Blog discussion exploring a subject

Blog discussion exploring a subject. Blog page has header Dr. Connolly’s Blog, English 101, Section 4. Instructor prompt: Who is Arnold Friend? Posted by Professor Barbara Connolly, Thu Mar 4, 2010 4:36 PM Instructor’s prompt: At one point during the story Arnold Friend demands, “Don’t you know who I am? Who do you think he is? Does the reader or Connie ever really know?” Links to View comments and Add a comment. A series of student responses to the prompt: Posted by Zoe Marshall, Thu Mar 4, 2010, 7:23 PM: I think we’re not supposed to know who Arnold Friend is. When he first arrives at Connie’s house she asks him, “Who the hell do you think you are?” but Arnold ignores her question by changing the subject. He never tells her who he really is, only that he’s her friend and her lover. Posted by Mirabel Chavez, Thu Mar 4, 2010, 7:47 PM: Connie is always pretending to be something else to her friends, her boyfriends, and her family. Oates describes her as having two sides: one for home and one for when she is away from home. Pretending is something Connie and Arnold have in common. Posted by Jon Fietze, Thu Mar 4, 2010, 8:04 PM: I found a lot of parallels between Arnold and the wolf in “Little Red Riding Hood.” For example, Connie notices Arnold’s hair, his teeth, and his grin. It reminded me of that part in “Little Red Riding Hood” when Little Red says, “Oh Grandmother, what big teeth you have!” Posted by Yuko Yoshikawa, Thu Mar 4, 2010, 11:11 PM: I was thinking the same thing. Plus, Arnold seems like he’s dressing up to hide who he is. Connie thinks that his hair is like a wig, and later that his face is a mask. It reminded me of when the wolf puts on the grandmother’s clothing to trick Little Red Riding Hood, just like Arnold is trying to trick Connie.

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