My movie for "You're Ugly Too"

Plot- If i were to make this into a movie the plot would pretty much follow the same structure. I mean that the narrative pace would ultimately remain the same. The only thing I would add to make it longer and would be to do flash backs of the scenes in which the students criticize her. For example during the book the there is excerpts from teacher evaluations in the text questioning Zoe's teaching skills. AlsoI would add in the beginning and when it is mentioned more in the middle of the book about the first love of her life whom she met in Grad school. I would focus on that because that is the root into which she is so bad with love and meeting new men in her life. The end would be the same but it would have the voice of Zoe thinking to herself about what her life had come too and if she looks alright.

Characterization- The characterization that was in the book mostly came from the experiences in which the reader found Zoe in. It also came from the little snippets of randomness that Zoe does that her students do not seem to enjoy. I would incorporate, for example, the part where she buys furniture but always sends it back because she is afraid it doesn't actually go with her house. It shows the vulnerability that is Zoe she is not all together comfortable with herself and that is seen through scenes when she is confronted with uncomfortable moments.

Setting- It would be in the little town outside of Paris, Illinois. It would be modern day in a small college camping. This would be where the scenes with Zoe and her students would take place. Also i would show the house she bought in the suburban community. But also majority of the movie would be in the hustle and bustle of New York when she visits her sister towards the end of the movie. The setting would add to the effect that all this is happening currently in a real life setting.

Point Of View- In the book there is a third person point of view that the narrator takes of Zoe's life and thoughts. But In the movie it will be an Omniscient point of view where we can also see into the lives of the other characters in the book. I thought this would truly make the movie more interesting if the viewers truly got to know the characters and the motivation behind their actions, most especially Zoe. This would also cause the viewers to be able to make an unbiased opinion on the thoughts of characters in the movie. Also with the omniscient view it would create an effect of someone looking down on the chaos of Zoe's life. It would make it like she is in a snow globe of her own crazy world and we have the opportunity to watch it.

Theme- The theme would be the vulnerabilities that all people must live with. In the movie the theme will be how Zoe's lack of comfort with herself seen through the scenes and interactions with people. Also the other theme is the hardship that love can cause. That is mostly seen through how Zoe acts towards potential partners and how she acts towards them. The end to her relationship to the love of her life, I think, really affected her and made her turn bitter.

Theme Movie

The theme of the movie is about a young girl trying to find herself and to feel right about herself. She needs affirmation of her beauty because she gets none of that at home and is seen as no good from her mother. So when the scenes would show Connie trying on scandalous outfits it was to make herself feel older and try something new and exciting. So she would go with these older crowds then would find out in the end that she was just too young and did actually need her mother. This is scene when she is hiding in the corner from Arnold Friend and whispering for her Mom. She is scared and realizes that she needs her family.

Setting Movie

The setting seemed to take place in an old small town where the young were extremely restless and hung out at a local spot. It also takes place during Summer vacation because Connie's dad talked of Connie having nothing to do all day because she didn't have school. The usual hangout for Connie and her friends were the mall and the diner where all the older people hung out. Also there are very important scenes that take place at Connie's house which is out in the country with a long driveway and many trees. The secluded setting made it isolated and Connie even more vulnerable to Arnold Friend when he came to take her. His threats were hidden under his soft lilting voice. He was good at coaxing Connie and make her come with him not only because of his threats with Elly staying to "watch the place for her family" but also the way her house was cut away from people to help her.

Characterization Movie

During the course of film I indirectly characterized Connie through her actions. Mostly I found her misunderstood by her mother because of the way her mother treated her. When Connie would act disrespectfully it was due to what her mother would say. Therefore I found Connie to be very emotionally scarred. When she danced to music I saw that she felt with her whole heart and loved to have fun. Also I saw that she was still a young girl trying to be grown up. For example, when she was in the car with another boy and this time things started to really escalate she had to leave because she said "I'm not used to feeling this excited." Such foreign feelings caused her to have literally remove herself from the situation. Thus it exemplified her vulnerability and how she was not ready for such a leap into womanhood.

Point of View MOvie

The point of view in the movie was from an omniscient view point. We didn't hear Connie's inner thoughts like we did in the short story but the the viewers mostly got an unbiased view of the events. I was mostly sympathetic towards Connie until she lashed out at her mom randomly. With this omniscient view where we the viewers are like onlookers to a accident or scene. The viewers are able to watch the turn of events and not be too easily swayed by one person's views or thoughts. Although this way the viewers could pick themselves who they wanted to be most sympathetic towards. It mostly followed Connie around since she is the heroine of the movie. Also at the end of the movie when Connie tries to tell her sister what happened but sees the reaction on her face she quickly acts as though it was in her head. The viewers not being able to see her thoughts and to be able to decipher her ambiguous comments their selves shows the omniscient view in the movie.

Where are you going Where have you been movie plot

The pace of the film seemed very slow to me. I think this was to show how little happens in the little town that they lived. So Connie and her friends found out that they could have fun with boys. Also during the progression of the film one sees the emotional strain between Connie and the rest of her family. This was seen through the course of the movie. They put the family arguments in after and before Connie made bad decisions about going to the diner. I feel like she just needed to get away from her Mom's disapproving eye. So when she left after these arguments she went to the comfort of other people's arms. The very end was different from the short story in that the reader didn't see Connie come back to her house. So the plot in the movie was mostly the same except the very end when Arnold brought Connie home.

You're Ugly, Too

I was in a way not shocked about Zoe's behavior with Earl. She did not really buy into the whole idea of love anymore from all her ill fated relationships with men. Therefore Earl and his quirks and talks about love were her last straw. I feel as though Zoe thought he would also never work with her. She is maybe to eccentric and too independent for all the men she's dated and therefore has not been able to find the right fit. I think what brought about her change in regards with her encounter towards Earl was the fact that she had a growth in her abdomen. She might have believed that she was going to die and there was no point in playing through these stupid games of flirting that one must go through the first date. So she decided to let everything loose in every sense of the word. She flew all of her quirky humor at him holding none of it back and thoroughly scared him.

Popular Mechanics

After I read the story I immediately wondered why the couple was splitting up. But i derived the conclusion that it does not matter. The point of the story is the power struggle that evolves when love is broken. One person must gain more then the other partner. That is why they fought so hard for their child. They did not fight for the baby because they loved it or were worried. They fought because they wanted to make the other person just have a little less then them. They wanted to make a statement without having to say words. Yet the fragility of the baby and such a helpless creature shows the lengths people will go to hurt one another.

The Drunkard

The source of humor derived from this story is from the young boy's drunkenness. It is so hilarious because one does not normally see a young boy drunk. Also his actions of cursing and yelling at people walking by also contributes to the humor in the story. The humor arises from the distortion of life because one would not expect someone so young to be inebriated. The funniest parts of the story is also the mothers reaction to the young boy. She thanks him. It was odd when I first read it but she thanked her son because she thought he had done it for the good of his father. She thought he had done it to stop his father from drinking forever. When in fact he was just curious about the taste of his father's most favorite drink and happened to become drunk.

The Lottery

At first I didn't know what to think about this story. I thought it was unnerving and didn't understand the deeper meaning of the story (if there was one). So I ultimately felt that the author was trying to set the theme against having traditions. Not all traditions but the ones that one does just because thats the was its always been. The townspeople wouldn't get a new box which held all the slips deciding a family's fate because it was always the one used. therefore I feel like people resist change because they are afraid. They resist because they do not want to experience anything too foreign. It is too much and too different. Therefore people stick to their traditions even if they are useless or hurtful.