The Handsomest Drowned Man Questions

1)      Does the drowned man create conflict in the village, or bring the village together? (Your answer might change depending on which part of the story you're examining.)

2)      Flowers are mentioned in the beginning of the story and at the very end; what do the flowers represent to the people of the village? How has that changed since the arrival of the drowned man?

3)      How does the drowned man give the villagers a stronger sense of identity? Why is this important to people?

 

This week we will look at “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”, “The Temp” and Edward Scissorhands in class. All three of these stories contain individuals that become part of a community in some way and have profound effects of the people. In “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” it is a corpse that washes ashore that gives the townspeople a new way of looking at their lives, in “The Temp” it is a temp hired in an office that changes the atmosphere of the work environment and in Edward Scissorhands it is a unique young man that forces a rather boring town to see how boring and judgmental they really are. This week pay attention to what these “magical strangers” force the people in the stories to look at it in their lives.

 

The Importance of Appearance

“In traditional societies, clothing reflected ones rank and place in society, and identified one. Its function was not merely to clothe a naked person but also to  beautify him or her. While it always reflected ones outward place it also reveals something on ones internal character. Thus clothing was both protection from the elements and an expression of spiritual and cultural identity”

“Just like one can determine the ripeness or rottenness of a fruit based on its appearance, one can usually draw conclusions on one’s inner character from how they present themselves” Agree?

(http://www.ridingthetiger.org/2013/03/19/the-importance-of-appearance/).

“But recent research suggests that we may need to adopt a more cynical attitude. It turns out that a candidate’s appearance — not beauty, but a look of competence — can generate a far greater vote swing than we previously thought. Furthermore, this effect is not only powerful but also subliminal. Few of us believe that appearance determines our vote, yet for a significant number of us, it may” (Mlondinow).