Thursday, April 16, 2015

Week Thirteen: "The Aquatic Uncle" Question Responsese


  1. Are there any prominent symbols in the story? If so, what are they and how are they used?
    1. The Aquatic Uncle uses evolution as a prominent symbol throughout the story, particularly the stark comparison between "terrestrials" and "aquatic" inhabitants. From the narrator's point of view, anything that is wet or damp or fish-like in nature is used in a negative, almost derogatory way. 
  2. What connections did you make with the story you read? Discuss the elements of the work which you were able to connect.
    1. I related the the familial ties that the narrator had with his great uncle N'ba N'ga, having grown up with a large extended Italian-American family myself. The same way N'ba N'ga defends living an aquatic life where there are plenty of worms and crayfish, my own great-aunts and uncles have expressed their insistence that they don't need to be a part of the technological advances that we see today. Trying to get my grandmother on facebook is about as impossible as getting the aquatic uncle to live on land. Unlike the narrator, however, I do not relate to his obvious prejudice and familial self-consciousness/shame. Qwfwq is very embarrassed by his uncle. 
  3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
    1. I think the story has very strong elements of storytelling and narrative from the perspective of the narrator. If I were to adapt the story into another medium, I would choose a short animated film format. I'm not an animation student myself, but to illustrate the contrast between old and new, I could perhaps use the contrast between the elements of traditional animation for the more "aquatic" world compared to CGI for the terrestrial world. There is a lot of discussion about the evolution of animation and its shift to realistic CGI versus more stylized animation techniques. As far as storytelling changes, I don't know what I would change??

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