Is Sister's life truly as miserable as she lets us believe? Identify 2-3 places where the text suggests that the filter is slanted to illustrate, and even exaggerate, the mistreatment of “Sister” by Stella-Ronda and the family. Which parts of the story indicate that the narrator may be unreliable?
What was Sister's relationship with Mr. Whitaker? If she got to him "first" does that imply sexual relations? or not? Is she jealous of Stella-Rondo for getting to run off with Mr. Whitaker? why?
How would the story be told differently if from another family members’ perspective? What clues in the text indicate that we are reading the story through a distorted filter?
Identify 2 passages in the story that indicate the actual events that preceded the writing of this narrative by “Sister.” What seems to be the main cause of strife between the sisters? Is there anyway that Stella-Rondo can be seen as a victim and not a genuinely evil sister?
This story has a comedic tone at some points, but there is also the underlying feeling that the narrator is a little pathetic. While reading, the narrator seems to express rage towards Stella-Rondo even before Stella-Rondo antagonizes her. Do you sympathize with sister (the narrator) because of the terrible things Stella-Rondo does when she arrives, or do you think she was an instigator in the situation? How do you think receiving this story through Stella-Rondo's filter rather than the sister's would have changed the way you felt about their relationship?
Before Stella-Rondo arrived home, the narrator makes it seem like she and her family got along fine without Stella-Rondo. However, she says she is now happy to be away from them. Drawing examples from the scene where she decides to leave to where she is actually alone in the post office for 5 days, do you think she has found true peace? Do you think she will stay at the P.O., find a new home, or eventually move back home? If she moves back home, how could she find peace in her home life with Stella-Rondo there?
We believe that she is over exaggerating. She is a melodramatic teenager with raging hormones. She is an unreliable narrator presenting irrational arguments. Page 599
ReplyDeleteWe think that she did not have sex with him, we think they only went on a date. She had feelings for him, but never actually consummated. We believe she is exaggerating again.
It would be told differently from the Mom's perspective. We think it would be less extreme and looked at from a more rational point of view. The mom seems to have a good sense of humor and not take things as seriously. The story would basically be told from a different perspective from any member, The uncle (doesn't care, on drugs), the sister, etcetera.
599--"for six months we all had to call her Stella..." -- She is seen as sympathetic when she does not complete the chain letter. Event definitely in the past.
597 "Remember that you never married him"---Event in the past, basis of their relationship is competition--which sister gets more attention/things.
We sympathsize with the sister to some degree, but we believe that if we had seen events through Stella's eyes we would have seen it completely differently. The sister seems to get mad about little things that don't really matter, even though Stella is wrong for antagonizing her.
1. Sister exaggerates how bad off she is. One place in the story that this occurs is when Sister complains about her Uncle throwing firecrackers in her room. She laments that if anyone else had the firecrackers thrown in her room, at least one of them would not have worked. However, all of the firecrackers that her uncle threw into her room went off. Another place that Sister exaggerates how bad her life is is when she complains about Stella-Ronda stealing Mr. Whitaker. The only activity they do together is take a photograph, so clearly they were not that serious. The majority of her narration seems unreliable. The overall dishonesty of the family leads the reader to question Sister’s point of view.
ReplyDelete2. The relationship between Sister and Mr. Whitaker is quite strange. Sister claims that they dated, but the only thing that is ever mentioned that they do together is take a “pose yourself” photo together. To me, this indicates that they were not romantically involved, at least not seriously.
3. If we were getting the narrative from Stella-Rondo, she might be a little more self-involved, or maybe even accuse her sister of jealousy because of Mr. Whitaker. She is probably under the impression that she is a better person than her sister because she tried to make a life for herself. She is probably also under the impression that she is such a great person and can’t do anything wrong, considering she is the spoiled child.
4. One of the events was their Uncle taking away the radio from Stella-Rondo and giving it to sister, which would make Stella-Rondo jealous. Another example is the relationship between the two sisters and Mr. Whitaker. The main strife between the two is their jealous towards each other. Stella-Rondo is victimized by her sister in how she is trying to get Stella-Rondo to admit that the child is not adopted. She is constantly picking at her and trying to tear her down.
5. She is an instigator, as the minute Stella-Rondo walked into the door she is finding ways to judge her and find reasons that Stella-Rondo isn’t as great as everyone seems.
- Caroline, Graham, Amber, Craig, Adam
November 14, 2013 Group 4
ReplyDeleteIs Sister's life truly as miserable as she lets us believe? Identify 2-3 places where the text suggests that the filter is slanted to illustrate, and even exaggerate, the mistreatment of “Sister” by Stella-Ronda and the family. Which parts of the story indicate that the narrator may be unreliable?
At the table when Stella-Rondo calls out Sister for saying something about their Papa-Daddy’s beard and Sister tries to deny ever saying it. “You know I wouldn’t any more want you to cut off your beard than the man in the moon. It is the farthest thing from my mind. Stella-Rondo sat there and made that up…”
Another indicator of the narrator’s reliability (or lack thereof) is demonstrated when Sister claims that Stella-Rondo flippantly discarded a pearl necklace that she had received as a gift; the reader later discovers this to be untrue when the actual story is told. It turns out the Stella-Rondo was 8 years old and broke the necklace during a game of baseball.
What was Sister's relationship with Mr. Whitaker? If she got to him "first" does that imply sexual relations? or not? Is she jealous of Stella-Rondo for getting to run off with Mr. Whitaker? why?
On page 602, Sister says “I knew him first” but that doesn’t necessarily mean they had a serious relationship. Based on the time period they probably went on a few dates, but that doesn’t imply they had sexual relations. But it does seem like Sister is jealous of Stella-Rondo based on the tone Sister uses with Stella Ronda and when talking about Stella Ronda.
How would the story be told differently if from another family members’ perspective? What clues in the text indicate that we are reading the story through a distorted filter?
If the story were written in the Mom’s perspective, we would get a totally different view of the story. The mom seems to favor Stella Rondo over Sister and if told from the mom’s perspective we would feel more connected with Stella Rondo’s character.
“Here I thought we were going to have a pleasant Fourth of July, and you start right out not believing a word your own baby sister tells you!”
“Run upstairs this instant and apologize to Stella-Rondo and Shirley-T.”
Most parts of the story that include “turn … against me” have a rant where everything seems to go toward Stella-Rondo’s side, making “Sister” seem like a victim. One of the most important points to be made is the last paragraph where it becomes completely clear that “Sister” is writing this as some kind of a diary entry or letter, which she would have altered to make herself seem innocent and mistreated.
ReplyDeleteSister liked Mr. Whitaker, but Stella-Rondo had to take him away from her. Sister always seemed to be mad at Stella-Rondo, which one doesn’t ever know why, aside from the fact that Stella-Rondo stole her man. Therefore, it does seem as though she was jealous of Stella-Rondo for getting to run off with Mr. Whitaker. However, I think that if Sister had gotten to Mr. Whitaker “first,” it doesn’t seem to imply sexual relations because there were no evidence of such thing to support that idea.
If the story was told from Stella-Rondo’s perspective then the events may be shifted to make Sister seem much worse, which may or may not be a more accurate view of the actual events. In the last paragraph, it becomes clear that Sister is writing this as some kind of a diary entry or letter while she is living in the post office, which she seems to have altered to make herself seem innocent and mistreated.
The whole story is told through the lense of the protagonist, and all judgements made are her judgements. If the story was told from a different family members POV then the entire story would be different.
Stella-Rondo and “Sister” competed over Mr. Whitaker, and Stella-Rondo won. The family is supporting Stella-Rondo through what is clearly a painful separation. Due to their kindness to Stella-Rondo, any attempt by “Sister” to irritate her sister with her passive aggressive behavior has ended with “Sister’s” failure and isolation from the rest of the family. Holding a grudge and being unable to forgive her sister for the betrayal, “Sister” can no longer live with the family.
In the story, both sisters have a passive aggressive attitude. Therefore, my sympathy towards both sisters is very limited as I believe that they are both at fault here. Stella-Rondo’s filter seems to make herself seem to be the lone sane person battling against a house of lunatics that are determined to make her miserable. In reality, Sister is probably just upset that her sister, who stole her man, has returned back home only to be welcomed by her family when Sister only wants to cast her out into the streets with her potentially illegitimate child.
The emphasis on the fact that shes been there for 5 days makes it seem like she will not end up staying at the PO very long. If she does move back home, it seems the only way she can find peace with her sister is to let go of all the jealousy and resentment she has toward her. For example, it seems she is jealous about Mr. Whitacker.
1. We believe that “sister” does over exaggerate her misery and hurt. She is completely driven by her emotions and her filter is tainted with jealousy. She also seems to bring on some of her misery herself by provoking her sister. A few places in the text support this:
ReplyDeletePage 599: “Sister” does indirectly criticize Uncle Rondo’s attire. When Stella uses this to turn the family against her, she feels completely betrayed and denies all of Stella’s accusations.
Page 597: “Sister” brings up Stella’s child even after she knew that this was a touchy subject for her sister. She calls Shirley-T “peculiar-looking” then questions whether the child is “normal” and can talk.
2. We don’t believe that Sister and Mr. Whitaker had sexual relations with one another because of the the period that this story was set in. Back the late 20’s when one would say that they “got” to him simply implies that they dated and not necessarily had sex. One did not see much premarital intercourse back in this time period. She is definitely jealous that her little sister came in and stole the man that she dated and went off and married him.
3. If this story had been told from Stella-Rondo’s perspective, we would have been able to know what truly occurred between her and Mr. Whitaker. We also see inconsistencies in this story that result from the narrator’s slanted filter. The family refuses to see her at the P.O. after the altercation. The depiction of this event paints “sister” as the victim, but leaves the audience questioning. She must have offended her family more than she lets on for them to not come to see her.
4. It is very real that her little sister was married to Mr.Whitaker, and it is also very real that their is a child present in her little sister’s life. We believe that the main cause of strife between the two sisters is Mr. Whitaker, and the constant favoritism that her little sister have received all of her life.
group 5^^
DeleteGroup 7
ReplyDelete1.Is Sister's life truly as miserable as she lets us believe? Identify 2-3 places where the text suggests that the filter is slanted to illustrate, and even exaggerate, the mistreatment of “Sister” by Stella-Ronda and the family. Which parts of the story indicate that the narrator may be unreliable?
The story begins by Sister revealing how bitter she is for Stella-Rondo “stealing” Mr. Whitaker from her. This sets the tone for the rest of the piece and makes Sister unreliable from the beginning since she is likely to find fault with everything Stella-Rondo does because she is jealous and angry.
"Why, no, except he's got on some terrible-looking flesh-colored contraption I wouldn't be found dead in, is all I can see," I says. This is a direct example of Sister making fun of what her uncle is wearing, even though she swears throughout the story that she never said such a thing. This shows that she exaggerated the situation and she really was in the wrong.
"Why, Sister," said Mama. "Here I thought we were going to have a pleasant Fourth of July, and you start right out not believing a word your own baby sister tells you!” This example conflicts with the thoughts Sister is sharing with us and leads readers to believe she’s unreliable
2.What was Sister's relationship with Mr. Whitaker? If she got to him "first" does that imply sexual relations? or not? Is she jealous of Stella-Rondo for getting to run off with Mr. Whitaker? why?
Sister is definitely jealous of her sister’s relationship with Mr. Whitaker. Readers can see this because she mentions it so frequently throughout the story (both starting and ending with a comment about it). She makes it sound as if they dated before he and Stella-Rondo got together.Because of the times “going together” usually means dating and doesn’t exactly imply sexual relations.Readers can assume their relationship was never serious though, otherwise Stella-Rondo running off with him would probably have caused more of a stir within the family instead of just with her.
3.How would the story be told differently if from another family members’ perspective? What clues in the text indicate that we are reading the story through a distorted filter?
Other family members might portray Sister as immature and dramatic because of her outburst. The entire family is sided against her which hints to the reader that Sister’s filter might be not be telling the whole truth. If another family member told the story, such as the mother, reader’s might get a more accurate, unbiased depiction of events.
If you had I would of been just as overjoyed to see you and your little adopted girl as I was to see Stella-Rondo, when you wound up with your separation and came on back home."
This passage shows that Mama is unbiased and doesn’t show favoritism to either of her daughters. This must mean that all the mistreatment is exaggerated in Sister’s head.
4.Identify 2 passages in the story that indicate the actual events that preceded the writing of this narrative by “Sister.” What seems to be the main cause of strife between the sisters? Is there anyway that Stella-Rondo can be seen as a victim and not a genuinely evil sister?
"But you must remember, Sister, that you were never married to Mr. Whitaker in the first place and didn't go up to Illinois to live," says Mama, shaking a spoon in my face.
By saying this, Mama undercuts Sister’s reliability by showing that SIster’s relationship with Mr. Whitaker was not as serious as Sister made it out to be, meaning that Stella-Rondo is not necessarily evil for marrying Mr. Whitaker, if Sister only dated him for a brief period of time.
Group 8
ReplyDelete1.
When Stella-Rondo tells Papa-Daddy that Sister “fails to understand why you don't cut off your beard."
“Well! I made no bones about letting the family catch on to what I was up to. I didn’t try to conceal it. The first thing they knew, I marched in where they were all playing Old Maid and pulled the electric oscillating fan out by the plug, and everything got real hot.” Sister is being immature and acting over-dramatically
She acts like she was sticking up for Uncle Rondo and said that she thought he looked good in the kimono, when really she had made several comments about how he was crazy and “drank prescription”
2.
Mr. Whitaker is sister’s former boyfriend. It doesn’t necessarily imply sexual relations. Sister is definitely jealous of Stella-Rondo because he was Sister’s only chance at having a boyfriend.
3.
From a different family members’ perspective, Sister would not seem like the victim, but rather the instigator. Sister constantly thinking everyone is being turned against her shows that we are reading through her distorted filter. Also her clear opinions of Stella-Rondo is proof that the filter is slanted.
“Stella-Rondo is exactly twelve months to this day younger than I am and for that reason she’s spoiled.”
4.
Stella Rondo ran away with Mr. Whitaker.
Stella-Rondo separated Mr. Whitaker and came back home.
The main strife between the sisters is Stella-Rondo running away with Mr. Whitaker.
Sister criticizes Stella-Rondo’s child, and Stella-Rondo is a newly single mom trying to take care of her kid.
5.
Sister definitely seems like an instigator in this situation.
If the narration is through Stella-Rondo’s filter, we would see her as a damsel in distress after a tragic moment of her life with the separation, and the Sister will be viewed as the antagonist while Stella-Rondo tries to hide her distress from her family.
Group 3
ReplyDelete1. Papa-Daddy got her the job at the post office that she seems to like, but she still thinks everyone is against her and in some instances makes things more dramatic than necessary. Uncle Rondo gave her a radio, that was originally Stella’s and he sent her to mammoth cave with all expenses paid. Rondo also paid the girl who helped Sister move and her mother wanted her to come back and eat so she didn’t starve when she got up and angrily left the dinner table. Maybe it is her attitude that sets off her family so much. If she was being mistreated she wouldn’t necessarily be able to make smart remarks like she does on page 597 when she says, “Well Stella Rondo had better thank her lucky stars it was her instead of me came trotting in….Now if it had been me that trotted in from Illinois and brought a peculiar looking child of two, I shudder to think the reception I’d of got…” She doesn’t seem to be humble and respectful, which I feel like are characteristics that people who normally struggle and are mistreated possess. She seems unreliable because she tends to exaggerate everything beyond its actual extent.
2. Sister was dating Mr. Whitaker at one time. Stella-Rondo broke them up, according to the first page of the story. I think saying that she got to him “first” just implies that she had a romantic relationship with him first, not just sexual relations. The time period was different and social norms were different back then, so I don’t know if it was a sexual relationship. If I had to guess, it would not be a sexual relationship, just simply a romantic one. She seems to carry a lot of resentment towards Stella-Rondo and her separating from Mr. Whitaker and coming home seems to have set her off. I don’t know if she’s just jealous per say, I think it is more anger from them breaking them up, getting married, then separating from him. Sister says that Stella-Rondo was spoiled and had always gotten what she wanted because she was a year younger than her, but Sister is over-dramatizing everything, so that could be it as well. I think that she thinks she would have been better for Mr. Whitaker and would have stayed with him, but she’s also happy that Stella-Rondo isn’t with him, stating on the last page that if Mr. Whitaker knew what was good for him, he’d be in the North Pole if he knew what was good for him.
3. If it was told differently from Stella’s perspective, the accusations would be significantly different in which it would be slanted towards Sister always giving her a hard time. Maybe Stella actually doesn’t have a bad personality, rather, it is Sister’s attitude that contributed to her always mistreating Sister. Even if we read from another member’s perspective, it would still be biased in a big way. There are many clues in the text that indicate that we are reading the story through a distorted filter. The narrator always talks about how the whole family is against her, and the certain mistreatments that happen to her. If it was done with a blank filter, rather than a family member’s, we would be able to understand the story a whole lot better, since each perception is a huge bias.
Group 3
ReplyDeletePart 2
4. I think Sister seems to be the evil sister. She continuously is condemning Stella-Rondo. Stella-Rondo asked Sister not to mention the child and Sister had given her her word. However, when Stella-Rondo simply seems to be venting to Sister about what she believes the reason behind Uncle Rondo wearing her trousseau, Sister gives a snarky reply and says that Stella shouldn’t be so quick to judge since she’s the one that walked in from Illinois with a two year old child that nobody was ever told about. It makes me think that Sister is jealous of Stella from the way that she’s constantly observing Stella and making comments. Maybe she wants the attention which is why she seems to always put Stella down.
5. Sister definitely instigates much of the drama in this story, like when Stella-Rondo yelled to Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo out the window and Sister immediately went upstairs to antagonize Stella-Rondo about her kimono. However, I do sympathize with Sister a little, she’s clearly jealous of Stella-Rondo and has a little bit of an inferiority complex, thinking the rest of the family and Mr Whitaker prefer Stella-Rondo. My sympathy is limited as Sister does bring much of her suffering on herself with her paranoia that people are taking sides and antagonizing of Stella-Ronda about her past and Shirley T. Through Stella-Ronda’s view, we probably would have seen Sister as an annoying, jealous older sister who can’t make her own life for being so focused on hers.
6. She’s probably found a temporary peace, but this is like a child running away from home, she’s doing it out of spite and will have to go home to her family eventually, probably sooner rather than later. Although she seems to “hate” her family, she will always come back because she needs them. It seems like she is a type of person who needs drama in her life, so she will necessarily have to move back for the drama, she will get too bored at the P.O. If she moves back home, she’ll have to cut back on her dramatics to have peace in her home life with Stella-Rondo there and quit antagonizing her.