Chapters 1 and 2
Grit: Noun. Firmness of character
synomyms: courage, determination, fortitude, resolve, guts, mettle, nerve, pluck, backbone, spunk, tenacity, toughness, willpower
In choosing a book for this summer, we settled on a book that represents a characteristic we think any student should aspire to. Grit.
People who have this quality may never achieve notoriety, but they will achieve success.
However, some people have achieved some measure of fame because they possessed grit. Michelangelo battled Pope Julius II (one of the most powerful men in the world), and spent years on his back 50 feet in the air, but painted the Sistine Ceiling
Steve Jobs was forced out at Apple, but eventually worked his way back into the company's leadership and oversaw the creation of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, which you may have heard of, making Apple Inc. the world's most profitable company.
Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer, nearly died, and survived several brain surgeries before winning the Tour de France seven times.
These are just a few. For your first Dinner Table Discussion (DTD), ask your parents how they define "grit" and who exemplifies it for them.
As you begin reading, pay attention to the language. Mattie, Rooster, LaBoeuf, and all the other characters speak a distinctive type of English. It is both formal and direct at the same time. Portis's novel has been acclaimed for his mastery of the Western Dialect.
Chapter 1 ends with the following quote from Proverbs: "'The wicked flee when none pursueth'" (Portis, 17). Do you agree with this statement? Why would someone run when no one is chasing them?
What kind of person is Mattie Ross? How do you know?
She views the hangings in the town square with no real reaction. This is very different from the way "justice" is handed down in our culture? Are there advantages to public punishment? What are the disadvantages? Why do you think our society has rejected this type of public execution?
Compare Mattie's description of Tom Chaney and Yarnell Poindexter. They are both of similar social classes (poor), but they seem to have vastly different natures. What are the qualities Yarnell has that Tom Chaney is lacking?
Enjoy the book. This blog is here to help, so ask questions if you have any.
This is an incredible novel. The choice of Mattie Ross as the narrator is especially brilliant. It gives the novel a feel of a grandmother telling a tale by the fire in the middle of the desert. There is no break in the Western dialogue because Mattie narrates just like she speaks. Unlike Faulkner, who practically writes in another language between dialogue and narration, Portis uses Mattie Ross to give the whole story the touch of Mattie Ross's unique voice and with that, all of her biases. She only says what is neccessary and what she feels needs to be said. Later in the novel, she says that she doesn't entertain drunks or show-offs and shows that when Rooster is drunk and says, "A man will not work for a woman, not unless he has clabber for brains" (173). And Mattie does not reply, even though Cogburn is working for her because she asks rhetorically, "What have you done when you have bested a fool?" (173). As for the quote, "'The wicked flee when none pursueth,'" I agree. "Wicked" people run because they know what they have done wrong and that is a means of escape from their internal struggle. Portis uses other biblical references to help develop the characters in the reader's mind. In chapter 1, Mattie says of her father that, "He was his brother's keeper," (16) alluding to the book of Genesis and likening Chaney to Cain and Frank Ross to Abel. Chaney is painted as a lowlife who is a betrayer of her father's trust and Frank is developed as a good, virtuous man.
ReplyDeleteThis novel is very aptly named True Grit. While Mattie repeats this term over and over in reference to Rooster’s character, the novel's title seems appropriate not due to Rooster, but Mattie herself. Mattie Ross, through her diligence to "avenge her father's blood," (11) is able to communicate to readers that she is the real definition of grit. She endures the discrimination of youth, and also the discrimination of being a woman, to prove the worth of her father’s life, to attain her version of justice – and to a large extent, revenge. While Mattie may not see it in herself, her journey, and ultimately her journey’s success is only achieved because of the grit she possesses. Mattie, from the optimum treatment she gives Yarnell, the directness she uses with Stonehill, and the determination she has towards her goal to find Chaney (despite what LaBoeuf or Rooster say), proves that she is a young woman filled with grit, and moral righteousness, making her a character who seems entirely reliable, and likeable. Mattie Ross is the kind of person who although always needs to get her way, does so for good reasons, making her respectable. She is an independent person, shown from her business dealings in youth all the way up until old age when she remains unmarried, and more so, is someone who has so much self-respect that she doesn’t succumb to the discriminatory way men treat her. Mattie is a wise, insightful, and driven woman, trapped in a body that is much too young for the true grit she posses.
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