Discussion 1.3 And Reading Quiz 1.3

word count 250 and each reply 100 each.

peer 1: Tram Duong

1.If the pole in the front yard is symbolism, What might it represent?

In the story, if the pole in the front yard is symbolism , I think it will have a lot of implications. After I read the story most easily see that the pole is the milestone for events happening in author’s life.The pole is like a part of author’s memory, a memory that every time it mentions it will connect with other stories an author’s life. The author wrote “every year thanksgiving night we flocked out behind Dad as he dragged the Santa suit to the road and draped it over a kind of crucifix he’d built out of metal pole in the yard.Super Bowl week the pole was dress in a jersey and Rod’s helmet and rod had clear it with Dad if he wanted to take the helmet off.On the Fourth of July the pole was Uncle Sam, on Veteran’s Day a soldier,on Halloween a ghost.”Besides, the pole is also the place to express the feelings of the father to the children in the family.

2. How is the character of the father drawn? How would you describe him?

In the story, the author doesn’t describe or mention too much about the father’s appearance but I think the father in the story is a strict father, and is not good at expressing feelings for children. The story describes the father is very rigid through the way he teaches his children “we were allowed a single Crayola from the box at a time. One Christmas Eve he shrieked at Kimmie for wasting an apple slice. He hovered over us as we poured ketchup saying: good enough. Birthday parties consisted of cupcakes,no ice cream”

3. What do you believe the father is trying to communicate?

I believe the father is trying to communicate with his children.The pole is the image of communication,as well as conveying the feelings of the father to the children.The father used the pole wants to convey love that he doesn’t say or his rigor has inadvertently created the gap between father and child. His notes of ” Love” and ” Forgiveness”These are two things that fathers really want to share to his children.

4. Do you think the father is a stand in for something larger,or this is just a quick story about one man’s efforts to communicate?

I think the story about one man’s efforts to communicate and moreover is the profound implication that the author wants to send to the reader through father image. I think the author wants to adopt a father’s image to give lesson is the parents should communicate and share with their children, not until it is too late, the distance between the two generations will be far apart.

peer 2 Katherine Rodgers

If the pole in the front yard is symbolism, what might it represent?

I think the pole represents the dad’s thoughts and what he is thinking about because of how he would dress it on certain holidays and even when his wife passed away

How is the character of the father drawn? How would you describe him?

I draw the father as a little bit crazy and mad but I also see that he expresses a lot through the pole. Even his kids said that he was very somewhat controlling as to having one crayon out at a time, not wasting a single apple slice, and even how much ketchup they are allowed to pour. Even with the father being controlling, this shows a lot about why he has the pole.

What do you believe the father is trying to communicate?

The father is trying to communicate a lot about how he feels about a certain holiday and even when tragic events happen. Such as his wife passing away, he dressed the pole like Death to show that he is mourning for his wife. He also tries to communicate to his children as well with the sticks in the yard, representing his children. He put signs such as “LOVE” and “FORGIVE?” to show that he loves his children and is sorry for what he has done to them in the past. He also made string letters that connected the sticks and the pole which were letters of apology, admissions of error, pleas for understanding all in a frantic hand. The father was trying so hard to communicate with his children but sadly he died maybe due to so much stress and anxiety by writing those notes. We will never know what really caused him to die. However, the radio being on when he died is quite an odd feature to add.

Do you think the father is a stand in for something larger, or this is just a quick story about one man’s efforts to communicate?

I think this is somewhat both. I think the father represents someone trying to speak out but the children could possibly represent the readers. The writer tries to communicate with the readers but they do not understand why someone would try to communicate with them until the readers figure out what the writer is saying but it is too late to communicate back with the writer. I also see another side of this too that we can try to communicate with others but done poorly, others will not understand us.