After reading the novella “Benito Cereno” by the author Herman Melville, I grasped the idea that the novella is written from the perspective of Captain Delano and another unknown narrator. The use of two different points of view in the story has set up a mysterious and suspensible plot which kind of foreshadows what might happen in the future of the story. In the story, Don Benito was trying to save his slaves from any harm, but Captain Delano thought that Benito could be a potential threat to the slaves. While Don Benito was trying his best to save the slaves, he was being threatened by a servant named Babo, who was pushing other black slaves to start a revolution. In order to stop this chaos from happening, Don Benito decided to ally with Babo. In general, enslavement is portrayed as the worst thing in the nation’s history. However, this story has portrayed both the perspective of a person who is not a slave but is struggling for the slaves and the slaves who are trying to start a revolution to fight for their freedom. Even being a captivator of the slaves, Don Benito was looking after his slaves and he was making sure that nothing could cause a war to happen among the black slaves, despite his physical criticalities.

Benito Cereno turns out to be a marvelous mystery novella. It also happens to shed a negative light on the practice of slavery. Whether it was intended to do so or not, I believe showed how slavery could bring out the worst in people. By the story’s end, it is revealed that the reason behind the San Dominick’s fate was not due to storm and disease, but rather a natural revolt of the slaves. Babo had gone from being a seemingly over-enthused servant of Don Benito to, ironically so, Don Benito’s cunning capturer and master. He and Atufal managed to successfully take control of the ship and held the crew against their will. I find myself sympathizing with Cereno. Though assuredly knowing better, and that such a fate is possible, I understand now why he was always so hesitant to speak of his good friend’s fate. After the ruthless killing of Alexander Aranda, his skeleton was used as the ship’s new figurehead; as well as a warning of what should happen if the crew did not comply with Babo’s commands. The fact that he did not break his act until he saw his opportunity for escape speaks volumes about his character.

But what truly makes this a negative depiction of slavery is what it forces Babo and the others to become. Being subjected has taught them that the only way to freedom is by the same ruthless means others have used to put them in chains. They must fight, kill, threaten, and strike fear into the hearts of their captures; they must enslave them in turn. Slavery is a sad practice that ultimately cost more than it’s worth; determination and opportunity will always be sought after, and when that happens, the tables will be turned.

When we are introduced to the character of Captain Delano, we are informed of his “kind-heartedness” and “good nature”, bordering on naivete. Despite this, he is nevertheless convinced that blacks are indeed inferior to whites, despite being, in his own words, more full of life and more pleasurable to be around. It is disappointingly closed-minded of him to see these people as less so; in need of education, while essentially praising them for qualities they could impart in the reverse. And he fails to see the ironic tragedy in that these slaves, in particular, have been educated; in the way of enslavement, how to bend another to their will.

In chapter 6, Jonathan culler, “Narrative” stories are the main way to sense the thing considering of our lives as a movement driving to some places or telling ourself whats happening in the world. He said that good story must have a beginning, middle and the end and also the rhythm that gives the pleasure. When I was reading “Narrative” I was thinking about the movie “Bedtime stories”. In this movie Marty Bronson builds the Sunny Vista Motel in Los Angeles, California, with the intention of raising his son Skeeter and his daughter Wendy in the place where he works. However he is not a good businessman and the hotel goes bankrupt. Marty is forced to sell his motel to Barry Nottingham who promises to hire Skeeter in a general manager position when he has grown up. Years later, Barry builds a new hotel; forgets his promise to Marty and Skeeter Bronson is only the handyman of his hotel. The general manager is the arrogant Kendall, who is engaged with the shallow Barry’s daughter Violet Nottingham. When the Webster Elementary School where Wendy is the principal will be closed to be demolished, she needs to travel to Arizona for a job interview. Wendy asks her friend to watch her son and her daughter during the day and Skeeter to watch them during the night. Skeeter meets the estranged kids with his best friend and makes up bedtime stories to help them to sleep but the kids add details to the stories, changing their endings. Soon Skeeter realizes that the plot of the stories are coming true and affecting his life. Meanwhile Barry Nottingham decides to give a change to Skeeter to dispute the manager position in his new hotel with Kendall like in one of his stories. But Skeeter has told to his nephew and his niece that stories do not have happy endings. So, I think this stories has perfect ending even though it has not happy ending.

Culler said that stories first give pleasure through their imitation of life and their rhythm, provide a new twist. I think he is true the pleasure of narrative is linked to desire.

I want to discuss the film “Forrest Gump” in this movie, the director Cai used

In the film “Forrest Gump”, the protagonist Forrest Gump plays the narrator of the story. The author and the audience are both characters outside the film. The film’s narrative structure has improved from the linear narrative structure in the original novel. The audience will not think that the protagonist Forrest Gump narrates his own life experience after experiencing various life situations. The difference is that the story’s narrator The protagonist, Forrest Gump, lives in the story, and is not placed outside the story. When he recalled his life experience, he was still waiting at the bus stop in the film, looking forward to meeting his lover and good friend Jenny. He is always in the life of the story. After he narrated his life experience, he followed the old lady’s route and started rushing to Jenny’s home. At this time, the film changed from flashback to regular narrative, and the film was about to come to an end. Gradually, from A-Gump’s figure, the audience feels that when A-Gump is dragging his tired body towards his son in the film, the audience appears in it, feeling that they have gone through the various states of life and want to stop and rest. This place makes people feel warm and kind. The narrator of the film is always in the story, and some viewers have a deep understanding of the main content of the film.

I very much agree with the author’s point of view. The narration of a story largely determines whether the characters can be brought in. A good narrative can make people immersive. The world outlined by the author can bring us in. This kind of narrative can Meaning makes us more understand and feel some emotions. Also makes it more real

In Chapter 6 “Narrative”, Culler mentions the two quintessential parts to any story; plot and discourse.  A plot, according to Aristotle, is to have a beginning, middle, and end. It requires a transformation of some kind; a transition from an initial circumstance to a substantial resolution. The plot is the “shaping of events” while the discourse refers to how that plot is told; such as the selected point of view and the choice of focalization and narrative style.

See if you recognize this one, the plot: we follow the story of a simple southern boy with a low IQ and leg braces. We see him through his years as he grows, learns, loves, travels, and ultimately lives through world-changing events seemingly unfazed and constant. The discourse: this story is told mainly in first-person. The narrator speaks to us by speaking to other characters in the present-day, about his past. As such, the main character uses a temporal focalization; as he is speaking about his now past, he constantly contextualizes actions and events with phrases such as “now, at the time”. He also relies heavily on the narratee’s knowledge of world history, as he casually mentions these events transpiring around him. Despite constant breaks to the present-day as the characters he speaks to change several times over, the narrator manages to tell his story in order from past to present almost methodically.

What makes a story worth it? They can provide simple pleasure and allow us to explore desires. They can attempt to satisfy a thirst for knowledge and expose us to new ideas and new interpretations. And they can inform on and criticize social norms; this last reason I find the most interesting. Just look at how the concept of how to be a “man”, “woman”, or “adult” has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. such definitions like those of fitness and gender roles have been expanded. With mental health concerns being more recognized today, an action, such as crying, is not seen as such a “weakness” and is in fact encouraged in today’s society.

After reading chapter 6 I got a better understanding of what makes a story. Based on the narrative stories are the main way we makes sense of things. Culler says “that good stories must have a beginning, middle and end, and that they give pleasure because of the rhythem of their ordering.” One example i can give is from one of my favorite movies The Notebook.The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie’s parents who disapprove of Noah’s unwealthy family, and move Allie away. After being seperated for 7 years when noah returns home from the army, it becomes clear that their romance was never over. From the beginning to end you feel and imagine what Noah and Allie go through and that’s what makes a great story.

In “what stories do” section culler explains that stories teach you about the world and also give the reader pleasure. I agree with him because i am person who loves to read a good story that can teach me something new about the world.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VQGJONQ91ibA9ahIU5YEhmznZY_84AfRexst9nTJPTU/edit?usp=sharing

After reading this piece by Johnathan Culler, I have a better underwing of why rhetoric language is used in poems and such. A good thing that was mentioned was that in rhetoric poems, you do, have to stop and think…think about the rhyme, think about the meaning of the rhyme and or what the rhyme meant. It also dawned on me that the use of rhythmic words are used in baby songs, and for a bright reason – as Culler stated rhythmic words can “provoke special interpretive attention”, which is good for stimulation and growth in infant development, and even adolescences/adults.