It’s been a while since I visited the cafe. I also haven’t seen my old friends since the last day before I left to join the Navy. I have three more years and then I’m off to college. I’ve met so many new people here in the Navy. Mostly People were sent here by their fathers because they weren’t behaving or didn’t have the money to get their kids through college. I’ve still been working on paintings and work. A new opportunity has opened up for me to show my paintings at a show. David a guy I met here says he would be happy to show my work at a show. “Are you ready for the big day? only three weeks left.” He says to me. “Yup, the painting is almost ready for the show,” I respond knowing I am not 3/4 of the way there. I’m hoping the painting sells well that way I can show that I can show my father that there’s more to life than a farm and I also need the money. I continue working on my painting It’s hard finding time to work on it for multiple hours. It’s not easy balancing between working on the painting and being in the Navy.
Three hours until the show and I finished my painting yesterday. I go to check into the show in the lobby of the local Marriot. “Table number 5, 3rd row.” The lady says to me when I walk in. I’m surrounded by art work that glows and sticks out. It is gonna be hard to get mine notice. After the long five hours I spent telling people about my work saying the same 3 lines, they announce whose art work sold for the most. “Congratulations, to all the contestants but now to reveal the biggest earning. The painting that sold for the most is Mr. Zakary in row 3.” I go to collect the money and think about what I will do with it. I know I will save most of it and it is also nice to have this money going into college.
Day: October 13, 2022
Coming of Age in “Be Cool for Once”
In “Be Cool for Once”, the author makes Shirin a dynamic (though still very cliche) character, by using the difficult decision coming of age trope. Shirin is at a concert for her favorite band when she sees her crush, Jeffery. At the beginning of the story, she is terrified of having to speak to him because she lacks confidence in herself. “And that’s when he caught Shirin staring. Shirin jolted, then froze, an electron trapped in the beam of a microscope. Her location known, she couldn’t move.” (57). This establishes Shirin’s fearful attitude about Jeffery at the beginning of her character. Without this anxious starting point, there wouldn’t be room for the growth that comes later.
After talking to him for a little bit, Shirin builds up the courage to confess her feelings. However, she still isn’t fully confident in herself. “‘Jeffery I have been in love with you since forever.’… ‘I’m going to leave, and you’re not going to follow me, can you do that?’… Shirin didn’t turn around as she left, because she didn’t think she could bear it.” (66). Here, Shirin starts to grow by confessing her feelings to Jeffery, but she still hasn’t completely overcome her fear, because she left as she was too scared to see what Jeffery would say. This marks the halfway point in her evolution as a character.
Finally, at the end of the night, Shirin finally overcomes her fear and summons the bravery to talk to Jeffery after confessing her feelings. She learns that the feeling is mutual and ends up kissing him. “Jeffery smiled from ear to ear. Shirin returned the grin. She took his hand and pulled him outside… ‘Come on,” she said. ‘We’ve got a date with a band.’” (70). Shirin has fully completed her arc of growth through a difficult decision, as she kissed Jeffery and held his hand confidently, without any of her previous fear. Through making a difficult decision and overcoming her fear, she was able to become confident around Jeffery and leave behind the stress of her previous self. The difficult decision trope allows Shirin to develop as a character, making her a dynamic protagonist.
Tags Argument
In the short story “Tags” the story is about a couple of boys that are into graffiti but they also live in a dangerous area where many of them make illegal deals with people. Many of the people in there town carry guns including them. In tags there is a character named Willie who is a dynamic character. Towards the start he is very relaxed with the lines, “Yeah. This your first wall tonight?” on page 73 showing that they are going to spray paint multiple walls that night. Also in the line, “No, I ain’t scared. You know some dudes just give up, but I ain’t stopping, man. I got to hold on. How about you?” on page 74 shows that even if it starts to get dangerous he won’t stop the graffiti. But, later on in the story he starts to get amped up and started to exert more feelings in the lines, ” On a humble! I went into this bodega to get some cigarettes, and the owner-this old fucking dude-is eyeing me like I’m fixing to steal something. So just out of spite, I put my gun in his face. He panicked and started saying something in Spanish and English about “just take the money.” But he grabs hold of my nine and he’s afraid to let it go.” on page 79 and the lines, “Yeah, and all I want to do is get some cigarettes, let the fool know I could have robbed him, and walk out the damned door! But now I’m struggling with this old man and he’s holding on to my gun and crying and begging and carrying on. I ain’t letting the gun go and he ain’t letting the gun go.Then two sisters come in and see what’s going on and duck right back out. I think they might be calling the cops or something, so I let go of the gun with one hand to punch the old man, and it goes off and hits me in the neck.” also on page 79. In another line it shows that he can’t even finish the story due to him getting emotional, “No! The old man had his finger on the trigger! The shot broke something in my neck and I didn’t feel anything. I know I was on the ground and… (Willie is breathing heavily as he remembers the moment.) I thought I was just hurt bad. When the ambulance guys got there and looked me over, right away they started making nice-nice to the dude who shot me, trying to make him feel better. Then they put me in a bag and started… (Willie can’t continue.)” These lines show the fact that Willie can get very emotional and very heated fast just due to a memory
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