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Today's Schedule (Half Day for students)
**Reminder: Thursday is Field Day.
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Agenda:
We started the day reviewing some of the major features of 'My Greatest Ambition' by Morris Lurie. We worked through the question, how did Lurie portray Nu's moments of disillusionment by first identifying the illusion he was under before going to meet the people from the magazine and then identifying moments in the text where it was evident that the he was no longer being acknowledged as a candidate for a full-time comic artist.
Homework:
1. Weblog 2 for 9/20: Based on our discussion today, articulate yourself in P-Q-C format how Lurie portrays Nu's sense of disillusionment.
2. Weblog 3 for 9/22: see image.
3. Complete the characterization worksheet. Include evidence from the text and underline words/phrases within the text that specifically supplements your claim. The link is not editable so print it out and hand write your responses.
Homework for 9/20 - Web log on the portrayal of Nu's dissapointment.
ReplyDeleteMorris Lurie destroys Nu's illusion of working at "Boy Magazine" through conversation between the editor, Mr. Randell, and his assistant, Jim. After confirming the amount of money to give to Nu, Randell points out a few spelling mistakes to him as seen in the line: "You've spelt it as 'Jungel' which is not, ah, common usage." The way that "ah" is used mid sentence draws attention to the apprehensiveness of Mr. Randell, indicating the care he needs to take with Nu as he is a child. The way that Nu has misspelled "Jungel" in a submitted work, and has still been paid, shows the extent to which "Boy Magazine" will go to keep Nu happy. The façade created by the two adults is constantly punctured by their hesitations, which, after further conversation causes Nu to hang up his belief of getting a job at "Boy Magazine." After being shown two comics by Mr. Randell and Jim, Nu is show around the presses and given an "ice cream which Jim had sent out a boy to buy"; "Would you like to see… How A Great Newspaper Is Produced." The capitalisation of "How A Great Newspaper Is Produced" indicates that it is a title and, as this particular part is repeated by Nu in such a way, it illustrates how the tour of the presses is a ready scripted one which one would give to a child or ignorant adult. When Nu accepts this tour, he is accepting the label of an ignorant child. The "ice cream" symbolises how a child is treated as this would generally make them happy or cheer them up after a bad day. This "ice cream" coupled with an unwanted tour of the factory solidifies the idea that Nu is still a child, and is being treaded as such, in the reader's mind.
Alex~ great construction. Not only are your quotes well chosen and brief, your explanation is specific and thorough. Well done!
DeleteHow does Lurie portray Nu’s sense of disillusionment?
ReplyDeleteThe first hint of Nu’s sense of disillusionment comes in when he arrives at the Boy Magazine offices. The building turned out to be “not at all imposing or impressive”, and there were “no neon, no massive areas of plate glass, no exotic plants”. Nu was even more disappointed when he stepped into the interior of the offices because what he saw was so “ordinary”. The tone of his description of the offices portrays his disappointment as well as the first signs of his dream crashing.
The next clue in suggesting that Nu was dissatisfied was during the tour of the factory. Jim (one of the four men in suits) had sent out a boy to buy Nu an ice cream. Through this small but significant action, it is implied that even though Nu was at a supposedly “serious business appointment”, he was treated like an immature child. The “boy” who had gotten the ice cream symbolizes that Nu was unimportant in the eyes of the men, and the “ice cream” symbolizes that the men think of Nu as an infantile boy that needed treats.
The final clue that points towards Nu’s sense of disillusionment was when Boy Magazine returned his second comic strip. As mentioned in the text, Nu wrote a letter and mailed his work to the office but after a month of waiting, the “postman dumped” his “new comic into the letterbox and flew on his merry way down the street”. This final action proved that Nu’s dream as becoming a comic strip artist was officially over. Furthermore, in the last paragraph, Nu thought of being a comic strip artist was “risky and unsure”, which was exactly what his father had said at the beginning of the story. The comment that Nu made demonstrates that he had become a “dreamer” himself, even though he loathed it.
Lillian, Good start. You have followed Nu's progress chronologically, which makes good sense since it follows a mounting progression towards disillusionment. Remember your word-specific comments after your quotes so that you are narrowing down on the argument to just semantics before you expand it toward your concluding comment.
DeleteIn the short story, My Greatest Ambition, Morris Lurie portrays Nu’s sense of disillusionment through symbolism, repetition, and specific word choice. First, when Nu is first called in by the people at ‘Boy Magazine’ he decides what to wear. His decision eventuates with him going to the interview in his “Good Suit”. However, he points out that his trousers were “a year old and too short in the leg”. This shortage may symbolize that he will “’grow out of his dream’”, just as stated in the end of the story. Therefore this can hint at the idea of Nu’s failure. Next is when Nu is anticipating and illustrating the different extravagant features of the building. As he enters the building there were “no neon, no massive areas of plate glass, no exotic plants growing in white gravel.” Instead, Nu underscores the ordinary scenario in which he is very disappointed at. This disillusionment is a conspicuous sign of his inevitable failure. Subsequently, the workmen point out Nu’s spelling flaws during the interview. “Not, ah, big mistakes, but, here, see?” The specific word choice of “ah” shows that the interviewer has doubts in Nu and his technical skills to successfully spell in future comics. In addition, this fortifies to the idea of Nu’s immaturity. The final scene in which disillusion is illustrated is when Nu is given a tour of the factory. As Nu was given the tour, he was “eating an ice cream which Jim (one of the four workmen) had sent a boy out to buy for me.” This quote is significant due to the hint of irony in the statement itself. Nu, a little boy, is preparing to face a serious business job, however, a small boy, like himself, is sent out to get icecream. In addition, the ice cream manifests the immaturity of Nu, implying once again that Nu is not able to accept the responsibilities of the job. These sparse implications generate a motley of different disillusions of Nu’s imminent failure and this is done through, repetition, symbolism, and specific word choice.
ReplyDeleteBased on our discussion today, articulate yourself in P-Q-C format how Lurie portrays Nu's sense of disillusionment.
ReplyDeleteIn "My Greatest Ambition," by Lurie, Nu's sense of disillusionment is portrayed through his appointment at Boy Magazine. Shortly after arriving at Boy Magazine, Nu is disappointed by the appearance of the area. “Looked like a factory,” insinuates disappointment, as factory symbolizes industry, far from his glamorous visions of Boy Magazine before his appointment. Describing everything as ‘ordinary,’ Lurie suggests that he was disappointed by his visit. In the quote, “… pushed open an ordinary door and stepped into and ordinary foyer…” the repetition of “ordinary” emphasizes the plainness of the appointment, showing that his dreams are not magical, but part of a boring everyday process.
After arriving at Boy Magazine headquarters, Nu attends an appointment with the staff of Boy Magazine, where his illusion of a job at the magazine is further damaged. Upon entering the meeting, Nu is treated like a child as opposed to a business prospect. “You’re a young man to be drawing comics,” conveys a lack of equality between the men and Nu. “Young man” is an almost condescending term, indicating that the businessmen consider themselves superior to Nu. Additionally, Mr. Randell belittles Nu’s work. “Not, ah, big mistakes, but … you’ve spelt it as jungel,” suggests that Mr. Randell does not care much about Nu and does not think much of him. “Ah” represents a lack of care put into his words while “not … big mistakes,” reflects Mr. Randell’s opinion of Nu, that he is a child who needs to be consolidated when he fails.
The final nail in the coffin for Nu’s illusion of getting a job comes when he is taken on a tour of the factory. Nu is still regarded as unimportant and of low priority. “Eating an ice cream which Jim had sent a boy out to buy,” insinuates that Nu is of little importance, as the job of getting him an ice cream was given to a boy. Additionally, Nu is almost consolidated for his failure with an ice cream, further representing his child like status. Finally, Nu’s dreams are crushed for good. “Like all things it came to an end,” symbolises the end of Nu’s dreams, as his time at Boy Magazine came to an end.
Hugh!~ Good start. Clearly you are observant of the text and are getting the big picture understanding of answering with a relevant and thoughtful response. Going forward, please concentrate your efforts in expanding on your comments so they are thorough and take the argument out of the language alone, making sure your comments about word-choice are inarguable and finally putting your ideas in the best order possible. Your strengths are evident. These cosmetic improvements to your writing will, however, benefit your greatly.
DeleteIn the short story, "My Greatest Ambition" by Morris Lurie, Nu's sense of disillusionment is first unveiled just as he enters the office for 'Boy Magazine'. Lurie emphasizes this through the repetition of the word 'ordinary' while describing Nu's first impression of the office. This is the moment when Nu's expectations are not met of having 'neon signs' or 'exotic plants'. Upon realizing the bland nature of the office, he is greatly disappointed. Lurie weaves this into the storyline to remind us of the young age of Nu through his wild expectations that are so far away from reality.
ReplyDeleteAnother quote, that represents his continued disillusionment was "some of the,ah,spelling..." said by Mr. Randell to Nu. Hesitancy is shown by the use of the phrase 'ah', suggesting that Mr. Randell does not feel it fit to treat Nu like an adult and wishes to protect his feelings, like one would do to a young child. This quote once again emphasizes that Mr. Randell does not give importance or respect to Nu but rather thinks of Nu as a young child who is not be taken seriously.
Finally, there is significance with the use of 'Boy' as the name of the magazine. Throughout the short story, Lurie repeats the word 'thirteen' to inform the readers of Nu's age and his pride towards it. Thirteen, traditionally is the establishment of the teen years and maturity but Nu's rejection by 'Boy Magazine' suggested that at that point in time, he was not even as mature as a young boy being rejected by the magazine. It is also a sign that maturity had refused to come to him until that point which is clearly portrayed by his childlike behavior in the story such as his dream of becoming a comic-strip artist, his fluctuating mind and thoughts and focusing his dreams on an object such as the 'Good Suit'. Nu's disillusionment was the story of him maturing and being introduced to the harsh reality of the world.
Andy Cho
ReplyDeleteBased on our discussion today, articulate yourself in P-Q-C format how Lurie portrays Nu's sense of disillusionment.
In 'The Greatest Ambition' by Morris Lurie, Nu's sense of disillusionment is portrayed ever since he steps into the offices of Boy Magazine. As soon as Nu enters, we could see that he cannot hide his disappointment of how the office was ‘not at all imposing or impressive as he had imagined it to be’. This meant his illusion of a somewhat grand office with ‘neon, massive areas of plate grass and exotic plants’ began to shatter, signifying the beginning of disillusionment. Furthermore, repetition of ‘ordinary’ is present in the text when describing the surroundings, once again carving away Nu’s expectations and leading him closer to the bitter reality.
As the scene in the office progresses, the people there constantly treat Nu like a thirteen year old instead of a business partner. For example, when Randell points out the spelling mistake in Nu’s comic, you could notice him being very careful towards Nu, asking permission if the company could correct his mistakes; “If you approve, that is”. That phrase builds the impression that Randell was talking to a boy who may be quite sensitive at his age, thus trying not to upset him and be polite. We know that Nu doesn’t really like Randell talking to him in such way, as he consistently answers in a grown up fashion, “You’re absolutely right”, “Six two-and-a-halfs are fifteen. Exactly”, trying to express that he is serious about his comic business. One may interpret this as Nu trying to stay within his illusion where he is not looked down as a mere boy. However, his attempts seem pointless as the office workers continuously push the reality towards him by over-polite actions, such as getting a boy to “buy ice-cream” for him, something that they would most likely not do to adults who visit their office. “Ice-cream” also symbolizes childishness, supporting my point that people weren’t seeing Nu as their business partner. This crushes Nu’s illusion, leading his dreams to vanish.
When the meeting in the office is over, Lurie starts the paragraph with “But like all things come to an end”, notifying that the last fragment of Nu’s illusion had been mercilessly destroyed. Elements of regret are found throughout the text, the most obvious one being the repetition of “When I was thirteen”. It is implied as Lurie had something regretful he could never forget at that age, thus mentioning repetitively.
How does Lurie portray Nu's sense of disillusionment?
ReplyDeleteIn the short story, “My Greatest Ambition” by Morris Lurie, Nu’s sense of disillusionment is portrayed when Jim, takes him to see the factory and gives him an ice cream, just like someone would do with a little kid. The sentence, “Eating an ice cream which Jim had sent a boy out to buy for me.” insinuates that Nu is being treated like a child and that he is being shown around as a treat, an extra that was not supposed to be included, like a consolation prize. Jim also tells Nu exactly what to do, “I climbed up where Jim told me to climb up. I looked where he pointed. I nodded when he explained some involved and highly secret process to me.” this adds to the claim that Nu is being treated like he is a little kid and that he is unimportant to the Magazine. Nu’s disillusion is also portrayed when he first arrives at the offices of Boy Magazine, he is disappointed when he sees that everything is ordinary, instead of being extraordinary like he imagines it would be, “I pushed an ordinary door and stepped into an ordinary foyer and told an ordinary lady sitting at an ordinary desk who I was.”. The repetition of the word “ordinary” makes it stand out more than usual and makes it easier for the reader to notice what is happening. Also, the repetition of the word “and” shows the fact that Nu’s mind was, in fact, of a little kid’s. Nu’s dreams were being shattered, what he had in mind was an imposing and impressive building with neon, massive areas of plate glass and exotic plants growing in white gravel. Nu had imagined how this appointment would go, and this was not how, he imagined a job offering in addition to money, but that was all he got.
Based on our discussion today, articulate yourself in P-Q-C format how Lurie portrays Nu's sense of disillusionment.
ReplyDeleteThe Disillusionment of a Dream
In the memoir, “My Greatest Ambition”, Morris Lurie describes his experience as a thirteen year old boy seeking to fulfill his goal of becoming a comic-strip artist. When Lurie emerges in his ‘Good Suit’ to go to an interview with publishers, his father addresses him with, “My prince.” This provides Lurie with the illusion that he will be successful in getting his comic published and receive a life of notoriety and riches as a prince would. However, when he arrives at his interview this illusion fades to disillusion as many of the experience’s components do not reach his expectations.
Lurie first notes the commonness of the building when he arrives by repeatedly using the word “ordinary”. There are no ‘neon signs’ or ‘massive areas of plate glass’ or ‘exotic plants’ as he had imagined. The ordinariness of this first impression disappoints Lurie and falls short of his original hopes, thus foreshadowing that his interview will be nothing more than mundane.
The disenchantment of Lurie’s opportunity is deepened further when Mr. Randell points out that there are “not ah, big mistakes” with the spelling in Lurie’s comic-strip. The hesitation of this statement shows that the publishers are treating Lurie as they would a child, not a business partner. Had they been talking to an adult they would directly inform him of his mistakes. However, they coddle Lurie’s feelings as a mother would for her child. Also, the pointing out of mistakes in the comic contradicts Lurie’s original feelings that this opportunity would be near perfect.
A final blow of disappointment falls upon Lurie when he finds himself in the midst of publishing machines he knows hardly anything about with “an ice cream which Jim had sent out a boy to buy”. This ice cream he holds is a symbol of childhood and immaturity. Even as the publishers allow him to see the factory, they still treat him as the thirteen year old boy he is and not as a professional equal.
Looking back, Lurie draws the final conclusion that as the illusion of the grandness of his opportunity faded away, he realized that, “like everyone else, he had become a dreamer”.
http://annoisverybeautiful.blogspot.kr/2012/09/web-blog-post-1-200912.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3643134841315079959#editor/target=post;postID=6793634759873714319
ReplyDeleteBased on our discussion today, articulate yourself in P-Q-C format how Lurie portrays Nu's sense of disillusionment
ReplyDeleteIn the short story “My Greatest Ambition” by Morris Lurie, Nu’s sense of disillusionment begins as soon as he enters the office of Boy Magazine. He had created images in his mind of how he thought the offices would look like yet when he enters the office, all his dreams seem to crumble away. Not only do the things he see not satisfy his expectation, they almost disappoint him as they are ordinary and nothing grand. Later, his disappointment grows when he is given a tour of the building. He comes to a realization that his dreams and hopes had acted as a veil between fantasy and reality. Lurie does an excellent job at portraying Nu’s fantasy like dreams in the near the beginning of the book and then breaks them apart later in the story using realization of reality.
The first scene where Nu sees and then enters the office signals the start of his sense of disillusionment. He thinks to himself that the offices “were not at all imposing or impressive, as I had imagined them to be (Lurie 338).” Here is a prime example of Nu going through a time of realization. Earlier in the story, Lurie (the narrator) gives us insight on the thoughts of the main character (the younger Lurie) and creates a scene where everything seems and will be wonderful and perfect yet in the later parts of the story, one begins to see that wonderful and perfect aren’t the words to describe both the situation and how Nu is feeling.
The second scene that adds weight to Nu’s sense of disillusionment is when he is given a tour of a factory. This tour took hours and hours and Nu began to realize how boring this all seemed to him. There was nothing that intrigued his interest and he realized this was not his dream. He “. . . Hated, at thirteen, being shown round things . . . how a great newspaper is produced . . . and wondered how much more there was of it (Lurie 340).” It is very clear here that Nu is bored, disappointed, and frankly a bit frustrated at the way he is being treated. Lurie’s word choice and repetition of the word “thirteen” (which stresses the age of Nu) shows how frustrated Nu really is at this situation and also his disappointment.
‘How does Lurie portray a new sense of disillusion?’
ReplyDeleteIn ‘The Greatest Ambition’ by Morris Lurie, Nu’s first awareness of disillusionment is when he sets sights on the Boy Magazine office. “No neon…no exotic plants...” He had imagined that the building would be different from the typical office buildings. Nu thought that this place would be different, more quirky and suitable for a child of his age. However, his expectations were not met as the author puts a repetition of “ordinary.” This reveals to the readers that Nu was not satisfied with what he had seen, compared to what he had desired for and this evokes that his assumption that he would get a job, may be coming to a disappointing termination.
There is a reoccurrence of the “ah” many times, said by Mr Randell. When Mr Randell points out the spelling error in Nu’s comic, he stutters and carefully chooses what he is going to say next, so he does not upset the little boy. This also informs us that comic strip artists that submit their work to Boy Magazine do not usually have errors, however Nu does have spelling mistakes and this shows us that Nu is not a professional, he is only a boy, that is still immature. This leads us to think that he will not be receiving another offer.
The last bit of information Lurie gives to us is when Nu starts eating the ice cream that “…a boy went out to buy…” While he takes a tour of the factory, we do not know how Nu is eating the ice cream, but I imagine he would be eating it sloppily, portraying that he is still immature and not suitable for a job at his age. Also, a boy bought the ice cream, and this is ironic because Nu is young, but another boy was sent out to fetch him the treat. This indicates that Nu is not very important, as a boy was sent, which shows that the people that work at Boy Magazine did not find it necessary to give that job to someone else of higher significance. Foretelling that Nu is not going to get a job, as the workers do not find him notable enough for the magazine. They are not treating him to greater things, or acting like he is mature to have a job.
These details convey to the readers that Nu will not be getting the job that he has worked so hard for. The dream of becoming a comic strip artist has been shattered.
http://olivernewmanigcseengblog.blogspot.kr/2012/09/english-hw-due-920.html
ReplyDeleteHow does Lurie portray Nu's sense of disillusionment?
ReplyDeleteIn "My Greatest Ambition" by Morris Lurie, Lurie portrays Nu's sense of disillusionment by changing his mood or making it seem as if he was not too happy or fascinated about the offices. He first shows how excited he was when he was on his way to the offices of Boy Magazine, but he changed his mood and became disappointed at the atmosphere of the offices, Lurie wrote "The offices of Boy Magazine were easy to find. They were part of an enormous building that looked like a factory, and were not at all imposing or impressive, as I had imagined them to be." This shows that he imagined the offices to look way better and not like a factory as he specifically mentions that it looked like a factory and that it wasn’t as impressive as he imagined it to be. After that, it seems as if Lurie is getting bored of the whole thing as he says ‘Why? Well, it’s an economic consideration. Look here,’ and I looked there, and licked my ice cream and wondered how much more there was of it and was it worth going to school in the afternoon or should I take the whole day off? But like all things it came to an end. This shows that Lurie was sick of what he came for and started to think about something else instead of paying attention to what Mr. Randell was saying. Right before this, he also mentions that “I hated, at thirteen, being shown round things.” This could have pointed out that he was disappointed that Mr. Randell would show him around and maybe he would’ve rather had a look by himself like an adult that had responsibilities. In the end Lurie portrays Nu’s sense of disillusionment by also using small sentences that gains our attention which are, “I determined, I would do all my business over the phone. With that nice Miss Gordon. Weeks passed, nearly a whole month. No reply.” This shows that he may have been upset as he did not receive a reply from Boy Magazine after nearly a whole month, and after all the Boy Magazine rejected his comic strip and he then made his decision that he did not want to be a comic-strip after all.
Through out the memoir, “ My Greatest Ambitions”, Morris Lurie, generates an illusion in which the protagonist bases his ideas on decision on. Nu imagens himself working Boy Magazine and a very successful comic book writer. The illusion is first introduces at the start of the memoir, when Nu’s father calls him a “Prince”. The use of price to describe his son introduces the illusion to Nu that he is influential, successful and wealthy for it mirror the qualities of a “Price”.
ReplyDeleteLater in the memoir, Morris Lurie , introduces a sense of disillusion when Nu decides to wear his “Good Suit” for the interview at Boy Magazine. Nu’s illusion of being wealthy like a price is tested at this point for he states that his “Good Suit” is “ A year old and short in the leg”. This statement destroys his illusion for if he were a price he too would have clothes that fit and are less than a year old and this.
Lurie late introduces the sense of disillusion again when Nu arrives at the Boy Magazine office. Nu’s expectations of the office where wildly imaginative and so his dreams were easily crushed for there where no "Neon signs" or "Massive areas of plate glass and exotic plants”. The repetition of the word “Ordinary” to describe the office symbolises that it is not in anyway eccentric or exciting like Nu had imagined. The basic architecture of the office brings disappointment to Nu for it does not reach his expectations.
In the memoir disillusion is also portrayed when Nu is further exposed to the unlikeliness that a child of his age would get a job at Boy Magazine. During the meeting Mr. Randell divulges that there are “Not ah, big mistakes” of the spelling in Nu’s comic book. The hesitation of Mr. Randell a professional publicist would suggests that he was addressing a child, and approached the matter of his spelling diligently so not to bring harm. Where as if Mr. Randells on the other hand had been speaking to an adult he would have addressed the matter unswervingly and would have told them of their mistakes. This chose of speech shows he sees Nu as a young creative child and not eligible for a job at Boy Magazine, creating the sense of disillusionment for Nu.
http://annoisverybeautiful.blogspot.kr/2012/09/web-blog-post-2-220912.html
ReplyDeletehttp://nohatwearingrenato.blogspot.kr/2012/09/web-blog-post-1-200912.html
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http://johnnysheldrick.blogspot.kr/2012/09/1-weblog-2-for-920-based-on-our.html
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Web Log Entry #2
ReplyDeleteWhat is Lurie’s take on disappointment?
In the short story, “My Greatest Ambition” by Morris Lurie, the author shows that disappointment is when an item we hold dear loses its value. Lurie uses the ‘Good Suit’ in the short story as an item that his younger self is attached to, and to express this idea. Near the end of the story, when the interview is over and Nu is heading home via train, he states that his ‘Good Suit’ was “ridiculous”, this clearly shows that it had lost its value to him. When compared to Lurie’s younger self’s previous thoughts on the ‘Good Suit’, he believed that it was indeed “Good” despite the shortness of his trousers. This shows that in not being offered a job at Boy Magazine he had ‘grown out of’ his “Good Suit”, he had a very different opinion on it. While before the meeting he had a subjective opinion on it in a good way, he was very hopeful that it would make a nice impression and thought it would, when he was coming back from the meeting he had a subjective opinion on it in a bad way, due to what happened during the meeting. The suit had become something that wasn’t good enough anymore, and had therefore lost its value.
Weblog 3
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