Post your response to "The Red Convertible" in the comments section. (E-mail me with your response if you can't post.) In a paragraph or so, indicate what you think about Lyman in this story. Is he different in this story versus "Lyman's Luck"? Also indicate which of these two stories you prefer and why.
Also, for tomorrow, pick a passage from the story (anywhere from a paragraph to a page) that you find noteworthy. Either you think it's particularly well written or you have a question about it. Be prepared to talk about the passage you picked and why you picked it.
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Lyman is very different in this story than "The Red Convertible". In this story he seems more humane and sensitive. In "Lyman's Luck", Lyman is just focused on getting money and bragging about his luck. I like both stories very well because of the way it was written, the details, the characters, everything about it made me like both stories.
ReplyDeleteI like this story better than 'Lyman's Luck'. Not only is there more action, but you get a completely different side of Lyman. In 'Lyman's Luck' Lyman seems like a very greedy person, but in 'The Red Convertible' he's like a completely different person. Like at the end where he pushes the car into the river, because it was 'his brother's car' seems like something completely different from what he would do in 'Lyman's Luck'.
ReplyDeletei really prefer the red convertible to lyman's luck, because you get the backstory that lyman's luck was hinting at, and you are able to figure out partly why lyman is now the way he is. also, the last few scene with lyman's brother dancing around wildly and ultimately comitting suicide are some of the more beautiful i've read in a long time.
ReplyDeleteImani says: Cliff notes (since the stupid computer erased the page-long response I typed):
ReplyDeleteI like "The Red Convertible" better.
Lyman is a touchy feely person in the 2nd, but in the 1st he is more bottled up.
There are a lot of connections I made, but since the computer erased them all I will just talk about them in class on Thursday.
I think this story is more satisfying than "Lyman's Luck"...maybe because of the backstory. Lyman is more of a round character here. I can see more of his traits and the depth of the traits shown in "Lyman's Luck", his motives, habits, blah. "Little Red Convertible" answers the open-ended questions from the previous story. I have to say I like both, really.
ReplyDeleteThis story is soooo sad!! I liked it so much more than "Lyman's Luck." In that story he's insensitive and very focused, to the point of being obsessed, and he's greedy. But in this one he seems like just a confused little kid that wants his brother back. It's a huge difference, and it's such a change that I wonder if it was even on purpose... maybe we should talk about that in class.
ReplyDeleteI think Lyman is very different in this story. He seems much less selfish, and you get a much deeper look into his personality. He seems much harder in the other story. I like both of the stories very much. I'm not sure I can really compare them because they seem so very very different.
ReplyDeleteI also like this Lyman. He is a little easier to relate to because he is a little more human. Before, he was just so greedy and hard to relate to (at least I think so). He even seems kind of nice. I like this story better, because you get more of an image, and Lyman is a better person.
ReplyDelete"The Red Convertible" shows a very different side of Lyman, but he's not completely different in this story. This story merely shows the way he relates to his family as opposed to the government and white people, but that anger still shows, like in the line about government problems being full of holes. I think I prefered "Lyman's Luck" because the emotional energy in that one was so strong, and "The Red Convertible" writing is a little looser, there were times where I wasn't sure what was happening, a couple of misleading sentences and that kind of thing. But it was still a very good lok at Lyman's life.
ReplyDeleteI think that how Henry changed when he came back from the war is very similar to the way Lyman changed after he pushed the car into the water. He is very different in the stories. I thiknk that the purpose of 'The Red Convertible' is to show the changes of both brothers, mostly henry, but also Lyman in contrast to 'Lyman's Luck'. I liked 'Red Convertible' better than 'Lyman's Luck' because it had more details and i think that it just explained everything more thoroughly. This story, to me, was about growing up, and seeing the world for the first time, if it's in vietnam during a war, or through your older brother's eyes. Very good story. I want to know more about Lyman.
ReplyDeleteLauren says: I'm not too fond of either stories, actually... They just don't speak to me. I feel that this story lingers around more that Lyman's luck. Something I'm also not fond of. Lyman's luck is short, simple, and easier to guess.
ReplyDeleteLita says: I think I like Lyman in “The Red Convertible” more than in ”Lyman’s Luck.” Lyman is a much more relateable and round in “The Red Convertible” than in the previous story. Before, he seemed like a person who just wanted money and was fine with taking advantage of people for his own greed. This story changes my perspective of Lyman, because it helps me understand why he is the way he is in “Lyman’s Luck.” He’s still the same lucky, strong character, but these two stories show him in two very different times in his life.
ReplyDeleteOlivia says: If the author had given Lyman a different name in each story, I think that I would have pointed out (at least in my head) that they had similar characteristics and outlooks on things. Personally I think that Lyman is a tad on the negative side, but he seems to explain it a lot of the time. I don't think I would choose to be his friend if I had the choice though. I think that Lyman's Luck was more out there didn't really have a pinpoint focus, he was just explaining an idea/dream. The Red Convertible was leading up to something and there was a more identifiable climax. I think I like the plot of The Red Convertible better, but the way Lyman's Luck was "short sweet and to the point".
ReplyDelete