Title: “The Living” Forum Response
Course: BC-Literary Studies 11-1.1.0.0-XT

Task: Choose one of the following quotations from the chapter, and write an explanatory paragraph of 200-250 words, remarking on the use of language, themes, emotional depth, or overall impact of the passage. Feel free to tie the quote to your own experience, other literature you have studied in this course, or comment on how it has caused you to think about its topic in fresh, maybe even hopeful ways.

- “I was working at the counter by the sink, not daring to turn around. I was brokenhearted, furious, scared, and confused, crying, and determined not to let him see that I was. I was beating the hell out of a dozen egg whites in a bowl. Why I had started making a cake, I don’t know. It was what my hands had found to do, and I was doing it… My tears were falling into the bowl of beaten eggs and then my nose dripped into it. I flung the whole frothy mess into the sink. I said, ‘Well, what are you planning to do? Just die? Or what?’ I couldn’t turn around. I heard him fold the paper. After a minute he said, ‘Dear Hannah, I’m going to live right on. Dying is none of my business. Dying will have to take care of itself” (160-1).

Comment on the different responses that Hannah and Nathan have to his cancer diagnosis. What does this scene show about their marital dynamic, and of how each is processing the inevitability of his death? Which response seems more realistic or human to you? How do you think you would respond to tragic news like this? Is Berry’s portrayal of grief accurate?

- “He didn’t want his life to be the end of a technological process” (161) and “He doesn’t want to die of a cure” (162) are interesting remarks about the approaches of modern medicine.

From what you know about contemporary cancer treatments, what do you think is meant by these quotations? Later in the story, in the context of her son Mattie, Hannah says “He is in a way given over to machines, but he is not a machine himself” (164); what do you take from these quotations about our relationship to technology, and how do they square with your own thinking about the role of scientific advancement in human life?

- “The death of an old man is not the same as the death of a young one. It is not wrong, it is not a surprise. It has been a long time coming. You have seen it coming a long time” (165).

Discuss Berry’s use of repetition in this passage, and the effect it has on the meaning of the sentiment. Do you agree with Hannah’s conclusion here?

- “It is wonderful how much grief and sympathy in Port William have gone into cooking” (165).

From this and another passage you can find and provide, discuss the role of community and communal grieving in this chapter. How is Hannah’s membership in the life of her family and friends an instrumental ingredient of the process of acknowledging loss? How have you experienced this in your own life’s experiences with grief?

- “After she left, the house slowly filled up with silence, Nathan’s absence came into it and filled it. I suffered my hard joy, I gave my thanks, I cried my cry. And then I turned again to that other world I had taught myself to know, the world that is neither past nor to come, the present world where we are alive together and love keeps us” (166)

How might this approach to thinking about time as a kind of continuous present be helpful in someone’s grieving process? Do you think there is merit and hope in this sentiment, or do you find the concept of “living in the moment” to be vapid and cliche?

After you have created your own post, find one other student to respond to with a 75-100 word response. In your response, do not just say, “I agree! Great job!” Ask a question, disagree charitably, add other evidence that you drew from the reading or personal experience, or counter with a different interpretation of the quotation. Try to add something meaningful and insightful to the conversation so that everyone’s understanding of “The Living” can be increased.

Rubric

 | Not Complete | Emerging | Developing | Proficient | Extending
 | 0 |  | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Initial post | Not complete | My post demonstrates an unlikely interpretation of the chapter. I have provided no evidence from the novel to support my interpretation and have articulated my perspective in a very unclear way. | My post demonstrates a less likely interpretation of the chapter. I have provided little evidence from the novel to support my interpretation and have articulated my perspective in an unclear way. | My post demonstrates an accurate interpretation of the chapter. I have provided evidence from the novel to support my interpretation and have articulated my perspective in a clear way. | My post demonstrates careful and insightful interpretation of the chapter. I have provided specific, relevant evidence from the novel to support my interpretation and have articulated my perspective in an organized and logical way.
Response post | Not complete | My responses demonstrate a lack of comprehension of the original post or are disrespectful. | My responses are respectful but do not add much to the conversation. | My responses are purposeful and respectful, adding to the conversation. | My responses are thoughtful, insightful and respectful, adding meaning and depth to the conversation.
(Average between posts) Total: /10