literary analysis paper Dec. 12, 2007

Shelby Eckenberg
Prof. Rosemarie Adams
Essay #6 Draft 1
December 12, 2007
Literary Analysis: Sunday in the Park

Sunday in the Park, by Bel Kaufman, begins with a family enjoying a peaceful day at the park. Kaufman paints a picture of the perfect little family having a lovely day just spending some down time together. All of a sudden the story takes an unexpected turn when a bully and his father ruin a seemingly perfect Sunday afternoon. When Morton, the father, handles the situation in a somewhat passive way, the mother of Larry, the little boy, realizes that she didn’t get the outcome she quite wanted. The elements of plot, theme, character and setting play important role in this story. The plot in this story is very important because it sets the reader up for some unexpected events that take place.

The plot begins with a description of the characters and some personality traits that come into play throughout the story. The suspense begins when the little bully throws sand at Larry and doesn’t listen when he is told by Larry’s mother, the protagonist, to stop. After being told again to not throw sand, the bully’s father steps in and gives him permission to continue throwing the sand. Knowing that Larry’s father is also at the scene, it makes the reader wonder what is going to happen next, if anything at all. The foreshadowing that led up to this is when Larry’s mother is scanning the park and notices the big man on the bench who just happens to be the boy’s father. Once the bully’s father, the antagonist, steps in the crisis in the story begins. As both of the boy’s fathers begin to stand up, we wonder if they are going to go toe to toe and fight it out right there in the park, this is the climax of the story. After Larry and his family decide to leave the park and the confrontation, little do we know that another one between Larry’s mother and father are about to begin.

The theme in the story does not really come out until the end when Larry and his family are walking home after the confrontation at the park. Larry’s mother is clearly upset at how Morton handled the situation and instead of saying something; she represses her feelings about the confrontation. I believe she wanted to feel protected by Morton and to see him be a good role model for Larry. This doesn’t mean she wanted Morton to beat up the bully’s father, however, I think she wanted to see some action taken other than leaving the park. Morton was put in a lose, lose situation and this is just a classic case of nice guys finish last.

The stock characters in the story include the bully and his father who both do and say things that you would typically see in a bully. I believe Larry’s father is a flat character because he maintains his sophisticated and level-headed thinking throughout the story. He is presented as an educated man and I feel that during the confrontation he acted with dignity and didn’t stoop to the bully’s father’s level. The mother is more of a round character. She starts out by being a protective yet not overly protective mother who is looking out for her little boy. Once the bully’s mess with her family she turns into a woman who not only wants to protect but at the same time wants to feel protected by her husband.

This particular setting plays an important role in the story because it paints a picture of what a perfect family outing looks like. Being outside in the warm weather with the man she loves and her child, the mother of the story seems to have it all. The way Kaufman describes the park and the time of day allows the readers to easily imagine the family in the park. This ideal day is soon ruined by a couple of misfits who seem to take pleasure in being bully’s. Once the confrontation occurs, you soon realize that there would be no good ending for Morton had he decided to act on his emotions. Not only did it state the bully’s father was a large man, but also the fact that they were in a public place could have meant trouble with police.

The plot of the story does a nice job of setting up the reader for suspense and the big climax. Once the confrontation ends, you are left with a feeling of disappointment and frustration towards Morton. Although Kaufman portrays Morton to be so sophisticated and above fighting, there is a little part of me that wanted him to forget himself and teach the bully’s father a lesson.

Word count: 796

Dec. 5, 2007 Literary Anaylsis Freewriting

Thesis: The several elements that are important in this story are plot, theme, character and setting. The theme of this story is very important because it can be seen in everyday life among families.

I will be analyzing the story "Sunday in the Park" by Bel Kaufman. The point of view is third person objective, limited omniscient. The bully in this story is a stock character because he is your typical bully who does mean things for no reason. The bully's father is the antagonist and the mother is the protagonist. The mother was upset because she wanted the father to step up and be an example to his son. She wanted to feel protected by her husband and for her son to have a role model. The themes of this story are repression and the fact that nice guys finish last. I believe the father had some inner conflict about how to handle the situation with the bully's father. He didn't want to look like a wimp in front of his wife but at the same time he didn't want things to get out of control.

Journal entry 5 cont.

Journal 5C- Write a sentence...
1. Starbucks Coffee is a competitive company that provides terrific benefits to its partners and a welcoming "third place" for its customers and the community.

Journal 5D- Questions 2-5 "Identifying and understanding..."

2. I think the readers will be very knowledgeable on my topic because many people drink Starbucks and the Coffe Bean. They will already know what products each place offers but they may not be familiar with all the benefits that come with being an employee of each business.

3. I think the readers who like Starbucks will be in support of any positive claims. The people who like smaller companies like the Coffee Bean are likely to choose them because they like to support small business rather than big corporations.

4. They might stay that Starbucks takes business away from smaller coffee shops and isn't as personal. The people who support big companies may say that Starbucks provides quality products and a great work environment for employees and customers.

5. Their standards are likely to be based on quality and service. I share these standards because quality is important and great customer service is also very important.

Journal entry 5- 11/26/07 Freewriting on evaluation topic

Journal entry 5A- Reviewing what you now know...



1. I work at Starbucks so I am interested in how other coffee shops operate. I'm curious to see if places like the Coffee Bean are similar and if they offer things Starbucks does not.



2. I like the subject because it is something that I know a lot about so it won't be hard to find good information. I dislike the fact that I will be having to spend more time at work than I already do but I am excited to visit another coffee shop.



3. I usually look for strong similarities and differences so there are many possible things to evaluate. I would imagine that many people also look for these things when they are evaluating a subject.



4. Since I already spend a lot of time at Starbucks I plan on visiting the Coffee Bean and trying their products so I know what exactly what I am evaluating.





Journal entry 5B- List the details...



1. Some things that make my subject interesting are the number of people who enjoy coffee and who need it to start their days. I am also interested in learning why Starbucks has blow up like it has and why people tend to choose Starbucks coffee over other competitors. Another interesting factor might be the different products that each place has to offer and see what the big sellers at each location are,whether its frappuccinos or a food item.