Please use at least three Ch. 3 vocabulary words in your answer to the following prompt: what stories do you know that begin in medias res (in the middle of things)? Why do you think the author or director chose to break chronology and write the story that way?
In an episode of the hit teen drama, One Tree Hill, the beginning shows a pathos scene of Nathan, one main character, drowning in a lake after his wedding. Then a flashback occurs showing before the wedding. The director chose to break chronology and start in medias res, because it builds suspense and intrigues the viewer. The episode continues showing the wedding and then how Nathan was put in jeopardy. Viewers can empathize Nathan's choices for jumping into the water to try and save his drowning friends. We then arrive at where the episode started, and then see how Nathan survived the tragic event.
ReplyDeleteMadison, "pathos" is a noun, not an adjective. So, you could say "the beginning shows a scene that ignites great pathos in the viewer", but not that a scene IS pathos. Does that make sense?
DeleteIn the book Fahrenheit 451, the reader is dropped into the dystopian novel with no knowledge of the futuristic society. It begins with Montag, the main character, expressing great antipathy for books; Montag belongs to the fire department where the firemen's job is to burn books. I believe the author wished to start the book with such a dramatic beginning to grab the reader's attention, for the idea of burning books and ultimately jeopardizing knowledge is an intriguing concept. The fact that the reader could not empathize with any of the actions within the beginning of the book only arouses more questions, and thus prompts you to read more and more.
ReplyDeleteThe confusion of a landed plane messes up all scheduled planes and messes up the new assistant who has had a hard day, in the book of "The Hidden" .The plane arrives with rows full of babies and no pilot. The author started the story off like that to get the readers attention. She would not have memorized many of the readers by starting off the story like any typical book with no apathy, instead of feeling and actions to it that may catch the readers attention. Not starting the beginning of the story in the middle may jeopardize the chance of the author getting their reader's attention.
ReplyDeleteThe Glass Castle begins with Jeanette spotting her mother on the streets. Jeanette is ashamed of the apathy she feels, she thinks that reaching out to her mother could jeopardize her newly found success and independence. After grabbing the readers attention, Jeanette then moves to the beginning of her story and writes about her precarious childhood and the many foibles of her parents. At times, jeanette and her siblings develop extreme antipathy for their parents. However, Jeanette eventually learns to recognize her fathers cupidity and her mothers failure to empathize with her and her siblings and she accepts them even with there flaws.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching and reading the volumes of Kill Bill, I realized that in the second edition to the sequel, the director continuously flashes back to the main character's days of vigorous training to perfect her martial art skills. Throughout the movie, the theme of "starting in the middle" is portrayed by showing small portions of her past which included being taught by a psychopathic trainer and falling in love with a philistine. As the story progresses, her precarious training proves to be well worth the effort because in the final scene of the story, she must defeat her former husband while using the skills she had learned. In my opinion, the author and director of the story broke it down in this manner for suspense toward the audience and for plot purposes. The tension built up until the climax of the plot when the character mesmerizes the audience or viewers with her outstanding kung fu abilities.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read the mesmerizing book Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. I can safely say that it is one of my favorite books of all time. This book was about Louis Zamperini's life and how he went from being a track star with so much potential, to going to fighting in World War II. Louis' plane crashed on a normal scanning flight. In the crash, all of the crew died except for Louis and two other members. Laura Hillenbrand starts the book right in the middle of the Louis' precarious journey in a raft. The next thing she writes about is how a Japanese bomber flew over their raft and started shooting at them and jeopardizing their lives. I think Hillenbrand starts the book in this spot to give a preview to the reading of how the book is going to go. She also probably started the book this way to get the reader hooked. I truly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to everyone.
ReplyDeleteIn the intriguing novel the Adoration of Jenna Fox, the story starts right after Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma and doesn't understand what's happening with wisps of memories begging her to remember but her parents' vague answers taunting her. Her father's forte helped his foible. His talented medical skills lead him to replace his daughter's entire body except ten percent of her brain so that she could survive. By starting in the middle of the story the reader is drawn in as she searches for answers, jeopardizing her safety. This technique also left the reader with the same questions as Jenna, making them feel as if they can empathize with her but really the reader is just filled with pathos.
ReplyDeleteMy friends have often made fun of me for this, but one of my three favorite TV shows of all time is Law and Order. Not SVU, not Criminal Intent; just regular, 1990s Law and Order. Every episode starts with an egregious crime, one often committed out of antipathy, apathy, jealousy, or pain. However, we are never introduced to the victim until they have become one. We don't know them until their encounter with their aggressor, and we backtrack from there, learning as much about them as the show wants us to as our beloved detectives search for the culprit. There are several reasons for this. The first is practical. The show is not about the victims, but about "the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders" (and yes, I did that from memory). In all seriousness, the second reason Law and Order begins in the middle is the fact that the detectives need a mystery to solve. It does not really make any sense to learn about a person who is going to be killed 20 minutes into the show. Beginning in the middle of things is one of the main reasons Law and Order mesmerized its TV audience for more than 20 years, and a main reason why it is one of my favorite television shows.
ReplyDeleteHey Zach, that's an awesome show!
DeleteI've seen every episode. Of SVU too, but the original is still best. For a while, I was writing an episode I wanted to send to them, but....then I got stuck grading papers!
DeleteIn the Maze Runner, a book that I recently read, a boy named Thomas starts out in a metal box being lifted by a chain. Did he has no recollection of his past life and memories? This is that mesmerized me into finishing the entire trilogy in two days. Every page is filled with precarious plots to escape what he and his mates call the Glade. They all ened up, one by one, in a concrete compound with sliding doors, inconceivable of man. To stay alive, each "glader" mus use his own forte to keep the others alive. I would recommend this book to anybody. (period). . . . . . . (lots of periods..).......................................................................................
ReplyDeleteThe book starts off with a description from Percy Jackson's point of view. "The Lightening Thief" is a medias res. Opening with a mesmerizing scene, that makes the readers want to continue the book and find out what caused him to evaporate his algebra teacher. I think the author, Rick Riordan, start the book in the middle of things because it grabs the reader into the book. The opening sentence talks about the precarious situation Percy Jackson falls into by the tone. Which leads the reader to empathize with the character throughout the book. The medias res catches the readers attention, that's why the author used the technique of beginning with the climax.
ReplyDeleteIn the classic comedy, The Hangover, it starts with the groom's best friends out in the desert just hours before his wedding missing the groom. It leaves the viewer mesmerized with their predicament, asking what precarious actions could have possibly gotten them into this situation. It then flashes back to the beginning of his bachelors party. They eventually lose the groom and are forced to put all of their fortes together to find him. While they are in the desert, they make the call to his fiancé to tell her that he is missing. Just before they told her, they realized where their friend was and arrived to the wedding on time with just minor injuries. The writer probably did this so that it would help the viewer know what is going to happen without giving away the very end of the story. After it gets to the desert the tone of the movie changes to a more upbeat tone. It gives the viewer a relieved feel while being able to thoroughly enjoy the rest of the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe film adaptation of the mesmerizing Agatha Christie novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd starts with M. Poirot reading the diary of the psychopathic doctor, who killed Mr. Ackroyd. It then flashes back to the start of the story, when Mr. Ackroyd is still alive. The doctor, even though he has killed Mr. Ackroyd, takes the precarious risk to become M. Poirot’s sidekick to help him find the killer, even though he knows that no matter how hard he tries, the trail will lead to him. I think the director chose to portray it in this manner because it is a hook. The audience’s curiosity is stoked. They want to find out who wrote the journal and what was the context behind the insane thoughts written in the journal.
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ReplyDeleteThe show Desperate Housewives often begins their shows in the middle to mesmerize their viewers. I remember one specific episode where it shows the four main characters precariously hiding a dead body in the woods. It left me wondering how it happened and wanting to watch the rest. Starting in the middle of things seems to be a catholic method in writing. I think it is a very effective way to keep the audience watching and paying close attention. Also, it leads you to notice small details that you may overlook otherwise. While some despise this method, I think it is a very effective way to grasp attention and enhance the story.
ReplyDeleteIn the mesmerizing show The Walking Dead, the pilot episode began with the protagonist, Rick, at a gas station during the zombie apocalypse. However, in the beginning of the plot, Rick wakes up in a hospital after the zombie outbreak began. Rick is shown in his sheriff uniform, implying that marksmanship is his forte, making him a worthy contender for the apocalypse. His scavenging at the gas station proves to be a precarious one, because a zombie ambushes him. I believe the writers decided to start the show off in the middle of things to keep the viewer interested. They want the audience to be asking questions like, "Who is this man?" and "Why are there zombies?".
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, the prologue of the book begins with an incredibly horrific experience of the main character as a young adult. In chapter one, he jumps to his nineties. I think Gruen chose to start the book off like this for multiple reasons. The main one, I think, is that without the prologue, the reader would become apathetic towards Jacob since he is a seemingly typical old man. But because the reader has been exposed to the unique life of the young Jacob, we care about where life has taken him and want to keep reading. This is also the reason why Mr. Jankowski's hurt hip creates pathos for him. If we did not know about his career in the circus, an old man in a wheelchair would not tug at our hearts. All in all, the flashback to such a powerful and influential experience creates the desire to empathize with the character's personality and his life.
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ReplyDeleteAnother Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases book, based on one of my most favorite anime series, Death Note, begins in the middle of a psychopaths mass murdering. The reader is mesmerized by this intriguing story to want and read more about how, why, and when the murders began. As it is read on, the book illustrates the jeopardizing events to the two detectives on the case, L and Naomi Misora. In the end the mass murdering psychopath is put into custody. I believe the authors Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata began the story in the middle of things because it is a way to maintain the reader wanting to read more and also so the reader can get a sense of what the book is about right away.
ReplyDeleteIn the heart wrenching movie The Notebook, it begins with Ally and Noah later in life. Ally has Alzheimer's and Noah reads her the story of their relationship everyday. The movie goes on as it is told by Noah in his old age. The couples erotic love is seemingly irrevocable, but Ally's upperclass parents decide that it is and attempts to keep them apart. Noah's foible throughout the movie is his love for Ally, which causes him to become depressed and heart broken. His family has empathy for the way he feels, but he doesn't want their pity. This is an example of a movie that begins in medias res or in the middle. The reason the director uses this method of story telling is to keep the audience wondering why Noah is telling her this story. This captures the viewers attention and keeps them mesmerized by how dedicated and love stricken Noah is to retell Ally the story on a continuous cycle.
ReplyDeleteOk I actually published this a while ago but it wouldn't work for some reason, so I had to retype it all:
ReplyDeleteThe series, The Walking Dead, begins with a scene of the main character, Rick, at a gas station being antagonized by a psychopathic girl zombie. However, the next scene starts before the entire zombie apocalypse. The author probably started this way to get the audience right into the action. By seeing the main character immediately in a jeopardizing situation, the audience gains interest. The ability to intrigue the audience is clearly this author's forte.
In the movie Dear John, the story starts in the middle. In the very beginning, a flashback of John is shown that is shown again in the middle of the story. This movie is very good, about a young man who is trying to find his way through life. The certain flashback that occurs, is a scene in which John had just been shot and he looks mesmerized by the thought that he is having. He is thinking about coins, and his father. His father's forte in life was collecting coins, which was very special because each and every one was different. While John may not have always kept this special thing in mind, John did sometimes feel jeopardized because he felt like there was something weird going on with his father and he was always the center of attention, which confused him as a child. But, once he talks to his new girlfriend, he realizes how special his dad really is. In the end of the movie, his father dies and John's true pathos is revealed. This movie was great, partially because of the way it was set up, with the middle in the beginning. This format intrigues the reader to want to keep reading, and find out what is going to happen next.
ReplyDeleteIn "Bourne Identity", a top-rated movie, the story starts right in the middle. A fisherman in a small boat finds and picks up a man floating in the middle of the ocean with bullets in him where. The man, Jason Bourne, has completely lost his memory and throughout "Bourne Identity", Jason is trying to get his memory back. The only thing that Jason has on him is a Swiss Bank account. When he opens his safe he finds passports, money, and a gun. The gun mesmerizes Jason as he wonders what type of life he led. As Jason continues he finds no one who can emphasize with him, but that doesn't stop Jason. Jason's cupidity for his memory drives the whole movie. The director started in the middle to add mystery into the movie.
ReplyDeleteIn the puzzling series "Lost" the action starts right in the middle of their plane wrecked and occasional flashbacks of before the flight. All the characters have different fortes making their survival possible with little to no supplies. Many erotic tensions arise and distract the characters from getting off the island and or even surviving. On the other spectrum, much antipathy increases more and more as they stay on the island. I think the directors chose to write it this way because it hooks you on the story and can make you think of many questions and gets you more attached to the story.
ReplyDeleteIn the show How I Met Your Mother, the episodes almost always begin right in the middle of things. This mesmerizes the viewer into wanting to know more. Just as they are in jeopardy of giving too much away, they backtrack and show you the events that lead up to what they already showed you. The narrator, Ted Mosby's forte is leading the viewer in, and then making them wait to find out what really happens.
ReplyDeleteA movie I have seen that started out in the middle would be "Pulp Fiction". "Pulp Fiction" is a movie that is filled with psychopaths that are very good at what they do. Their forte consists of ending peoples lives and of putting fear into the heart of the people they come across. When the men are shown, you know that someone's life is going to be in jeopardy. The reason behind this would be the director wanted to let one get a feel for how the movie is going to be like. He shows how far these criminals in the movie will go to get their worth of money. It basically sets the tone for the whole movie. Starting in the middle helps add an extra edge to the movie and makes the audience more interested and helps make the setting more curious and makes one want to continue reading or watching.
ReplyDeleteThe movie shorts is a perfect example of a movie that starts in the middle of the movie. In this movie a kid does not remember how he found this magical rock, so he tells the story in shorts. Throughout the whole movie he is trying to come up with a bunch of psychopathic stories to see where he is now. While telling these little stories he comes across a girl who he thinks has erotic feelings towards him. But turns out all she wanted was the magical rock so she could grant her wish, what a cupidity girl.
ReplyDeleteBlack Beauty is a great example of a story that starts in media res. Black Beauty starts out with a precarious horse trying to find his original owner, a little boy. Black Beauty is jeopardized several times in the attempt to find the boy. Black beauty has several flash backs to explain where his owner could possibly be. The horse goes through several Psychopathic owners throughout his journey. I think the author started the story in media res to put more emphasis on the horses struggle through life.
ReplyDeleteThe Glass Castle, our core novel, began in media res as the author described herself as she watched her mother dig from the trash for food. Jeanette wants to reach out to her mother but she thinks she could jeopardize her new life. After this introduction, the author goes back to tell her story, starting from when she was just 3 years old. We learn about her sometimes her psychopathic and cupidinous parents. Jeannette later goes on about how she would indeed empathize with her apathetic and precarious parents, because they did try as hard as they could to raise her well.
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ReplyDeleteThis summer I read the Adoration of Jenna Fox and the beginning of the book, she wakes up from a coma. Not only did you miss how and why she had gotten into a coma, you also didn't know how long. It eventually tells you throughout the book but I don't think the author intended on having the book seen in this way. You at first are mesmerized at how one can go into s coma suffering such a bad accident and injury. But she had a very catholic perspective when it came to finding out who she really was. The book starts in the middle; after everything that had happened. The reader had no earthly clue what and how everything started. Only minor hints are dropped here and there throughout the book. I think that is what made the book interesting. No matter what you always had something to wonder or to think about. More like to predict. Such a catholic task but it was done and clearly stated while reading the book. I enjoy books that start with media res for an abundant of reasons and one of them is that you have to stop and understand the story.
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