Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thursday, Oct. 18th

After reflecting on your notes on Diction, give evidence from the story The Bass, the River and Sheila Mant by W.D. Wetherall that argues against the following statement:

It is evident that W.D. Wetherall intended to depict a boy with deviant intentions and thoughts via the word choices that are used throughout the short story.

Your answers should be 150 words or more. Attempt the use of phrasing such as suggests, infers, implies, connotes and describe the specific type of diction (concrete, connotation, denotation, jargon, colloquialism and so on).

11 comments:

  1. Reflecting on the writings of W.D. Wetherall in the short story The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant, there is some debate on whether the boy in the story, acting upon his childish crush was doing so in the way of a creeper or in an innocent way. Most of his descriptions could be taken for bad but there is one particular line that puts all of his pervious and proceeding descriptions to rest. On the first page is he describes the situation and his feelings for what is going on as being “as bashful and frightened as a unicorn.” This implies that he is still of a very childish nature. Innocents. Using the word “bashful”, it shows that he is shy about what he is about to do. Using the mythical creature, “unicorn” brings out the fantasy of it all. That one phrase shows that he is not a stalker and that everything he does is out of a childish crush, therefor, harmless.

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  2. Although a common misconception of the way the author acts in The Bass, the River and Sheila Mant would be to see him as a stalker or a creeper, I highly disagree with this statement because of the following reasons. At one point in the story he depicts himself as a unicorn which sort of implies a pure and innocent creature just curiously being an on looker to what is going on around him. Still being pictured in this fashion, the boy in the story does one thing that really separates him from a stalker: he ponders only on how to ask her out, meaning that her involvement of an answer would ultimately decide on the conclusion of the entire event. Another usage of language to depict the boy as a genuine gentleman rather than a stalker would have to be the middle sentence of the last paragraph. “Before the month was over, the spell she cast over me, but the memory of the lost bass haunted me all summer and haunts me still.” This line really shows how the boy had no negative intensions, it was just that Sheila “cast a spell over him” that made him extremely curious throughout the beginning. The spell obviously referring to the way she looks and how they made the boy have a crush on her, however he was saved when he realized that her personality was one that he did not like in the least. In conclusion, I think that the subtle hints dropped by author to indicate that the boy was just an innocent teenager with a slightly obsession over a pretty girl really shows why the boy was nothing more than that.

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  3. It is arguable that the author wants the narrator of The Bass, the River and Shelia Mant not to be portrayed as a deviant creature; stalking the girl he is “obsessed” with. Rather, it is obvious that the boy is in pure, fanciful love. In the first page of the story, the author suggests the word “enchanted”. “Enchanted”, usually used in a fairy-like story, is a connotation manifesting the idea of innocence. Also, the use of the symbol “unicorn” explains the naiveté the narrator has in his heart. Unicorn, a fictional character usually appearing in fairy tales, implies the mythical love the narrator wants. The narrator’s use of fishing jargons like “chamois” and “middle thwart” also explains how he has passion for other things, not only Shelia Mant. Author notes the diversity of the narrator’s interest, and this differentiates from the nature of stalkers, who concentrate their interest on a single person.

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  4. W.D Wetherall did imply about a boy with deviant intentions and thoughts, however as he portrayed these images he did so with another meaning to it. There were many situations where it may have inferred that the boy had corrupted thoughts about Shelia, such as when the moon was shining directly at her, as if he was purposely making the moon glare at her. However, I felt that there was simply nothing to observe other than bright shining moon glowing at her, like the spotlight of an emotional play. Also as it is shown that the boy came into the swim team for Sheila, although I feel that the text mostly implied it because of her, It was also suggesting that he was practicing his flutter kicks to improve and impress Shelia. Lastly, he also said he learned the names of all the stars. Furthermore, the idea comes to mind that this boy was naturally perceptive with information.

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  5. In the story the Bass, The River, and Shelia Mant by W.D Wetherall, the boy is trying his best to impress this one girl who lives across the river from him. The author shows a bit of the deviant intentions and thoughts like "As beautiful as she was on the float, she was even lovelier now- her white dress went perfectly with her hair, and complimented her figure even more than her swimsuit." Which makes him really deviant but he was not deviant in the end. When he remembered the memory of him approaching their softball game he said he was “as bashful and frightened as a unicorn.” which showed he was scared and shy. Since he was shy it showed that he was still like a young boy maturing into a man. In the end of the story he still regrets losing the bass and their would be other Shelia Mant. The last sentence said he never made the same mistake ever again.

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  6. In The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant, the main character W.D. Wetherall is shown to have been besotted with the afore-mentioned Sheila Mant, the resident pretty girl on the river. However, although he is attracted to her he is in no way harboring any deviant intentions towards her. When he invited to take her to the party on his canoe, it was evident that trying to impress her was his main goal. This was shown when he mentions that whenever she was near he would swim laps, “hoping she would notice the beauty of my flutter kick, the power of my crawl.” When he realizes that she doesn’t like fishing, he tries to shove his gear out of the way merely to avoid embarrassing himself in front of her. Lastly, near the end of the story he states “Not just Sheila, but the aura she carried about her of parties and casual touching and grace” when he is trying to decide between the bass and her. This implies that he is attracted to more than just the physical about her. Lastly, he tells the reader that when he first went to her at the softball field he was “as bashful and frightened as a unicorn.” This implies that he was shy and afraid, and that would have meant that he was still coming to grips with his new emotions and was still immature in how to deal with them.

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  7. Many people may perceive the story of Sheila Mant and the bass as a story of creepiness. This idea, however, was not the author’s main intention when writing the story. The general plot is of a young boy (the narrator) who loves his neighbor, Sheila Mant, but only from a distance. He observes her all the time and says that he “had learned all her moods” by watching her on her diving board. A fourteen-year-old boy secretly “studying” a seventeen-year-old girl does seem a bit creepy, yet the way the author explains the narrator’s thoughts and feelings show that this is not true.
    Firstly, the narrator describes Sheila with words that depict his childhood innocence, “… while they were playing softball on their lawn, as bashful and frightened as a unicorn.” Also, the narrator asks Sheila out on a “date” simply because he wants to get to know her, instead of always admiring her from a distance. If his intentions had be “creepy” he wouldn’t have minded the bass at all, and would have only focused on her.

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  8. Wetherell denies any sign of the boy's devious intentions by inferring his child-like imagery with "...and the only part I remember clearly is emerging from the woods...as bashful and frightened as a unicorn." He implies the shy and childish nature of the boy by using the denotation "bashful" and "frightened" to show a pure, innocent character. He then uses the connotation of "unicorn" which suggests the boy's childish, dreamy imagination. We can also see Wetherell imply the boy's young, dependent nature when describing the boy's preparation for his date with Sheila "...propping up my father's transistor radio..." The author suggests the boy to be still a youngster who is dependent on others such as his father. If the abstract word, "father's", wasn't used it would draw a whole different character who indeed is independent enough to earn his own money to buy a radio. Wetherell also denies all possible 'devious' intentions by implying Sheila's dominance over the boy with " What does [matter] is that at that fragile moment..I would have given anything not to appear dumb in Sheila's severe and unforgiving eyes." Wetherell uses the concrete words "severe" and "unforgiving" to both physically describe her and to describe her cold, dominant and surveying character. The point can also be further stressed when the boy uses numerous jargons based on fishing, such as "Rapala plug..." and "...reel's drag...", that can suggest that he is as interested in catching that bass than having any other intentions of doing anything to Sheila. To him, the bass and Sheila are equal temptations and it can support the idea that he is still undiluted and doesn't take love as immediate priority.

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  9. Despite what is depicted in The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mont, the protagonist is not a boy with deviant intentions. It was suggested that the boy was a stalker, who insisted on following Sheila Mont. This is not the case, for the story reads otherwise. For example, he was shown to have a genuine affection for her. She was described as, "lovelier to me than a largemouth bass." As the boy was a fishing fanatic, being rated over one of the most legendary catches for an average fisherman means she really was valued highly. He also said that the love didn't last: He said, "Before the month was over, the spell she cast over me was gone." His enchantment eventually vanished, causing him to lose his interest in her and, as hinted, caused him to lose his desire to "stalk" her. Additionally, he mentions that there are other girls he would eventually fall in love with, which shows that Sheila did not leave a lasting impact on him.

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  10. The short story The Bass, The River, and Shelia Mant by W.D. Wetherall, the main boy can be body is showing interest in Shelia t misunderstood for being a stalker. For example when the boy is sneaking, and creeping through bushes to see Shelia. However, I think, the boy was just showing interested in his crush. According to the story, the boy was “enchanted” by Shelia. The word “enchanted” suggests that the boy was under a “spell”. A “spell” Shelia put upon the boy, which makes him attracted to Shelia. Also at the end of the story, he loses interest of Shelia. Instead, he obsesses over the fact that he let go of the bass, once in a lifetime opportunity, so that he can talk to Shelia, who he did not have chance of dating. Unlike like a “stalker” (Stalker: a person who harasses another person, as a former lover, a famous person, etc., in an aggressive, often threatening and illegal manner), he losses interest in Shelia, and moves on.

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  11. In Wetherell's short story, it is debatable what he is trying to portray. Some argue that the protagonist is a delinquent, obsessed with the goddess known as Sheila Mant. In Reality, it is actually about a young, naive boy in a coming of of age story, learning what's important in life. Though a general readthrough will leave you with a feeling that the first assumption is correct, analyzing the diction use will allow you to see the true deeper meaning. One of the most revealing use of word choice in the story that affirms the belief that he is naive rather than a nuisance is on the first page, when he describes Sheila playing softball and his approach to ask her out, describing himself, "As bashful and frightened as a unicorn." His allusion to this mythical and elusive creature shows how shy he was. He knew so much about Sheila, observing her moods and behaviors, but when it came to approaching her, he was still as giddy and nervous as a schoolgirl. He also says that he was not the only one after her, saying that, "(her suitors" These were many." He was not the only one, he was one of many trying to earn the love of his crush. His reflective mood that shows he was just an average boy shows most at the beginning and end, while the middle is is date when he seems slightly more corrupt. Though this might be the case, in context, the reader can see that he is just a lover, not a creeper.

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