1.Post your thoughts here on “Liars Don’t Qualify.”  Why is point of view important in this story?

This is one of those stories that, whenever I read it, I feel my frustration grow.

Does this story relate to our own cultural moment–and if so, how?

2. Reply to this post

“Definitely one of the most frustrating things to read. the repetitive, tedious questioning interrogation which today could easily be considered abuse. the story is told from a limited third-person point of view. you can see that by noticing that the narrator knows what Will thinks and feels: “He had counted ninety-six cigarette butts on the floor when a fat man came out of the office and spoke to him.”. also the fact that the to men are called the fat man and the bony man, is because that’s how Will sees them. it’s important because this point of view allows the reader to feel even more empathy for Will. we get to know how he’s dealing with the situation, for example: “What’s your favorite song?” “Dixie,” Will said, and prayed Sam would not ask him to sing it.” 

This story defiantly relates to the current cultural moment, mostly because it was written by an African American author, and shares the perspective of a young African American man. I think the reason that it’s so chilling is that it shows violence and racism in a nonphysical way. and sometimes that kind is much scarier. ”

3.Post your comments on Porter’s story here.  Be sure to review the questions I asked in the Content Unit.

Also, what role does memory play in this story?

Porter’s female protagonists are often transitional figures, between the traditional female role as nurturer/home-maker and the female role as it is evolving in the 1920s and 30s when she wrote this.  In this era, women were seeking more independence and autonomy.  Do we see this in the story?

I mentioned the style here is what is referred to as Stream of Consciousness and offered a definition in the Content Unit for this story.  Can you point out examples where this style is evident?

4.reply to this post

“This quote from page 691 “A fog rose over the valley, she saw it marching across the creek swallowing the trees and moving up the hill like an army of ghosts. Soon it would be at the near edge of the orchard, and then it was time to go in and light the lamps. Come in children, don’t stay out in the night air.” encompasses the whole story. There is a fog rising in her mind and she can tell that it is happening to her. She can tell that fog is bringing her up and will soon take her away, to the “end of the orchard”. When she is gone, all that’s left is her children and grandchildren, they are the light in the lamps glowing in the darkness of the fog. They should stay away from being in the dark fog of death.“