Seventeen Syllables--Hisaye Yamamoto
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I think it's easy to find the parts of this story that make it a romantic narrative. It even shows the sweet, light-hearted, all-is-wonderful sort of love along with its opposer. Rosie, the main girl, is obviously the portrayer of romantic love. She has a rather serious crush on Jesus. The story does a good job of creating that familure feeling when a new crush has been discovered. She sneaks away to see him, only to press her face to his for a moment, she has excellerated heart palvitations, she thinks about him all the time, even when working; these are all general ingrediets that together make a romance narrative. However, there's also the other side of love as seen in her mother's situation. The story ends with her mother forcing Rosie to promise to never marry. She does this because of her bad experience with marriage, something she used to keep her from killing herself. Obviously Rosie doesn't want to make that promise because she has found someone who, at the current moment, she could say forever with. That is another aspect of romance narraratives-battling external factors that are trying to keep one from loving or loving a specific person. It's the whole thing with 'love conquers all'. There can be no victory if there is no battle.
Men in Your Life--Alice Childress
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Well that was interesting. Not really what I was expecting and certainly atypical romance narrative. In my opinion, I wouldn't call that a romance narrative. This woman is just complaining about random things men do wrong in relationships and pretty much getting a load off her chest by ranting about men. It sounds to me like she's fed up with the men she's dated and has a lack of romance in her life. I guess that's all there is to say about that one. I laughed, though.
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3 comments:
You're response to Men In Your Life made me laugh a little. I like how you viewed this, although it might be a little different from the views of others-- your thoughts were very unique... :)
I thought there was a small romance narrative to Men in Our Lives, but I thought exactly the same way as you did. I think she is fed up with everyone and critizing what they do, but then Eddie does all those things and she really likes him and thinks it's romantic. Just goes to show, girls see what they want to see.
In Men in your Life, I think the romance narrative is easy to overlook. I agreed with you, until the ending. The woman is vey quick to judge other men until she describes her own. When describing her boyfriend, she is blinded by love, and has a quick explanation for all of his shortcomings.
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