Literature Review On Fiction Discussion

1) The advantage (and disadvantage) of graphic storytelling is that it is both a wonderful and sometimes confusing way of telling the story. In the case of "Two Questions," the way the text swirls around the images is quite interesting, as we get a much more kinetic and immersive way of seeing the world of the story. However, one of the disadvantages is being somewhat confused at times, as it takes awhile to get used to the format of the graphics. For a time, you may miss important parts of the story if you do not know where one image begins and the other ends. With "The Shabbat," the author/illustrator manages to create clear images, set in black and white and in a singular order, that help to eliminate this difficulty sometimes found in "Two Questions," helping to create a concrete picture that relies on image rather than prose. Everything about an image's style and composition helps to convey the actual message and intent of the author, which is why graphic storytelling is ultimately a wonderful method of creating fiction.
2)
In ‘Barn Burning,’ Faulkner follows young Colonel Sartoris Snopes as a child, who is forced to defend his father Abner from counts of arson, which turn out to be true. Sartoris comes of age over the course of the short story, learning the true nature of his father and discovering how to stand up for himself. The primary conflict of the short story is between Sartoris and his father, an emotionally abusive and violent arsonist. Mr. Snopes is almost a metaphysical presence in the boy’s life, Faulkner presenting him as a cold, calculating, unemotional monster. With this in mind, Sartoris has to choose between the greater good and loyalty to his family, especially as he begins to learn about his father’s arson and other terrible deeds. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” the primary point of the story addresses the subject of heritage, and whether or not to be ashamed of it. Mama’s outlook is the healthier one, as it allows her serenity and security with oneself. Both of these stories feature fires that inexorably transform the main characters - Sartoris' father burning down a barn starts to inexorably change his perspective on his father, while the house fire that claimed their house in "Everyday Use" is something that changed Dee as well; both characters start to rebel against their parent figures. Sartoris understands that he needs to get away from his father, while Dee sees Mama as an old relic who refuses to get with the times and become a more modern, progressive black woman. Both characters eventually run away from home as children, with Sartoris becoming his own man and Dee running off to join the hippie and black progressive movements.
3) In "King of the Bingo Game", one of the most interesting aspects of the characterization and plot is its refusal to be specific. The main character has no name, and we get a simple story in the form of a bingo game, one which just culminates in inaction. The setting of the bingo game is important, as it reveals the character as indecisive, fraught with tension and constantly beset by his troubles. This hammers home the metaphor that life is a game, and one cannot freeze up out of anxiety in life; the fact it is a bingo game, with everyone watching, makes the pressure even worse, as it also reminds us that we are always under scrutiny for our actions. The man himself is so lost and unable to participate in the game of life that he just imagines himself King of the Bingo Game, retreating into a fantasy world as the real world starts to fail him. The setting of the bingo game also makes the situation extremely absurd on its face, as he seems to be comically unable to handle the pressure of a bingo game, and embarrasses himself in front of a crowd of strangers.