a story where it would start off as a perfect life then a travesty will happen.
Based on the book Flings the short story I chose was “After Ellen”, the tension in this story is guiltiness because Scott left without talking to Ellen first, then writes her a note on why he had to leave but it is not a very clear note, and then turns off the phone so no one can reach him. Also he claims someone’s lost dog and takes care of it as his own. My reaction of this story is how could he just leave and not say good bye to Ellen or his parents then turns off his phone so no one can reach him and obviously they were worried a wanted to answer like was he OK and other things. What I like about the story is that even though he didn’t say goodbye I understand because sometimes people need to get away.
Based on the book Flings the other story I picked was “Mike’s song”, the tension in the story sadness because the song that he wrote was sad. My reaction of this story is that I feel bad for him but I did like the song. Also what he want though is hard but the way he decided to handle it was good he made a song to relive his pain. I liked this story because it was touching to me, I can’t really explain it but I liked it a lot. These are the two stories that I decided to write about.
Not all of Justin Taylor’s characters are honest with themselves. Some are casual and complex. In each situation, Taylor provides his protagonist with an opportunity to rise above the complexity between a conflict and a resolution. Some of them accept the opportunity, but just as many don’t, which can be far more interesting. Illustrated moments between pairs, but these are not couples in the traditional sense, but in a humorous and it proclaims that they are troubling and approach into varsity and many types of conflicts. Therefore in pages of 1-93 in the book Flings it cause of this it generates great tension of task. He writes pitiful well, as when the wearer of a plush mushroom costume stands on the street to promote a vegan restaurant. Based on Justin Taylor’s “Sungold” in the book Flings the text contemplates the racial implications of the reaction to his costume which helps indicates the tone, according to the text it states” No I’ll grant you, a guy wearing a full-body fur mushroom suit to promote an organic vegetarian pizza pub is arguably the whitest thing to have occurred in the history of whiteness, but it’s not as though it’s going to rub off on them. It’s not like it’s contagious, like breathing the air around me will result in sudden loss of pigmentation, cravings for old Friends episodes, and I don’t know, a Dave Matthews box set”.
In Page 93-119, According to Justin Taylor’s Flings which gives us the tension of relationships in the story “Poet” Taylor describes MFA program love with an insider’s eye, and gives this cheer-worthy description of the ideal woman which helps grew the tension and climax, since in the text it states” She was thirty-four, but if you got her out of her professorial dress suit and into, say, jeans and a peasant blouse, she could still pass for twenty-seven. Naked you could see she was at least thirty, but her thirty made it seem like thirty was the great perfect age: a goal. This woman looked like what it meant to be a woman, in her stunning adult prime”. Also in this Specific book, entertains the readers such as me because of its remarkable and creative style of passage and wording. Which makes my first reaction to these stories as it generates witty, ingenious and also humorous form of an uncommon portrait which makes it likeable for viewers like me.
Chisom Ukaegbu
English I B1
Mr.Igoudjil
1 October 2015
Justin Taylor Blog Response
In the short story “A night out” Justin Taylor brought the reader into the story by acting as your mind or the voice in your head and your thoughts to you. This interested me because it answered the question I had before coming into starting the story, which was how will the narrator describe the events that are happening in the story. It also answered my question of how will the author include the reader into the story. In this story the author creates tension by incorporating romance into the story within multiple characters. When I first started this the book I thought it would be weird and uncomfortable because of the authors choice of words.
In the short story "flings" the author creates tension once again by incorporating romance between multiple characters. The first question had about the text is what is it going to be about, but then it was quickly answered. What I like about the two stories I picked is there location of the within the book which, one at the beginning and one at the end. I like the location of the book because it gave me insight on how the stories in the books would change, which it differed very little in. Those are the two short stories I decided on writing about.
Based on Justin Taylor’s “The Talking cure” (43), I believe that the tension is built in this story by the way Lacey and Zachary’s relationship is going because they are confessing things they never told eachother which can cause lots of tension in a relationship and they are trying new things. For example, at the beginning of this story Lacey was excited to marry her fiancĂ©e Zachary that she was having a hard time changing her name whether she will take her fiancĂ©’s last name or if she will drop her first name. So one night, coming back from a reception drunk she wanted to play a game that she had seen another couple play that built trust where they tell their partner something that they don’t know about them. Zachary didn’t want to play the game but, it ended up happening anyway. When they started to playing the game Lacey reveal that sometimes she fakes with him and doesn’t really pay him any attention and he was a little hurt by this but he stays strong and does not show it. This is an example of the tension being based on confessing or telling the truth because the game that they are playing is about confessing and whether it will change their relationship. My first reactions when I started reading this was that this would be a story where it would be full of drama but they will get through it and in the end I realized that I was correct. (1/2)
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