The Ethan Frome Project.
Inarguably, Ethan Frome revolves around tragedy. A key question for critics (and us) is what sort of tragedy is it--personal or social? Check this website for a discussion about regional literature and Ethan Frome: Edsitement. After reading through the site, ask yourself this question too: Is Ethan Frome another sort of personal tragedy all together? Does Ethan need a change of personal perspective that does not depend upon circumstance? How does perspective change with our circumstances?
Complete this project in addition to your critical analysis. Here's the project:
1. You (or your group) needs to note quotations in the book that address the environmental/personal question. (20 Quotations)
2. Deal with the "Personal/Social" tragedy question by looking at Bjorkman's thesis (in the Edsitement link above) about small rural communities. Refute, support, or otherwise deal with his thesis with examples or "evidence" in these media: Audio, Video, and Visual Still Art (Photography or Painting). Choose local evidence first. All "evidence" must have a bibliographic entry. Make sure all examples are appropriate! Write a brief summary that explains the relationship of the evidence to Bjorkman's thesis. Claim all work, comment on others' work, claim all comments. (100 pts.)
3. Specifics: Suppport with at least two Audio examples, one Video example, and two Visual Still Art examples. You can create these yourself, compile them, or combine them (as in a music video, movie, interactive art project, etc.)
Here's an example: (Also, ask about successful projects from the past!)
Thesis: Often, rural communities get plagued by an isolation that produces depression and loneliness.
Page 19 (Ethan speaking) "But after the trains begun running nobody ever come by here to speak of, and mother never could get it through her head what had happened, and it preyed on her right along till she died."
I think of that song by The Cowboy Junkies, "The Last Spike."
The Last Spike Lyrics
It doesn't matter whether it's the shift from the stagecoach to the railroad, the railroad to Highway 66, Highway 66 to Interstate 40, letter to telephone, telephone to email, email to Facebook and instant messaging, people get left behind and people let themselves get left behind.
Remember this?
Thinking Laterally:
05 Unopened Letter to the World.m4a
On the other hand, life is what you make it. Keep moving. I think of that summation of parkour philosophy: etre et durer (to be and to last). Or etre fort pour etre utile (to be strong to be useful). Part of the equilibrium of life involves moving through it and helping others, continually overcoming the stagnation of body, mind, and spirit that seems to plague Ethan, Mattie, and Zeena. Old, young, sick, well, infirm, robust, beleagured, hopeful, etc., each of us has some contribution to make, some way to be and to last, some way to be strong to be useful. Keep moving and keep hope alive.
Look at the ironic links in this music video as it relates to Ethan Frome (audio and video):
three doors down "It's Not My Time"
Lyrics:
Looking back at the beginning of this
And how life was
Just you and me and love and all of our friends
Living life like an ocean
Now the current's slowly pulling me down
It's getting harder to breathe
It won't be too long and I'll be going under
Can you save me from this
It's not my time,
I'm not going
There's a fear in me
It's not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Oh, I won't go
I look ahead to all the plans that we made
And the dreams that we had
I'm in a world that tries to take them away
Oh, but I'm taking them back
All this time I've just been too blind to understand
What should matter to me
My friend, this life we live
Is not what we have, it's what we believe
It's not my time
I'm not going
There's a fear in me
It's not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Oh, It's not my time
I'm not going
There's a fear in me
Now I know that
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
Oh, I won't go
I won't go
There might be more than you believe
There might be something you can't see
It's not my time
I'm not going
There's a fear in me
It's not showing
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
It's not my time
I'm not going
There's a will in me
Now it's gonna show
This could be the end of me
And everything I know
There might be more than you believe
There might be more than you can see
I won't go!
No I wooooon't gooooo down!
How does this contrast with characters in the novel who are not strong for the sake of others? How does this compel us to live with fortitude and hope rather than resignation?
Check out this video of guys running through the woods. These are just regular small-town guys (not world class traceurs in Hollywood movies) out for a training day.
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