The Story Cathedral
1. Read Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" (pp. 32 - 42) and Sherman Alexie's "Flight Patterns" (pp. 54 - 67).
2. Briefly write the historical and cultural contexts of each story. When and where do they take place? What hints, references, or details do the authors give to let you know the time and place of each story, and/or the cultural background of the characters? Be as specific and concise as possible.
The story “Cathedral” mainly takes place at the husband and wife’s home on a cold evening somewhere in the East Coast. We know this much because the author tells us that Robert took a long flight from the West Coast to Connecticut, where he then took a five hour train ride to their house. The story also says that the wife was holding the blind man by his coat sleeve, which leads me to believe that it was cold. I would say that this story takes place in the 1960’s because Robert mentioned having a black and white television and a colored television as well. The husband is not religious nor believes in God. When Robert asked the husband if he was in any way religious, he answered “I guess I don’t believe in it.”
“Flight Patterns” takes place in Seattle on a “…cold and foggy October morning” in 2002. William mentions that his daughter Grace expressed fear of him traveling “…since September 11 of the previous year…” William is Indian; he mentions this to the taxi cab driver. William is generally religious and believes in God. He seems to mention “God” a few times throughout the story. The author also tells us in the beginning of the story that “William wasn’t particularly religious; he was generally religious.”
3. Fully answer ONE of the following questions (in paragraph form) about "Cathedral." Give examples from the text:
b) What is the narrator's attitude toward the visit of the blind man? Why is he so threatened by the idea of that visit? How might the blind man threaten his worldview and/or values?
The author tends to be very judgmental towards blind people.
2. Briefly write the historical and cultural contexts of each story. When and where do they take place? What hints, references, or details do the authors give to let you know the time and place of each story, and/or the cultural background of the characters? Be as specific and concise as possible.
The story “Cathedral” mainly takes place at the husband and wife’s home on a cold evening somewhere in the East Coast. We know this much because the author tells us that Robert took a long flight from the West Coast to Connecticut, where he then took a five hour train ride to their house. The story also says that the wife was holding the blind man by his coat sleeve, which leads me to believe that it was cold. I would say that this story takes place in the 1960’s because Robert mentioned having a black and white television and a colored television as well. The husband is not religious nor believes in God. When Robert asked the husband if he was in any way religious, he answered “I guess I don’t believe in it.”
“Flight Patterns” takes place in Seattle on a “…cold and foggy October morning” in 2002. William mentions that his daughter Grace expressed fear of him traveling “…since September 11 of the previous year…” William is Indian; he mentions this to the taxi cab driver. William is generally religious and believes in God. He seems to mention “God” a few times throughout the story. The author also tells us in the beginning of the story that “William wasn’t particularly religious; he was generally religious.”
3. Fully answer ONE of the following questions (in paragraph form) about "Cathedral." Give examples from the text:
b) What is the narrator's attitude toward the visit of the blind man? Why is he so threatened by the idea of that visit? How might the blind man threaten his worldview and/or values?
The author tends to be very judgmental towards blind people.