ELIT 48C CLASS 40

LoathVersus Loathe

Loathe is a verb meaning to dislike greatly; to abhor; to feel disgust for. For example, if you have a mean instructor, you might say that you loathe her.

Loath is an adjective meaning unwilling or reluctant. For example, you might say that you are loath to to spend time with your mean instructor outside of work.

Loathe versus Loath

 “Poets are the

unacknowledged legislators of the world.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley

CHAIR POET?

The RoadConceptsSymbolsQHQ

AGENDA

Five minutes!

DISCUSS

The son is innocent and has the desire to help those around him. Many times the son has wanted to help an individual but his father would stop him and discourage him. However, what is right and wrong? Is the son right for wanting to help others during these hard times or is his father right for not helping others and for keeping all their resources to themselves?

Throughout the story the son is pretty much shown as the only beacon of hope and innocence left in the new world.

Innocence pertains to the boy in he had very little life experience. He wants to help people along the way because he hasn’t been awakened to the self centered nature of other people.

ANALYZE THE SYMBOL OF INNOCENCE AND HOW IT PERTAINS TO THE SON IN THE ROAD .

The basic dynamic of the story of the story is the father and son and the trust they have between them, in times when the father tells him to trust him, or when he affi rms that he is a man of his word the boy trusts him.

It starts off with the old man being introduced, and the child automatically wants to approach him. Without knowing the person he already feels that he could trust him, on the other hand the dad is pretty skeptical of the old man.

Throughout the novel, the story focuses on mistrust while secretly advocating trust. The man learns to survive the demolition of the world through mistrust. He is suspicious of everything and that is how he is able to survive. Other adults encountered during the story so far are exactly the same—in order to stay alive they must stay aloof. […] McCarthy juxtaposes this overarching, initial theme however, with the existence of the boy. The very existence of the man’s son highlights the fault in mistrust. The boy lives only because he trusts in his dad and his ability to provide for the two of them.

EXAMINE THE CONCEPT OF TRUST AND MISTRUST IN THE THE ROAD.

Just like in Faulkner’s Barn Burning, the relationship between the father and son in a diffi cult and terrible world is central to The Road. Abner Snopes treats his son much differently than The Man does his son, going so far as to possibly being one of “the bad guys” as The Boy puts it. It then follows that the two sons, The Boy and Sarty, both experience different roads, but interestingly end up reaching for the same thing. Both reach for hope, a glimmer of life beyond the world they were born into.

THE CONCEPT OF FATHER AND SON RELATIONSHIP IN THE ROAD AND

FAULKNER’S BARN BURNING.

The boy however is a representation of fi re, he is the symbol for light, as traditionally lights represents hope.

In a few conversations, the man and the boy talk about how they carry “the fi re.” While the fi re is not ever specifi cally defi ned, it is strongly suggested that this fi re represents their humanity.

Fire not only serves practical purposes, such as keeping the travelers warm, providing light, cooking food and boiling water, it also symbolizes hope. […]Fire also provides light and warmth, two things that are largely absent in the novel’s dark, decimated, and disintegrating world. To go further, light and warmth are typically associated with the home, love, safety, and peace. […]Fire’s destructive aspect, of course, is also noted–the bad guys can use fi re too, sometimes to cauterize the wounds of the people in their living larder

FIRE

The RoadGod and FaithGoodnessHope

DestructionDeathImpermanence/Transience

Ash

INTRODUCE ANOTHER CONCEPT OR SYMBOL

Why didn’t the man and his son simply stay at the bunker and ride out the next months and years with the food and shelter it provided?

QHQ

END OF DAYS

Class 42: The Road: Postmodernism; Critical Theory; The American Dream; Introduce Essay #2

Class 43: The quarter in review; Self-Assessment; Discuss Exam #3

Class 44: Optional Class: Make-up Exam #1 or #2

Class 45: Final Friday, June 27th, 9:15-11:15

Almost done

Read The Road: finish the novelPost #: 40 (The last one)

Discuss the novel as a postmodern workUse a critical lens to start a discussionDiscuss the American Dream as it manifests in The Road

Start thinking about your next essay. Some possible prompts are posted. Remember, you can pursue any topic you would like as long as it concerns a text or texts from the second half of the quarter.

HOMEWORK