Homework for Thursday - 9/24

Regarding the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", answer the following questions in paragraph form (one from each group), and in such a way that someone stumbling upon your blog could figure out what you're writing about. Also print your work out and bring it to class on Thursday.

Group 1

1. Explain the title. Why is it in the form of a question, and why are there two parts to the question? Who does "you" refer to?
2. Why is this story dedicated to Bob Dylan?
3. Who is the story's main character, Connie or Arnold Friend?

Group 2

1. Discuss the theme of the house as a metaphor of Connie's identity.
2. Who is Arnold Friend? Do you think he is appropriately named? What is the significance of his car? His clothing? His language?
3. When and why does Connie begin to question his identity? What impact does her confusion have on her own personality? How are "personality" and "identity" displayed and defined in this story?

Group 3

1. Do a little research about the significance of the numbers 33 19 17. What are some of the ideas that have been suggested about their meaning? What do you think they mean?
   
2. What do you think of the various members of Connie's family? Why has Oates limited their roles in the story?
3. Where does Arnold take Connie, and what happens to her? Write your own continuation of the story.

Group 4

1. Describe the tone of the story and how the tone interacts with the action - use examples from the text.
2. Describe important images that you see in the story and what they do to create meaning within the story.
3. How does the setting function in the story? Could this be anywhere? Why did Oates choose the setting(s) that she did?