For this assignment, we were asked to choose a novel from the list provided by our professor and develop a key message that was to be communicated to a targeted audience. Then we were to create two different genres to show the many things presented to us from the novel we chose. Once we did all of that, we were to write a rationale, detailing the purpose of the 2 genres that we chose and explain the aspects of why you chose those 2 genres.

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Gerardo Rosas Garcia

Professor Nicholas Otte

FIQWS 10108

Composition 

Poem (1)

Everything seems so unrealistic and untrue

Someone close to me has done something I can’t say

Something so wicked and barbarous

I really don’t know what to do and say 

Living in the shadows has made me wonder what’s out there

Ever since he came, things turn a different way 

Only she knew and he knew what life was outside from this place 

Life has been so different since the day she committed such act

I never dare to step foot outside this house again

I am in such confusion and mist on what to do

I wanna protect her and keep her safe

She is the only thing I have left in my family along with my dying uncle 

His visit has made realize many things 

It’s my fault that things have been the way they are

I really want the best for her 

But no, I’ve realized that things are the way they are because of me

I should have known better and done things differently 

Now it’s my time to do things right and change 

After the fire, I came to the realization that “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”

Now I know where I’ve set myself at

And such fire made see the many things out there

Since the fire, he left and came

Now, it’s time to rise and start over

And begin a new life.

Gerardo Rosas Garcia – Drawing (2)

Gerardo Rosas Garcia

Professor Nicholas Otte

FIQWS 10108

Rationale

        The book I decided to read is “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson and it’s a book that caught my attention since when I first began to read it. The particular line from the first passage of the book “Everyone else in my family is dead” (Jackson 1), was a line that particularly grabbed my attention and made me want to know about this mystery that has been presented to us. The two pieces I decided to work with are in regards to the many mysterious aspects of the story and the many new things that are presented to us when cousin Charles decided to come and stay with the Blackwoods. In other words, the main focus of the composition of my two genres in this project is to focus more on the characters in the text and get a better image of the type of people they are. In the book, we see many of the narration being done by Mary Katherine herself, but rarely get any thoughts or personal experiences from Constance. When we first start reading the book, we can begin to question as to what type of things might be going on in the text and who killed a majority of the Blackwood family. As the book progressed and we read, further along, we would start to question Mary Katherine based on the emotions and the many clear observations she presented to us at the beginning. 

     In this particular scene in the text “I saw that the Harris boys were in their front yard, clamoring and quarreling with half a dozen other boys. I had not been able to see them until I came past the corner by the town hall, and I could still have turned back and gone the other way, up the main highway to the creek, and then across the creek and home along the other half of the path to our house, but it was late, and I had the groceries, and the creek was nasty to wade in our mother’s brown shoes, and I thought, I am living on the moon, and I walked quickly. They saw me at once, and I thought of them rotting away and curling in pain and crying out loud; I wanted them doubled up and crying on the ground in front of me” (Jackson 15-16). In this particular scene, we see that Merricat knows her path and wishes a cruel death upon those she comes in contact with. We see that there is this mention of going to the “moon” in various parts of the text. In my understanding and what is revealed to us, shows that Mary Katherine would like to fly to the moon to escape such reality, guilt, and the confrontations she has with the villagers. In parts, we also see that Mary Katherine buries things as a way to protect things and keep them of the touch of others. Based on what I mentioned previously, it is what I’m going to do my drawing on. I want to show the many things inside Mary Katherine that aren’t exposed, including many symbols presented to us through the course of the book. Thus, the art piece serves a purpose in showing who Mary Katherine is and the true intentions she has, based on what she does and says in the book. 

      In the other composition of genres, I’m going to do a poem that shows and expresses many of the observations and emotions that are not presented to us in the book. We noticed that the majority of the book consists of the emotions and observation of Mary Katherine, but not Constance. When cousin Charles arrived midway through the book, we see this turning point and unfolding of events. Discoveries are made and things begin to come together to set up a new type of stage. This line in particular “It’s all been my fault,” she said. “I didn’t realize how wrong I was, letting things go on and on because I wanted to hide. It wasn’t fair to you or Uncle Julian” (Jackson 75). Through this line we see that Constance has begun to realize that she shouldn’t have let things go on like she did and spoken up about what had happened. Constance thinks that it’s her fault for how things were going inside in the Blackwood family and that it was time to change. Furthermore, Constance has been someone who has never left the house and has been living in this so-called “Castle” for many years, living in isolation. Through the text, we see that she is curious and starts mentioning that she wants to go out. Even Merricat herself finds it weird and is a bit surprised that Constance wants to go outside with such evil people. 

     Through the text, it’s revealed what happened to the Blackwood family as seen in this line “So I put it in the sugar.”I want to say I’m sorry. I was wicked last night.”I was still cold, looking at her and remembering.”I was very wicked,” she said. “I never should have reminded you of why they all died.” “Then don’t remind me now.” I could not move my hand to reach over and take hers. I wanted you to forget about it. I never wanted to speak about it, ever, and I’m sorry I did.”I put it in the sugar.”I know. I knew then.” You never used sugar.” No.”So I put it in the sugar” (Jackson 130). With this line, we see that all along Constance herself knew that Merricat had been the one who killed the Blackwoods and did such a wicked act. Through the ending of the book, we get this realization that Merricat had been someone who has always wanted Constance to be the only one by her side. When cousin Charles came, she saw him as a threat, and this is a reason why in many points of the text, she wanted to get rid of everything he touched and went through. That’s why when Merricat started the fire, she was happy that she was alone with Constance, and in some way, she could live in this fantasized “moon” along with Constance in which they left everything negative behind.