7. Reread this essay's first and last paragraphs, and compare how much more one emphasizes shame. Which emotion other than shame does Gregory reveal in the first paragraph, and does it play a role in the last one? Is the last paragraph an effective ending? Explain.
Paragraph 1
Last Paragraph
One major emotion that he felt in the first paragraph was the feeling of love which he feels toward Helene Tucker. This plays a part in the last paragraph when it explains what he goes through to avoid people seeing him. This all started because he didn't want the girl he loves to see how poor he was so he tried his best to hide it which led to extreme measures. I feel that the last paragraph is indeed an effective ending even if it wasn't a pleasant one. This is because it summarizes how he feels and ends with his sadness about how the whole town will see how poor he is and how he doesn't have a father.
ReplyDeleteLogan I have to agree with you because everything you said was true.
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph shows how he was over come by pride because he wanted to impress the girl but that burned him in the end when he was embarrassed and didn't want anybody seeing him anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph also introduces the sweet little love of a first crush, while only hinting at the shame to come. However, at the end, he is very bitter, wondering why the whole world must know he has no daddy and is on relief. Considering that the focus of the essay is shame, a negative emotion, it makes sense to end with bitterness, another, powerful negative emotion. This is not a happy story.
ReplyDeleteHis whole story shifts from romanticism to realism. While he doesn't have much the first paragraph is still a relatively light tone and he speaks of the young girl he is affectionate for then the tone switches to how he feels pain and is embarrassed of who he is. This is soft of like a coming of age story, he transitions from youth to adulthood in a very short and unfair time as he has to come to grips with the sad reality that he is at a disadvantage to every other white boy and girl in the world. And this will be something he fights his entire life as he stands up against segregation and attacks the failed system that he lived in.
ReplyDelete#micdrop
This first paragraph barley touches on the shame that occurred. He first talked about how much he liked Helene and how hard he tried to get her to notice him. Towards the end, Helene ended up feeling sorry for him instead of noticing him in a good way.
ReplyDeleteGregory displays love in the first paragraph. It reveals the method in which he discovered shame and all its power. Love adds to the pain in the last paragraph. Out of love people who had money were giving to the less fortunate to help them, but for Gregory it only made the pain worse. The last paragraph shows the shame and its power that Gregory began to see in everything, so it is a good ending.
ReplyDeleteHate is the other emotion shown in the first paragraph that is used in the second half. He says that he "hated" the truck that would give out food. The last paragraph is a good conclusion of how one event can change someone's life.
ReplyDeleteReply to Madison
ReplyDelete--Awesome how you incorporate Helene's viewpoint in the beginning and the end, I hadn't thought of that! Good point!
This first paragraph touches a little on shame that occurs. He talks about how much he likes Helene and how hard he tried to get her to notice him. And by the ending Helene notices him but bot the way he wanted her to notice him. Which makes him feel shameful. And another feeling that reveals is hatred for he hated the truck and how everyone that day heard the teacher.
ReplyDeleteGregory feels love towards Helene. He love for her causes him to go through more labor than necessary just to look good the next day. He works harder than she knows and leaves money for her when she isn't looking. It does play a role in the last paragraph because out of his shame, he works even harder to prove himself to Helene. Out of love, he pushes himself, for years.
ReplyDeleteIt is an effective last paragraph because he shows him in later years, explaining how his lesson of shame has affected him ever since.
Cruz, I agree that Helene ended up noticing him in a way he didn't want to be noticed. He made a fool of himself in front of her and she actually felt sorry for him.
ReplyDeleteAnna Reinke: The first paragraph also introduces the sweet little love of a first crush, while only hinting at the shame to come. However, at the end, he is very bitter, wondering why the whole world must know he has no daddy and is on relief. Considering that the focus of the essay is shame, a negative emotion, it makes sense to end with bitterness, another, powerful negative emotion. This is not a happy story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this completely. The way you described the connection between the beginning of the story and the end made sense. I can see how the beginning and end share the same emotions, yet the ending had a stronger feel to it.
Reply to Bonnie
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the money he does leave would almost be everything he had which could have gone towards clothing and food.
Cruz:
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point! The essay focuses mostly on what caused the shame and what its results were and discusses the emotion itself very little in comparison. I hadn't really noticed that, but it does make sense and is actually grey true.
Reply to Jorge
ReplyDeleteAwesome job little man! Great description! I am proud of you son!
the last paragraph shows more shame. THe first paragraph shows a bit of pride in who Helene was to him. the pride was blown out of the water by what the teach said. the end was effective it left the reader with the shame of what had happened to him.
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph unabashedly discusses how Gregory went about his life. It talks about how he strove to impress Helene and appear just as normal as she. It doesn't really talk about shame; in fact, it talks about the lack of. He reveals innocence in the first paragraph. The last paragraph solely discusses how much shame Gregory had after the event, and how he lost his sense of innocence about his life. I do think the last paragraph was effective, because the reader can really get a sense of how much this had an affect on him.
ReplyDeleteThe last paragraph emphasizes more on shame than the first one. In the first one she focuses more the girl he loves. He talks about how he loves her and loves what she symbolize. The last paragraph concludes how one event embarrassed him for life and wants to ignore people. This is why the ending is effective.
ReplyDeleteDalton: I agree that his emotions went from love in the 1st paragraph to just shame at the end.
ReplyDeleteI believe the last paragraph emphasizes shame more because it says how everyone knows he doesn't have a father.
ReplyDeleteOutcast
For the first paragraph he becomes obsessed with this girl and focuses all his attention towards her
Last paragraph he keeps himself away from society
Yes the last paragraph has an effective ending because it makes you feel really bad for himmmmmkdjf alkdsjfl kdjfkldjf a sorry... :D
To Madison~~
ReplyDelete***Barely
Also, I agree with you that the first paragraph and the last paragraph describe his love for Helene. The first paragraph introduces Helene how what he did for her. The last paragraph speaks of the future, after the lesson of shame, and how he continued to try to impress her.
-bonnie-his love is shattered she finally see who he is for real.
ReplyDeleteI think the last paragraph explains how shameful he felt by explaining how paranoid it made him. It is effective by explaining HOW paranoid he felt, “there was shame everywhere. It seemed like the whole world as been inside that classroom,” “there was shame in going to the Worthy Boys Annual Christmas Dinner,” “There was shame in wearing the brown and orange and white plaid…”
ReplyDeleteThe first one more so just builds on the shame. The first paragraph mixes the shame with the pride. He felt pride in his appearance. “I brushed my hair and even got me a little old handkerchief.”
In the first paragraph, he wasn't as much ashamed, but in "love" with Helene and wanted to present himself in the best possible manner to her. He tried being clean for her. By the end of the story, he was completely ashamed of himself and his background. He shows the emotion of love and affection towards Helene in the first paragraph. He was happy with what he had in the beginning and tried to make it work, but by the end, he wanted to get rid of what he had. By the end, he didn't have the affection and love because of the teacher and her hateful comment. It is effective in the sense that it shows his shame and sadness in his life. It would have been nice to see where he is now and how is past affected or didn't affect his future.
ReplyDeleteKai: The first paragraph shows how he was over come by pride because he wanted to impress the girl but that burned him in the end when he was embarrassed and didn't want anybody seeing him anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he felt prideful in a way. I hadn't thought of the pride being what caused his shame in the end, but I think you could definitely make that argument!
Rachael, I see how you can view his shame as paranoia. He was very ashamed and saddened by his situation and it did build throughout the story.
ReplyDeletePrince,
ReplyDeleteWay to tie in our previous unit. More like, way to kiss up. But other than shaming you about this, I actually do agree that he transitions from Romanticism to Realism.
Reply to Luis
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because the last paragraph does tell how the fact that he doesn't have a father does make him feel ashamed. There are also more reason why he is ashamed.
The last paragraph is the one that emphasizes shame the most. Because the last paragraph is the one that explains what the author did and thought after his incident happened. The first paragraph only tell the reader about and incident that happen when he authored learned shame unlike the last paragraph that has already explained it. Another emotion that Gregory addresses other than shame in the first paragraph is love because he talk about feeling love when the girl would wink at him and say hello. And it dosent really play a role in the last paragraph because he only talked about feeling ashamed and i would think a bit unloved. the last paragraph has an effective ending because it end with the author putting a direct ending to his story.
ReplyDelete