The Natural: Final post

Right before the break on (my) page 213 — this is the final break before the end of the second to last chapter — the text reads: "Vogelman made a bony steeple with his arms. Gazing at the plate, he found his eyes were misty and he couldn't read the catcher's sign. He looked again and saw Roy, in full armor, mounted on a black charger. Vogelman stared hard, his arms held high so as not to balk. Yes, there he was coming at home with a long lance as thick as a young tree. He rubbed his arm across his eyes and keeled over in a dead faint."

This story is filled with people who see Roy for what he is and/or see him for what he wants to be. Which character sees him most clearly and which character is bamboozled by his talent? Go beyond the obvious.

The Natural 174-194

Some writing: In what way has Malamud perpetuated the heroic male stereotype? In what way has he changed it? How does he see gender as an aid or hinderance to dream fulfillment?

Temptation: 2 Samuel 11
Roy's response: Isaiah 5:20 — Woe unto him who calls evil good and good evil. Is this a sign of Roy's growth?

Pete Rose 

1. Video

2. Article

Baseball's Gambling Scandals

Black Sox Scandal (notice how Kinsella used this incident as positive inspiration whereas Malamud has seen the darker side. Thinking about the two novels and the two writers and how they portray baseball (and taking into account the near 30 year span between the book's publication dates), what are we to think of baseball's future in the American psyche and culture? What are we to think of male heroes and how they influence society?)

Derek Jeter and the Curse of Age

Discussion

1. How does the letter from Iris contrast with the scene with Judge and Memo? What are we to take from this sharp contrast?

2. In what way does the American definition of a hero conflict with that of what a hero really should be?

3. Compare and contrast Iris & Roy.

4. How does blind ambition conflict with having measured values?

5. How are Roy's and Memo's dreams similar? How are they different?

6. Dream on 179-180. Significance?

Nightly post

Think about how Americans would define a hero. Is it more important to our culture that heroes do amazing things and act in super-human ways or is it more important to uphold cultural values and morals? Can a hero do both? Does the American ideal of a hero set them up for failure?

Share your ideas. You can relate this to Roy or not. To a real life athletic figure or someone else.

The Natural: Day 5 (136-175)

Free write on Independent reading: Roy fails to see himself as anything other than a super hero. How does your player/manager/coach see himself? Does your person see himself as a tragic or traditional hero?

How do you see your person?

OR

"He was like a hunter stalking a bear, a whale, or maybe the sight of a single fleeting star the way he went after that ball. He gave it no rest (Wonderboy, after its long famine, chopping, chewing, devouring) and was not satisfied unless he lifted it (one eye cocked as he swung) over the roof and spinning toward the horizon," (154).  What is your person hunting? How is going about getting what he wants?

------------------------------------------

Chalk Talk with quotes from Iris chapter.

Roy's fear of death. How does Iris bring this fear to light and what does this reveal about Roy as a person? What is Malamud telling us about the role of death in a hero's life?

What's up with all that eating? Ick. And that scene with Memo feeding him another half sandwich ... How do Roy's obsessions lead to his downfall?

Notice how the intimate language Malamud uses in regards to Iris is filled with contradiction (149, 151, 172). In what way does this foreshadow Roy's coming decisions.

Read from mid-183 to the end of the chapter. (turns away from flaw -- denial -- and instead focuses on inability to overcome flaw). 

One of the most important chapters comes when Roy is presented with happiness and success with Iris. He's now has a way to restore the wasteland. What does the reader learn about Roy during his interactions with Iris? What are the other most important moments in Roy's character development as a hero/tragic hero?

Natural: Day 4 (103-135)

A little video

Free write:

Vengeance/revenge: noun — punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong

Justice: noun — the quality of being fair and reasonable; the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this.

Is Roy seeking justice or vengeance/revenge for what Harriet Bird did to him? Does the distinction matter? Does a hero seek out one over the other?

Discussion

1. 105-106: Uncertainty in Roy's language.

2. "You work at is so — sometimes you even look desperate — but to him it was a playful game and so was his life" (107). What is Memo's take on Roy as a baseball player? How does that compare with how she saw Bump? How would Memo define the word hero? Does this quote change the idea of Bump as a failed hero?

3. Where in the reading can we see signs of Memo's toxic nature? What does her toxicity tell us about Roy? About Roy's ability? 

4. Roy & Memo are like Gatsby & Daisy ... how? How about like Odysseus & the Sirens (you know you love Homer!)?

5. Read aloud: "He woke in the locker room, stretched out on a bench. ...All night long he waited for the bloody silver bullet" (126-8). In what ways does this passage demonstrate Roy's failure to understand his role in terms of healing the Fisher King? What does this passage tell us about Roy's truest desires?

6. What does the woman in the stands stand up for? What does she give Roy that Memo cannot?

Another homework post

Ambition ... it drives Roy to do some stupid things and it drives him to greatness. In your life, how have your ambitions gotten the better of you? How have your ambitions helped you succeed? Be specific but appropriate in your personal reference.

The Natural: Day 3 ish

Many moons ago:

4. The Fisher King, the wasteland

5. In what ways is Bump a failed hero?

6. What kind of person is Roy? How has he changed in 15 years and how has he stayed the same?

7. In what ways are Bump, the Whammer and Roy all variations of the same hero mold? What is Malamud telling us about heroes in society?

8. Roy waits for Memo & the chance to play. What do these to things have in common? What is Roy seeking from both?

More recent moons

p. 63: Roy's dream. In what way is a dream an effective format for revealing a character's flaws or desires? In what way is it ineffective? Is it necessary to Roy's character development?
p. 70: Roy's first at-bat! Let's read this together. Compare the language of this pitch to the language of the pitch Roy throws to the Whammer. Difference? What recurring images are included?
p. 72: What kills Bump?
p: 74-75: Canary story ... what has Roy reclaimed by slaying the canary?

Even more recent ones
p. 76-77: Memo's tears. What purpose does the hyperbole serve? How does this opening description of Memo inform us of her true nature?
*Why does Malamud give the Judge the power of the Bible? How might this land with a 1952 reader versus today?
*Seven deadly sins (Lust, greed, wrath, sloth, pride, envy, gluttony). Malamud has given different characters in the novel the ability to exploit Roy's different shortcomings and his desires. Which character coincides with each sin and how does that character exploit Roy's naivete? What does this tell us about Roy as a tragic and flawed hero?
*Thus far in the novel, who knows Roy the best? Who can see him most clearly?

Natural Night Post 3: Choices Abound

What is the role of Wonderboy? Think big, outside the box, beyond "a bat". Reference the text when needed.

OR

In what ways are the "villains" unable to see Roy clearly? And what might Malamud be suggesting in the blindness of the villains? Be specific and reference the text.

OR

What outside forces distract Roy's talent?

The Natural: Day 2

Discussion from prior reading
1. The third pitch: how do the three pitches compare? where do we see the language of myth in each pitch?
2. Let's look at the final paragraph in which Harriet shoots Roy. What are we to think of Harriet? Was this expected or unexpected?
3. Symbols present thus far?

Last night's reading
4. The Fisher King, the wasteland
5. In what ways is Bump a failed hero?
6. What kind of person is Roy? How has he changed in 15 years and how has he stayed the same?

7. In what ways are Bump, the Whammer and Roy all variations of the same hero mold? What is Malamud telling us about heroes in society?

8. Roy waits for Memo & the chance to play. What do these to things have in common? What is Roy seeking from both?

Who doesn't love pictures?

The big field trip!

See. This is why we read. So when you see a sign like this, you really know what it means.

Good looking people look even better in front of trophies!

Our compost angel branches out and embraces the green culture of the Giants. I'm so proud.

Did you know this is dustless dirt. No joke. And the grass. Well, it grows really fast. They mow it every day.

More good looking people. What a bunch!

And let's not forget our fearless leader Clyde. The man knows his stuff and boy can he talk. Apparently he knows basketball, too.

The Natural: post for night #2

Lots of connections to the Parcival myth in last night's reading. Some literary critics have said that Malamud put a realistic man in a mythological setting. Is that fair? Has Malamud set Roy up for failure? So far, has Roy changed in the 15 years since the shooting? Be specific in your responses, please.

The Natural: Day 1

Free write: Most titles give us an idea what the story is about, and what we will experience if we read. But some authors use titles to do more than that; some use metaphors so their titles create additional meanings.

In the world of sports, talent scouts, managers, coaches, writers and fans examine the talent of newcomers and wonder whether they will be successful. A player whose skills seem to need no training, or whose skills seem God-given, is called a natural.

In the Middle Ages (approx. 500A.D. to 1350 A.D.), the term natural referred to an idiot, a kind of foolish innocent person whom it was thought God protected.

How does Bernard Malamud use the title of the book to allude to Roy as a natural in both senses?

Discussion

1. NYTimes Book Review

2. Allegory

3. Parzival/Percival: What parallels are present?

4. p. 26: What are we to make of Harriet's questioning of Ray: "Isn't there something over and above earthly things—some more glorious meaning to one's life and activities?"

5. Where can we see myth-making in the first section?

6. Symbols present and what might they signify?

Sunday Field Trip!

Sunday April 21

Meet in the upper parking lot (near the pool and behind the new gym) and NOON! NOON! NOON!

We should be back between 3-4pm.

See you then.

Kinsella Interview ... finally

To listen to the interview try this link

Shoeless Joe finds shoes and the story ends

Free write: Where is Salinger headed? What's beyond the gate?

1. Page 251: Salinger's baseball sermon. What's the intention behind his? How does it compare/contrast to Eddie's?

2. What changes Richard in that moment with his father?

3. Looking back throughout the novel, what's the significance of Karin or Annie always seeing the players first?

Shoeless Joe: 131-233

Discussion Question


Define each persons/items role in Ray's journey and dream: Salinger, Moonlight Graham, Annie, Eddie Scissons, Karin, the field, Richard, Ray's father.

1. "Writing is different," Salinger insists. "Other people get into occupations by accident or deign; but writers are born. We have to write. I have to write. I could work at selling motels, or slopping hogs, for fifty years, but if someone asked my occupation, I'd say writer, even if I'd never sold a word. Writers write. Other people talk." (109)

How does Salinger's idea relate to Ray? How does it relate to the idea of faith?

2. Why does Ray constantly press Salinger about writing?

3. Ray pulls out a fan letter to Salinger (p. 134), but Salinger is unmoved by the note. Why do you think Salinger is so reluctant to be loved and adored? Why include this type of character in the novel? What purpose of Salinger's reluctance serve in Ray's journey?

4. On p. 147 Graham talks about the importance of place and the connection he has to Chisholm. In what way has Ray's sense of place influenced his journey and dream?

5. Bottom of 167: what is Kinsella telling us about America's relationship with baseball?

6. “I know that some of us, and for some reason I am one of them, get to reach out and touch our heart’s desire, like a child who gets to pet the nose of an old horse, soft as satin, safe as a grandfather’s lap. And I know, too, that when most people reach out for that heart’s desire, it appears not as a horse but as a tiger, and they are rewarded with snarls, frustration, and disillusionment” (218).

Personally: What does this passage make you think of? Textually: How does this relate to the major action of the novel?

7. “A collector’s dream” (217). In what way is Ray a collector? What does he collect?

8. “Fact and fantasy swirl together” (218). What role does self-delusion have in dream fulfillment? Is Ray delusional? Salinger? Are we all, just a little? How does delusion relate to our ability to believe and have faith?

9. “We sleep.” …“And wait.” … “And dream … Oh, how we dream” (221). Dream of what?

10. Look at Eddie’s baseball sermon on p. 227 and beyond:

What’s a sermon?

What are the gospels?

What did baseball offer Eddie?

What does the Field offer Eddie?

What’s the significance of using “the word” in his speech? What effect does the repetition have? What does the repetition allude to?

What does Eddie offer Ray?

Besides the love of the game, what’s the connection between the two men?

Shoeless Joe: 105-131

A great piece for your reading pleasure!

Who is this Moonlight Graham? Moonlight Graham Remembered.

And what about Veda Ponikvar? Fun read from AMC.

Free write: Salinger is Ray Kinsella's life-long heroic author who offers Ray not only a chance to meet his hero but also something to make his dreams come true. Think about a hero in your life -- a sports star, an author, an actor, but someone not related to you. Think about someone who can offer you a piece of your dream or some wish you have. Now, tell me who you're going to pick up, why you're picking up this person and where you're going.

Each student is assigned another student's pairing. You then must write a scene between the two characters.

Extra credit: what faculty member's wife has family in the Iron Range? Chisholm to be exact.

Shoeless: 78-101

Big group discussion Rules

1. Everyone must speak

2. Use the text to support your ideas

3. Build off of one another; keep moving forward

4. Think before you speak

5. Plan: take 5-7 minutes to formulate your ideas and then we'll begin

"'It wasn't just the baseball game. I wanted it to be a metaphor for something else: perhaps trust, or freedom, or ritual, or faithfulness, or joy, or any of the other things that baseball can symbolize. I only want to make you happy ...'" I feel myself choking up as I say it.

'You don't know how those words affected me,' I go on. 'It was the line 'They tore down the Polo Grounds in 1964' that got me. Those words flew off the printed page, hovered in the air, assumed the shape of a gray bird, and landed on my shoulder. I reached up and picked off the bird and held it in my hand, tiny and pulsing, pressed it hard against my chest, and it disappeared like mist. If I were to open my shirt, and you looked closely, you could see its faint silver outline on my skin'" (97).

Ray is easily intoxicated by magic, faith, and his religion, but not all humans are. Why do humans daily deny the presence of what Ray finds so fulfilling? In what ways has Ray's religion and faith persuaded Salinger to head to Minnesota with Ray and how does that inform us about Salinger's true character? What role does the language of myth play at this point in time in the novel?

Other questions for discussion

1. Compare and contrast Mark & Ray. Use the text and W.P. Kinsella's similes to support your ideas.

2. What are Ray's specific vulnerabilities?

3. How has Ray changed since the opening of the novel? How has he remained stagnant as a character?

4. Some critics say Ray gives a sermon on pp. 84 -85. Firstly, what is he preaching? Remember that a sermon is a speech by a prophet or member of the clergy. Secondly, how does Ray fit into that definition?

5. How does nostalgia present itself in last night's reading?

Shoeless Joe: 53-77

Free write options:

1. "I [Ray] practically dance to our table, I am feeling so manic, I have done it," (77).

Manic (adjective): showing wild and apparently deranged excitement and energy (Mac Dictionary).

Magic (noun): the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces (Mac Dictionary).

Using the text as evidence, in what ways is Ray both manic and magic? And in what way do Ray's actions blur the line between the two (in other words, how might a reader of or character in the novel see his manic behavior as magic or the magic of the field as manic behavior)?

2. In what way does Kinsella's use of imagery intensify the magic and myth of the novel thus far? Use the text as evidence to support your ideas.

3. In what way does Kinsella's use of specific baseball names and references impact the reader? Use the text as evidence to support your ideas.

Discussion:

1. What future conflicts has W.P. Kinsella set up? At what level do these conflicts exist (man vs society, man vs self, man vs nature, man vs supernatural)?

Shoeless Joe: 23-53

Cleveland

Cleveland 

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh at night, post-game

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium at night

1981 Yankee Stadium

Some bat info: see 1.10
Bat Technology from Louisville Slugger

MLB Groundskeepers DOn't Mind Getting Dirty

J.D. Salinger Obit


Sentimental: excessive, self-indulgent
Nostalgic: longing for
How can we see these two feelings thus far in the novel? What is the nuanced difference as expressed through Ray?

Free write: In Shoeless Joe, a voice tells Ray, "ease his pain," and he knows immediately that it is J.D. Salinger whose pain needs to be eased. So, Ray begins preparing (see pages 33-34). Think about  an immense challenge you have had to prepare yourself for (a test, a game, a performance). What rituals did you partake in to ensure you were successful?

Discussion

How do our own rituals inform our reading of this text?

A look at similes: Thinking back on your immense challenge and your rituals, write 7 similes characterizing your experience.

Shoeless Joe: 3-19

Let's begin with a little backstory: 1919 Word Series

Free write: Look at the quote that prefaces the book. Why do you think W.P. Kinsella began the book with this idea?

"Some men see thing as they are, and say why, I dream of things that never were, and say why not."

A bit more insight into the novel.

Discussion questions:

1. How is Ray's epiphany on p.16 related to the magic on the field?

2. Where in the chapter can we find magic (not literally the word)? Why is it important to weave that in from the start? What is W.P. Kinsella trying to show us? What is he asking of us?

3. In what ways do Karin & Annie differ? Why is their difference essential to Ray's success/failure?

4. How does Annie's faith in Ray mirror his faith in baseball? And why has W.P. Kinsella created such similar faiths? What commentary might he be making on faith in general?

5. Let's look at some verbs .... find a few that just pop from the page. And, pay close attention to the verbs and similies/metaphors as we move forward.

Hitters with Blue Eyes are Wary of the Glare

"Last Pennant" & "Thrill of the Grass"

A's Coliseum. Fireworks night from the outfield!

1. In what way is baseball linked to religion in both stories? (Remember, religion is about ritual, belief) And why do you think Kinsella has made this connection?

AAGPBL Photos

Tell me about your team

Here are the details for the baseball card set. And here is the rubric.

Please post the following information by our class on Tuesday:

Who’s in your deck? You can choose people from 1880-1949. Your deck must be interracial and include men and women. You must have one player for every position (P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF), a manager and an owner. Lastly, you’ll have to pick a home field.

We Are the Ship: Second Half

Just down the road from Greenlee field.

To honor Gibson's life, a little league field was built in the same neighborhood as Greenlee Field was in. (Extra but non-baseball info: August Wilson was born just down the street from here!)

Gibson's grave. See the tiny sign to the left of the tree.

Up-close of Gibson's grave. Not very fancy.

For comparison purposes, here is Babe Ruth's grave. Small difference ... (photo not mine)

Photo of Jackie Robinson in the KC Royals Hall of Fame/Museum.

Satchel Page pitching for the Monarchs. KC Hall of Fame/Museum.



Photos from Roberto Clemente Museum. What do you see in this photo? Clemente made his MLB debut in 1955 and played out his career for the Pirates. He was the first Latin American inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, a year after he died.



More of Roberto Clemente



Clemente's San Juan jersey from his team in Puerto Rico.

Another one of Clemente's jerseys.

Clemente and his family at Family Day.

Clemente's Golden Glove; he won 12! He was only in the MLB for 18 seasons. Not bad. 

Clemente's Silver Bat from 1961. He won this four times in his career.

Brain time

So many of the negro leaguers had nicknames. There was Cool Papa Bell, Leroy "Satchel" Paige, Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, George "Mule" Suttles, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe and more. Now is the time for you to think of your nickname. If you are/were a baseball/softball player, what would your nickname be? If you'd like to think of a nickname in other realms if sports do not apply to you, awesome. But, you have to come up with a nickname and a reasoning behind it.

Here's mine:

Mary "Sneezy" Hueston. When I played in the summer league in my hometown I was bumped up one division because they needed a stronger catcher. I had worked with my brother at honing my crouched throw to second, and the hard work hard paid off. I was ready to play in the older league as a catcher, but I wasn't mentally ready to face stronger pitchers. So, every time I approached the plate, I would pretend to have a sneezing fit. I would kick up the dirt with my cleats, dig my feet into the batter's box, stare down the pitcher, and then start to sneeze. My mom thinks this was some sort of involuntary nervous reaction, my way to delay the inevitable (the pitch), but most of the time I wasn't conscience of actually doing this. It's just what I did. So my coach started to call me Sneezy. Which when shouted sometimes sounded like he was calling me sleazy. Always got a laugh from the parents.

Discussion ideas

1. How would you describe the tone of this book? Ground your answer specifically to the text.

2. Did a certain negro league player stand out to you? Why?

Some bonus reading about baseball issues in Puerto Rico today.

We Are The Ship: First Half

Evolution of gloves in MLB.

Now a housing development, the old field is only marked by this sign.

Good museum but the majority of the items are reproductions. You're also not allowed to take any photos inside. Not nice!

What team is this building associated with?

Let's get our brains working

1. How did the illustrations enhance the story? Which one was your favorite and why?

2. Inning 4 ends with a quote from Satchel Paige: "We were worked. Worked like the mule that plows the field during the week and pulls the carriage to church on Sunday." What are your thoughts on this line? If the players were the mules, who were the farmers? If the players were tearing up the land(scape) of baseball, do you think they were doing it for future generations?

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Discussion
3. What's the effect of repeating the phrase: "We played in a rough league"?
4. What is the most striking example of the player's struggle presented thus far?
5.What is the significance of the title?

Swenson, William, Humphries

What about baseball is each poet trying to capture? Be sure to use the text to support your ideas.

Let's try our hand at our own poems.

Ritter & Spalding

Wahoo Sam's plaque in the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame.

Entrance to current Detroit ballpark: Comerica Park. This new park replaced Tiger Stadium in 2000. Tiger Stadium was then demolished, but a crew of fans and local residents maintain the field to this day. How cool! And remember this when we read Thrill of the Grass.

Dave, an usher at Comerica. One of my favorite shots from the game.

The outfield. Not where Crawford and Cobb played, but it's still a good looking field.

Honus Wagner's grave just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. (Commercial)

Discussion questions:

1. What did you learn? New facts, figures, insights?

2. In what ways do these two pieces capture the patriotism and nostalgia often associated with baseball?

Watch
Inning 1: Chpts 2-11