- How does the title work in this story?
- What is "outside" the story? (i.e. how is negative space being used?)
- What question(s) do you have about the story?
Another strategy: Don't pick the "easiest" story or the one you think you completely understand. Choose the story that you have the most trouble w/, the story that baffles you, and write a response to it.
Remember: I'll give you points for asking good questions as well as giving good answers. Sometimes a question is better than an answer.
"The third time my father tried to kill me"
ReplyDeleteThis story is interesting the author goes from the present into past experiences. To the third time, the second, then the first upon the narrator being an infant.Seems like the father never wanted the boy, literally wanting to kill him but keeping him alive. For the mother, at least that's what it seems like somewhat but I wonder if he does care about the mom. Or maybe if he really wanted to kill him or just always kill him just enough take away his life then let him breathe again. Like the first two times he stopped twitching, hes pressing against his stomach to bring him back to life. As an infant holding his breath, and letting go. interesting story but weird feel like all my questions went in a circle
The author has an interesting way with words. The speaker is able to describe horrible events and emotions in a way that almost mask or hide their darkness. The reality of attempted murder, something that would be difficult to live through in this story so eloquently told almost as if less horrible and "matter of fact" things to survive.
ReplyDelete(This is my first class & don't have the book or materials yet)
I THINK THE TITLE WORKS GOOD WITH THE STORY, FOR IT COUNTS DOWN THE TIMES HIS FATHER TRIED TO KILL HIM STARTING WITH THE THIRD TIME. I THINK THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY IS, TWO PEOPLE LIVING IN A CABIN OR A SUBURBAN AREA.THE HUSBAND/FATHER IS AN ALCOHOLIC AND ABUSIVE. POSSIBLY AN ACTIVIST AS WELL. I DO WONDER HOW OLD THE SON IS THAT HE DOESNT DEFEND HIMSELF. "AW, FOR JESUS' SAKE, CNT YOU QUIET THAT BABBY"? FOR ME WAS A BIT NERVE WRECKING BECAUSE I AUTOMATICALLY THOUGHT, HES GOING TO DO SOMETHING BAD TO THE BABY IF IT DOESN'T STOP CRYING, I NEED TO KEEP GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT HES GOING TO DO. I WONDER WHY THE FATHER IS ALWAYS TRYING TO KILL HIS SON BUT NEVER FULLY DOING IT, AS IT STATED IN THE SECOND TIME HE TRIED TO KILL HIM, " MAYBE WHEN MY ARMS STOPPED TWITCHING HE GOT NERVOUS, BECAUSE NEXT THING I KNEW, I WAS ON THE SAND, LYING ON MY BACK AND HIM PUSHING ON MY BELLY..." MAYBE THE FATHER HAD A FEAR OF ACTUALLY KILLING HIS SON BUT CONTINUED THE ABUSE OF ALMOST COMMITTING TO IT.
ReplyDeleteThe story "The third time my father tried to kill me" by James Claffey has paints a disturbing picture of which the reader is subjected to. The scenes intertwine because the main problem isn't that his father is trying to kill him is the memories that the narrator has. The ability to have painful often tragic memories of his father has probably scarred the narrator. "I said something about how the Queen didn't seem so bad, and my father bristled." with this line the narrator shows that it takes certain critical points to upset his father. Perhaps the cold harsh reality of the world has beaten and berated the narrator's father. His father takes the same approach when he is swimming "Would you swim properly." It uses the point of what propely is and turns what could be a tender father-son moment into one of despair and tragedy.
ReplyDeleteIn the story the Third time my father tried to kill we count backwards from the third too the first. Our protagonist grows younger and his father grows more violent. It is a continuum of pain while counting backwards from three allows us to see that his fathers ire started around birth and would continue on into the rest of his life. counting backwards gave the entire piece a kind of finality this is constant from words, to playing to crying. I am under the impression, that that there is play on the innocence of the child to the savagery of the father.
ReplyDeleteThe title is the thing that catches me off guard first, which makes sense cause that's a title's job. But as I stare at it, questions begin to raise in my head. What kind of man would do this to his son? Were there more than three? When Iread the story it seems like the intent is different every time. The first time is almost like it was a mistake fro man exhausted individual, no ill-intent to be seen from the father. He just wants his baby to sleep. It's not the best method. But it seems accidental in nature. Like the father sees no other options. The second time, the father is insulting his son, criticizing the way he swims, even trying to teach him the "proper" way of swimming. Realizing his mistake/effort has caused his son to start drowning, as the son's arm stops moving and though it wasn't written clearly from the father's point, the father probably begins to panic, rushing them both back to shore, performing CPR. Again, another mistake.
ReplyDeleteIt's the third time that seems like it's intentionally meant to cause his son pain. There's no realizing the mistake, there's no accidental hit or choking. The father in this story repeat hurting his son over and over. It's deliberate in order to teach the son a "lesson". As if the words he said were some kind of banned phrase. A forbidden statement. The punishment not being an explanation but a violent reaction. Even going as far as throwing him out the front door. The care for his son seems non-existent.
"The third time my father tried to kill me"
ReplyDeleteThe title itself is suited to the small fiction. The author gave examples of his father trying to kill him in various ways during a different time during their life. But doesn't explain why.
Questions: Why does his father attempt to harm him during multiple accounts? Or is the child exaggerating an accident that happened and confused with intentional acts against his life? What is the real relationship between the father and the child? What was the relationship between the mother and the father?
"I sank, my lungs full of water, his foot on my back, holding me under. Maybe when my arms stopped twitching he got nervous, because next thing i knew, iw as on the sand, lying on my back , and him pushing on my belly until the saltwater slumped skyward and i turned blue to white and gulped air."
This sentence makes me question the son/writer. If his father wanted to kill him then why did he save him from drowning? I'd like to assume that the father wasn't intentionally trying to kill him and this is all an exaggerated story.
The title jumps up at you, especially with the whole father trying to kill him thing. The first line makes me feel like I've got a swollen eye too. The negative space make me feel like he's being beat up as he's telling the story. Like he's in and out of consciousness. Leaves a lot to be imagined, a lot of questions to answer. Why was his father so angry at him? Was this a regular thing that happened in his neighborhood? His mom was concerned but not enough to stop it. Or was this a case of the mom turning the blind eye? Something was definitely wrong for him to try and kill him cause he was crying baby.. right.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "The third time my father tried to kill me", the thing that most intrigued me about this small fiction is the title. I think that the Title set the tone for the entire short story. The title helps to set the tone for the entire short story. The father tried to kill his son not once but three times. In my eyes, it seems like the father didn't want the son because what father would try to kill his son three times? If he truly loved his son and wanted his son he wouldn't of tried to kill him three times.
ReplyDeleteHowever in the fourth paragraph "The second time...and gulped air", it seems that he tried to kill his son by drowning him but than he was on the sand and his father was trying to save him. So I'm not sure if his father really wanted him dead.
The title was well thought of when making this story, it made sense with the reading that followed because the author gave the reader three different times that his father tried to kill him. The negative space lets the reader escape from reading about the brutality of the father, it also lets you vision the surrounding of the character and how they lived.The story is missing the fathers reason of brutality its missing how life in the household is and the relationship between the mother and the father. I would want to know the mothers view point in this was she also in fear.
ReplyDeleteJust by the looks of the title, I was able to tell that the narrator's father was violent and abused him since he was very young. The way outside space was what happened to the son after every time his father attacked him. My question about this story would be why did the author decide to write about a fiction story where the narrator's father tried to kill him multiple times. I would also like to know how old was the son when his father attempted to kill him for the third time, because if the son was in his teens, he would be old enough to defend himself and to tell his mother that the right thing to do would be to leave him and move away. I somehow found the part where the family went to their neighbor's home very confusing. I would have liked the narrator to explain why they went there in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI think that the story is kind of sad because what kind of father does she had.Also involved a lot of dark emotions of a human soul who needs love and afeccion from the parents.
ReplyDeleteThe title was intriguing and was well suited for the story. I wanted to know more about the father and son relationship, why did he hate him so much, I noticed in the last paragraph it was mentioned that the first time his father tried to kill him was when he was a baby. I need to know more, what was the father's past like? Did the son turn out to be a good person despite his upbringing and lack of love from his father.
ReplyDeleteWhat time period did this story take place? Parents in the story gave harsher treatment then they do today in some cases. Three letters that caught my attention was "GUINNESS EXTRA STOUT" which tells us the story takes place in Ireland. The title works because it grabs your attention knowing; its a story about discipline in a household. Negative space in the story is teaching the father teaching his son how to be a man
ReplyDelete"THE THIRD TIME MY FATHER TRIED TO KILL ME" the title to this story is very fitting. The author tells of a boy who's father had attempted to murder him on three separate occasions. It leaves the reader to question why the father is so angry at the boy. Maybe the boy reminds the father of himself. Maybe the father is battling himself...
ReplyDelete"The Third Time My Father Tried to Kill Me" This title shows whole story. This story starts to present into two past events to describe horrible experience. The third time event is author just asked "Queen did not seem so bad" and his father bristled suddenly become very annoyed at what author said. His father attacked him without his defense. Second event, at Brittas Bay, his father did not teach him right way to swimming lesson. His father asked him “Would you swim properly?” His father tried to drown him intensively. First time event, author was an infant. His father hated him no reason why. New born baby cry means hungry or wet but his father is impatient, his father tried to stop his breathing, and placed his hand over author mouth and nose and pressed down smothering.
ReplyDeleteHis father aggressive behavior comes from mentally deranged and selfish. His father is unable to behave and think normally because of mental disease.
" FOR THE WHEELS TO NULLIFY" The title is saying to travel to forget the pain of breakup. So he is travelling to move on but there is only one problem, he broke up with his girlfriend on the trip on the first half of the story. the second half they are sharing a bed, "he facing the wall and her facing his back". she stretching her hand to touch him but in a instant he says " i think i'll take the couch. The scene alone is saying he wants to move on but she doesn't and in a sense feels regretful. my only question is why did they break up in the first place?
ReplyDeleteGood response, Abraham. The title comes from a song by the Shins:
Deletehttp://genius.com/The-shins-gone-for-good-lyrics