In "First Confession," the narrator adopts a humorous tone when he relates his first experience going to confession. Despite this humor, the narrator does learn and grow from the experience, changes that the adult narrator reveals through his comments. Why does humor help people when they're telling stories about serious subjects? Are there times when humor would NOT be appropriate?
Choose a milestone in your life (a few examples: first penance, first communion, first day of school, the day a younger sibling was born) that connects in some way with O'Connor's experience. Explain why you think the experiences connect (people, events, emotions, etc.), making sure you incorporate specific evidence from the story and specific details from your life. Then discuss whether or not humor would help or hinder the telling of your experience. Make sure you explain the reasons behind your position!
Unlike many of your blog assignments, this assignment might not connect with your peers' comments; however, if your memory is similar to a classmates' example, make sure you discuss different aspects and incorporate different arguments and different evidence from the story. DO NOT write a post that sounds like someone else's! You might, however, mention a post with similar events to demonstrate how your thinking differs from that other post.
All responses are due by 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 7th.
One major milestone in my life was the transfer from Hatboro Horsham school district and my move over to Pottstown and Pius. During middle school i was extremely stubborn and kinda slow. I only had a couple friends i could really hang out with because me and my mom were always fighting. So when I could sneak out I could only go so far. Then my parents asekd if I wanted to move right after me and my girlfriend broke up at the time so of course I wanted to leave.
ReplyDeleteWhen telling about this life expirience I would be able to participate alot of humor because afer arguing for several hours even days we would realize how stupid it sounded so now we look back and laugh at it.
A major milestone in my life is when my parents made me go to K-K. When they told me that I had to goto K-K and not Roman or Carroll with my other friends. I was very mad. Although i wasn't happy at first I still went and tried to make the best of it. Even though I wanted to be at the other schools I was begining to have a really good time and started to meet some new friends and and really cool people.
ReplyDeleteI now look back and think that I was really stupid for not wanting to goto K-K because I met some really great and impactful people. Now I look back and feel pretty dumb but i can now look back and get a good laugh.
A major milestone in my life was joining the Pius drama club. When I came to Pius my freshman year I was still an eighth grader; timid, shy, and afraid of just about anything. The first show I ever took part in was Romeo and Juliet, and for that I was stage crew, I was able to see behind the scenes what was going on and how things worked. Then my friend coerced me into doing the musical that year which was Seussical. We practiced for months and suspense built up as opening night approached.
ReplyDeleteThat night I was so nervous I was sick to my stomach, but after the opening scene was over and we were greeted by applause I felt that I truly belonged. That single momentous event brought me out of my shell and helped me mature mentally. Ever since I have never had a problem going on stage. I also met majority of my friends through drama club which has certainly made my life in high school more fulfilling. I believe this correlates to First Confession because, like the author, I was faced with an admittedly terrifying situation that ended up being an all around good time that I now can look back at and laugh at how silly I was and how much fun my friends and I had.
I suppose the closest experience I have to this story would be my own Confirmation because I don't exactly remember far enough back to my First Reconciliation. Although this is a major event for Catholics, at that age we don't really know what's going on. Our teachers and our pastor at St. Mary's would try to explain it to us and instead we would just memorize from the book instead of grasp the actual concept. Like in the story when Jackie's sister attempts impart fear upon him, I felt like our teachers and priest were all trying to scare us as much as possible before the day actually came (although they really weren’t). The bishop, during his homily I think, was to ask us questions. This was the stuff we were memorizing instead of understanding. That was probably the part where I was most nervous because obviously I didn't want to get called on. I'm sure I wasn't the only kid who was a little nervous but it turned out to be not so bad and we got through it despite my expectations. If I could go back in time I would tell myself don't believe the hype because it really wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, much like "First Confession". Unlike the story, I didn’t pull any knives on anyone nor had any other dramatic experiences like that and it wasn’t all that funny either. There isn’t really any room for humor in this story because not only is it not a humorous thing, I simply don’t remember anything humorous whether there was something or not. I'm certain though, that if there were humor in the story then it would be easier to read and follow because there would be some sort of comic relief.
ReplyDeleteOne major milestone in my life was this past summer when i went on the first Kairos for Pope John Paul 2. When I first found out I was chosen for the Kairos 1 I was so excited and couldnt wait until June came along!As time got closer I began to get more and more nervous about going,leaving my family and having no contact with them for 4 days just killed me. The day finally came and I had all kinds of mixed feelings going on, I didnt know what to expect or what would happen to me.We were finally there and i wasent sure if i would like it or not. Turns out it was the most amazing experience of my life and if i could go back anyday I would. Kairos was a life changing experience for me and it helped me think of things that I never would before. I loved every second of my kairos experience.
ReplyDeleteA major milestone in my life would have to be the birth of my sister Julia. When I found out I was going to have a baby sister, all these mixed thoughts went through my mind. I started thinking if I wasn't going to be as important to my parents now because my sister as coming into my life. At first, my parents did pay more attetion to my sister, but I soon learned that I had to become responsible because I was going to be a big brother. I would have to say that for the twelve years she has been in our family, we had our ups and downs, and good memories.
ReplyDeleteThere is humor between us just like Jackie and Nora in the story because when we fight and argue with other, deep down we both know we love each other no matter what. And within the next hour or so we would be laughing and joking around with one another.
This story reminds me of when I got my license, because in the story the narrator’s family made him nervous about his first confession and he gets so nervous that he starts making mistakes (such as kneeling where your suppose to put your hands.) Well the first time I went driving by myself my dad was nervous that I wouldn’t pay attention to the road, so like the teacher in the story, my dad tried to scare me so that I would be careful when I was driving. As I grabbed my keys and was walking out of my door my dad started talking to me about how if I damaged the car I would have to pay for it, and if I crashed it my family would not buy another car for me or my sister to drive. He also brought up stories about people he knew getting hurt in car accidents.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I’m a good driver but I was nervous driving after that. I think just like in the story it did more harm than good because it’s better to be relaxed when you drive then nervous. Looking back I think it’s funny because I was so excited to be able to drive and my dad knew how to scare me so that I’d be careful.
I think people used humor during serious stories to make it most interesting to read and people might remember it more. However there is definitely times were humor is not appropriate to use. When people are dealing with hardships and difficult times I don’t think it’s appropriate to crack jokes because it’s rude.
One major milestone in my life would have to be when my sister left for college this past summer. I was so used to doing everything with her and it was so strange to not have her here every day. It was hard to know she wasn't going to be taking me to school everyday or driving me around everywhere. I really figured out how much i would miss her when she was finally gone. We fought alot but we are still are best friends.
ReplyDeleteI think humor would help at times in a story like this because it would take away from the seriousness of it. I could have incorporated that even though we fight nonstop at times, so that it wasn't all just a sad story.
One major milestone in my life was when i was in 8th grade, I made it to the archdiocies track and field champion for high jump. It was the best thirty or so kids from 150+ schools and I took home the gold medal jumping 5 feet 6 inches as a 12 year old!
ReplyDeleteThere was humor in this situation was that, getting there, in the district and area rounds I came in second both times to the same person from St. Elenors. Dispite that I ended up beating him in the archdiocese championship. Even funnier then that, I havent improved very much since then.
One major milestone in my life would be my baptism. This is an event that further connects me with God eventhough I was only an infant. I personally didn't really have any feelings towards this sacrament but my enitre family was responsible. I predict there were mixed emotions on preparation, the actual baptism and afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI find this humerous in a way because I was too young to know any prayers, readings, or songs that were being held during my ceremony. After growing up I learned why this sacrament is so important and what it really means to recieve it. Jackie from the story ties into my family because they both were nervous and unsure of what to expect.
A major milestone in my life would have to be when i was told i would not be graduating from Kennedy-Kenrick. I always pictured myself graduating from K-K, we heard a few rumors about maybe K-K closing and there being a new school opened but we were promised that if anything was to happen it would be after we graduate. At the end of freshman year me and my classmates found out that this promise would not be kept. I remember when i was in 3rd and 4th grade coming to K-K football games and imagining myself attending Kennedy-Kenrick and spending 4 years there. So since i was young the thought of me spending 4 years at K-K was inevitable.
ReplyDeleteI think humor would be appropriate in the most part of telling this story. Me and some of my classmates will laugh about the situation some of the time because there is nothing we can do about it. Being forced to finish my four high-school years somewhere other then K-K was heartbreaking, but the reality is that us moping around about it will not change anything so the best thing to do about the situation is laugh.
A major milestone in my life was when I got voted to win the MVP award for my gradeschool football team. I had all these mixed emotions and I couldn't think correctly. My first emotion was to bust out screaming in joy but I couldn't cause we were at a formal occasion so I had to keep my cool. When I recieved the trophy I just had the biggest smile on my face and I just went to all the coaches and thanked them for their help throughout the season. After the ceromony when I got home I just couldn't sit down for a second and I just was the happiest kid alive but after a while I realized the season was over and I couldn't prove myself to the kids and parents on the team anymore and then I was upset.
ReplyDeleteDuring this milestone in my life, humor was a big part. that is because to get the MVP you had to play a whole season. So throughout the season there were many laughes shared between the team and the coaches. We also tryed to have fun during practice and the games. And nowadays when my friends and I look back at the gradeschool football season all we do is laugh cause of the good times we had.
One major milestone in my life that is similiar to The First Confession would have to be graduating from 8th grade and going to K-K. I always thought that I would be going to high school my friends that i went to school with from kindergarden through 8th grade, but I was wrong. My parents made me go to K-K and I swore on everything it was going to be the worst experience of my life. I was so afraid of going to a new school where I didn't know anyone and I dreaded it. After a few months, I realized how much I loved going there. Up until the merge my friends and I would joke and laugh about how dramatic I was when I found out I had to go there. Now when I look back on it, that was an experience that humor was properly used.
ReplyDeleteA major milestone in my life was when i committed to Millersville Univeristy this past septemeber to play basseball for them. I am very happy now and can't wait to go there next year.
ReplyDeleteA major milestone in my life would have to be when I received my first communion. This is major milestone for a Catholic and a growing experience like what the narrator experienced in "First Confession". Looking back I remember being somewhat nervous as it seemed like a big deal at the time. My family was there and everyone receiving communion was all dressed up. But also looking back it was only the first of many times receiving communion. So, like the narrator, it seemed to me to be scarier at the time then it seems to me now because I've received communion many times. I believe humor helps when talking about serious subjects because it lightens the mood of what's being said, making it easier to listen to and talk about. I don't know if humor would help or hinder the telling of my story. It isn't something that is extremely serious and hard to talk about, so humor could help the story and probably not hurt it, but it is not neccesary to helping to tell the story.
ReplyDeleteOne big event that occured in my life was when I moved back to Pennsylvania from Delaware. I was so scared to move because I wouldn't really be able to see my friends to much more. We needed to move because both my parents got transferred to stores up here. Although I was really apprehensive about the situation it wasn't all that bad. There were many people in my nieghborhood who I could hang out with. Also most of the kids at my gradeschool where welcoming, and we all played sports and stuff at recess so I fit in very well. Now that I look back on it, it is comical to know now that it really wasn't that bad.
ReplyDeleteOne major milestone in my life was getting my license. This was very important to me becuase I was very nervous about taking my license test adn when I finally got it I felt like the weight of the world was lifted of my shoulders. This time in my life connects to the story becuase Jackie thought he was responsible enough to go to confession but he really was not. This ties into my real life because when I went for my license and I thought I was ready but I failed.... twice.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major milestones in my life that connects with this story would have to be the first time I took the SAT. Going into the test I really didnt know anyone there and it was a different school then I was used to. Everyone told me how tough the test was, and how exhausted you feel afterward. Just like how everyone tried to tell jackie how bad his first confession was going to be for him. Despite these negatives the overall expierence was positive. I ended up doing well and feel more comfortable taking the test again in the future. In this situation humor would help me to retell the story, it would make it easier to associate with and help people to understand that the SAT is not as bad as people think.
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