"Slowly, Elvis stood up and started to clap. Buddy joined him. And then someone who wasn't part of Arthur's group, and then another, and then within seconds, the entire studio was filled with the thunderous sound of applause." (263)
I honestly really liked this entire reading until it came to this point. If i were there, and the candidate was saying these things, my reaction would be "okay, this guy is crazy", but I'm supposed to assume that everyone here is believing this? Idk it took me out of the reading a little bit. After thinking about it though, this moment kind of brought me back to the old readings. When Arthur would give a speech before a battle and everyone would join with him in cheers and stuff, so when I thought about it like that, I really actually came to enjoy this ending. I guess my question is, was there anything in this reading that at first you didn't enjoy, but you came to appreciate considering the context of the older texts?
That's a good question! I feel like I get frustrated by Arthur's continual refusal to acknowledge any of the norms of the society that he has found himself in ... but that is, as you say, something that comes from the original stories. He doesn't conduct battles or have a hierarchy of knights like other kingdoms do - his refusal to just follow the status quo is what makes him a good king and significant character, so why should he be any different in 1980s NYC?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I thought that part in the reading was very cheesy. It reminded me of so many 90's and early 2000's films that had the slow clap thing around the time if the climax of the movie. It really made me question "would this happen for real?" Yes it would make sense when you compare this scene to moments in the readings where Arthur would be praised for his speeches and such, but I really do not think he would have gotten the reception that he does in the book.
ReplyDeleteAt the very beginning, I liked how Arthur was portrayed as only having the ability to tell the truth. That's funny, and I guess it plays into his character of old. Then, I disliked the honesty, and thought how in the world could these other politicians not spin Arthur down a hole with pointed questions about his birth and mysterious backstory? Towards the end when all of this actually happened, I realized I liked this honest version of Arthur and appreciate the differences between Arthur and the others. This story kinda had me on a roller coaster.
ReplyDeleteYes, this part was extremely corny. I have to agree with you, it took me out a bit as well. I remember saying to myself "NOOOOOO pleasedon'tpleasedon'tplease.... ugh!" I wanted Arthur to completely deny it and make the guy look crazy. It was not how I expected this reading to go at all. Wish he would've at least tried to milk the human thing for a bit longer. Also, how did they find out?? I think I would've appreciated a bit more exploration on that as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the reaction of everyone was very corny. To piggyback on what Jenna said, it reminded me of a climax of a movie. Something that you may not personally do, but since its the climax of a movie you just have to. Very corny.
ReplyDeleteI found it to be more than a bit ridiculous. like James pointed out, this ignores multiple political realities, like Arthur's opponents not pursuing his minimal background and not jumping on his more old-fashioned ideas. maybe this is a product of the changes in campaign tactics since the 1980s?
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting scene to point out! I did not find myself letting this specific scene take mmy interest out of the reading. Although, this scene did come across as corny to me. I think it is because it sounds like a classic scene from a movie when, for example, a person in the background starts a slow clap that everyone eventually joins in on. All in all, I found myself interested in the whole excerpt.
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