Ms. Brill = Dr. Seuss Movie

Plot:
The story begins when Ms. Brill takes out her fur and starts to talk to it. Right away the audience gets the sense that she has issues. If I were to make this into a film, I would have Ms. Brill start out in other locations. I have decided that Ms. Brill doesn't seem like a English teacher. Teachers are outspoken and Ms. Brill doesn't seem like the person to get in front of a group of people and lecture. I think she would best fit as a librarian. This would fit her because it would allow her to vicariously live through books, just like she does with the people in the park. I would have scenes with Ms. Brill in the library, in the park, and interactions with people in her life. I would make her seem invisible to other people around her. This would emphasize her loneliness. When I first read the scenes of Ms. Brill in the park, I pictured it as a Dr. Seuss movie. With the band, the people, and the picnics going on I pictured the cat and the hat. I would make this a Dr. Seuss animation and I would have all of this hustle and bustle going on while Ms. Brill sat there and watched it all. This would show how she thought she was a part of the play but really she is just the audience. Finally, I would change the ending of the story. Ms. Brill would realize, after several times of going to the park, that she was just the audience. She would then make an effort to make friends with the people at the park and become part of their everyday scene. I would end on this happy note (:

Setting:

Like I said before, this would have the animations of a Dr. Seuss movie. The only places I would take Ms. Brill in this movie is the library, the park, and home. She would spend the majority of her time at the park, however. This is the most important scene because it truly shows her loneliness. She is naive enough to think that she is part of this big scene so I would really drive that point home. Making this a Dr. Seuss movie will be easy to show that because the characters are wild and are known to do crazy things (thing 1 and thing 2--->they would be in the park). Also, I would have this movie in America. I would want Americans to relate to it because it is Dr. Seuss so I wouldn't want Ms. Brill to be from France like she is in the short story. The setting of this story will not change very often, but when it does, it proves a point.

Point of View:

The point of view of this movie will change. I will have the majority of it being seen from Ms. Brill's eyes. I think this is important because the audience will know what she is thinking and truly how sad and lonely of a person she is. Also, I would also like to have parts in the movie where you get a scene of other people talking about Ms. Brill without her knowing. It would be neat to show the audience what the people in the park think about her. This would help explain the innocence of Ms. Brill. The people will discuss her child-like character (smiling in the park and talking to her furs) and talk about how they've never seen her with friends. Of course, they would not take the initiative to go and talk to her. (that doesn't happen till the very end) Because this is a Dr. Seuss movie, I simply MUST have a narrator who starts out the movie in his deep rhyming voice. He will explain where Ms. Brill is and her naive attitude of life.

Characterization:

All of my characters would be animated. Although, I would have Betty White play the voice of Miss Brill. I would have Jim Carey play the voice of the fur. (that would be hilarious) and I would have the who's from "The Grinch" play the band. This story would be more of a children's story but it would also be a comedy. It will appeal to many groups of people. I would have each of the characters, especially Ms. Brill, introduced indirectly (except for the narraration ). I will have them described to the audience by the interactions they have with other people. This way, the audience can create their own opinion of the characters. Also, I will have the fur and the people in the park play a bigger role than they did in the short story. I don't want Miss Brill to be the only main character. It will be more entertaining to not only focus on the old lady. (especially in a children's story)

Theme:

I would change the theme of the story in the movie. In the story, it is about a lady who thinks she is part of the play but really she is just the audience. It is also about her not realizing her loneliness. This theme is too depressing for me. I would have it be about a lady who is insecure and is unsure of how to become part of society. It will be about how people get up the courage to make friends. This way, it will teach kids the lesson and importance of being outspoken and the difference it can make in their lives if they try to make friends. It is cheesy, I know. But, it will be an adorable children's movie, right?

The movie "Field of Dreams"

Plot:
The movie starts out with the main character, Ray Kinsella, tending his corn field. This is in the middle of the short story. Ray hears the voices("if you build it, he will come") in the introduction of the movie. The rising action consists of Ray trying to figure out what the voices are talking about. He eventually figures out that he must build a baseball field so that he can meet his idol, Shoeless Joe Jackson. This is similar to the short story. The climactic events of both versions are also similar. The field is built and Shoeless Joe appears out in the field, followed by his former teammates. In the movie, this encourages Ray to follow more of his dreams. He receives more messages from the field. ("ease his pain") This direction leads Ray to a former Pulitzer prize winner who now wants to be left alone to write children stories, Terrence Mann. "I'm going to beat you with this crowbar if you do not go away". Terrence main is obviously not accepting at first of Ray's help. These obstacles that occur after the field is built are the details that differ the most from the short story. The add depth and help the audience understand the meaning, of the theme as a whole. If you chase your dream, you can make anything happen.

Point of View:
The story comes from the view of Ray Kinsella. He is a middle aged man with a farm, a wife, and a daughter. Ray is afraid of becoming just like his father was; ordinary and dreamless. This fear is what drives him to make his dreams happen. His financial struggles with his farm try to hold him back from making the field. Ray's drive to be different and make something of his life cause him to use all of his savings to make his field. "It's okay, honey. I... I was just talking to the cornfield." (Ray Kinsella) Ray is a family man but he understands the importance of working hard for his dreams. The audience sympathizes with Ray because of this point of view. His financial struggles and humbleness cause the audience to be on his side.

Characterization:
Unlike the short story, we are given very direct characterization of the character of Ray Kinsella. He outright states how he was raised, his likes, and dislikes. His wife Annie, and his daughter Karin, are also characterized directly. They are major roles in this movie. The character of his wife differed greatly in the movie. In the short story, she was a very supportive wife and always pushed Ray to do whatever made him happy. She was sort of unrealistic and only thought of his happiness. In the movie, she is a realistic mother and realizes the sacrifices the family will have to make if this field is built. This causes some conflict between them. In the end, she supports his dreams and realizes the importance of his happiness.

Setting:
Ray Kinsella is an Iowan farmer who dreams to build a field for Joe Jackson. Joe Jackson is a member of the Chicago White Sox who threw the 1919 World Series and was suspended for life. The setting of the short story is the same as the first half of the movie. The second half of the movie is spent with Terrence Mann, trying to help him find himself again. " Well, I've got news for you. I spent all my misery years ago. I have no more pain for anything. I gave at the office." (Terrence Mann) The adjustment of the setting shows the lengths that Ray Kinsella went to to fill out his dreams. Helping out Terrence Mann puts adds to the financial turmoil that his family is experiencing. Still, he goes out of his way and commits to the hard work that he knows is necessary for his dream to come true.

Theme:
The stories of the movie and short story do not differ in theme. The theme remains that if you go searching for your dreams, they will come true. Ray Kinsella just happened to have his dream come to him after he built the baseball field. He was given messages from his cornfield. Ray didn't sleep until he figured out what he was being asked to do. He sacrificed profit from his farm, his savings account, and time with his family to build the baseball field and ease Terrence Mann's pain. In the end, his dreams came true just as he hoped they would. Ray searched for the missing pieces in his life to figure out what kind of man he knew he was being called to be. Just like in the short story, he finds that he has built a heaven on earth for himself just by going after his dreams.

You're Ugly, Too

I really liked this story because I thought Zoe was hilarious. I liked how she didn't care what other people thought about her. Sometimes, I thought she blew things out of proportion. Like the growth in stomach and how she thought she was dying. I could see how some people wouldn't like her dry sense of humor but that's my kind of humor. Also, I enjoyed the point of view in this story. The third person, omniscient view of Zoe was easy to read because it gave the reader an understanding of how the other characters feel and act, along with Zoe's emotions. Zoe and her sister are foils to each other. They were similar in that they both went to college. Evan seems more normal because she got a job after school and is about to get married. And Zoe is just, well, weird.

Popular Mechanics

My group spent a lot of time discussing the possible meanings for the title of this story. We came to an agreement. Popular, meaning of the people, describes the people as a whole. Also, mechanics, meaning the uniformity and machine like, describes the unfeeling actions of humans. We see this title meaning this because of the way the parents behave in their argument. All they care about is themselves. There also was a lot of controversy on whether or not the baby was injured. I think that the baby died. The parents knew they were hurting the baby and they didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. I think that it is safe to say that the baby was at least very injured.

The Drunkard

I thought the title was humorous. I was expecting a sad story about an alcoholic father and how the family overcomes the burden and blah blah blah. Instead, I got a story about a son who is drunk out of his mind. I thought this story was genuinely hilarious. My favorite part was when the father is trying to rush his son home and all the wives that are watching from their homes automatically assume that the child is drunk. That would not be my first assumption. I find it ironic how the son is sent with his dad to be a "brake" of his drinking. Instead, the son gets drunk and the dad has to take care of him. The father's perception of the funeral is also ironic. He looks at it like it's a party. He thinks it is extravagant and interesting, which is not usually the reaction of most people at funerals.

The Lottery

The first thing that struck me as weird was the little boys collecting stones at the beginning of the story. I didn't notice until after I read the story that this was foreshadowing. "they smiled more than they laughed", yes phrase is also eerie because it shows how the men of the town are all preoccupied with other things on their mind. They are worried about something. Old Man Warner encouraged them to go through with the lottery. Nobody outright rejected it. They all just went through the motions, almost like robots. It stuck out to me towards the end when Mrs. Hutchinson was chosen, her family was not upset. In fact, her son was given some rocks to assist the others in murdering his mom. Also, when she was chosen, she exclaimed how unfair it was because her daughters were not involved in the draw. It was disturbing how unfeeling the people are in this story.