Pretty+Horses


 * Discussion Time:**
 * Friday****, January 20,** **12:55-2:25 (5B)**

Caleb Uhl Eryn Dioli Adam Wriggins Carrie Adams Tom Sullivan Jack Clayton Sharon Bowler
 * Group Members:**

** John Grady Cole - the protagonist. He leaves home with his best friend Rawlins and travels to Mexico, where he meets Alejandra. His love for horses is a major aspect of the novel. **
 * Characters **
 * John Grady’s father - Not much is known of him besides he served in WWII, he is dieing at the start of the book, and divorced. **
 * Lacey Rawlins - John’s best friend. Rawlins distrusts Blevins but turns around and is saddened by his death. John Grady is alone in much of his prison experience because Rawlins is injured early on in the story. **
 * Jimmy Blevins - A young boy who is running away from something (we don’t know what it is) and joins Cole and Blevins. He loses his horse in a lightning storm and steals him back, resulting in his arrest and ultimate death. **
 * Alejandra - A beautiful mexican girl living on the ranch who is fluent in English. She falls in love with John Grady but obeys everything that her father says to her. **
 * The Captain (Raul) - The unofficial and corrupt lawman of Encantada. He falsely accused Rawlins and John Grady of stealing horses, he tortures Rawlins and takes a bribe from the Charro to kill Blevins. **
 * Antonio - Probably John Grady’s best friend (besides Rawlins) on the ranch. He is the brother of Armondo, the foreman of the ranch. **
 * Alfonsa - Alejandra’s grand-aunt. She plays John Grady in chess and discourages him from pursuing her grand-niece. **
 * Don Hector - Owner of ranch, father of Alejandra. **
 * Perez - Powerful and wealthy prisoner in the prison. Perez tries to convince Rawlins and John Grady to ally with him to gain power, but they decline. Perez allegedly hires someone to kill John Grady, unsuccessfully. **
 * The Charro (Luis) - Pays the captain to kill Blevins because Blevins killed The Charro’s relative. **


 * Setting(s) **
 * time: 1947 **
 * place: Texas and Mexico **


 * Conflicts - **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Identify and elaborate on the conflicts that drive the plot. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One conflict of this novel is that John Grady wants to take over his grandfather’s ranch but it is sold. This causes Grady and his friend Rawlins to flee to Mexico to look for work. Another major conflict is that Grady falls in love with Alejandra in Mexico but her family does not approve. Then he and Rawlins are sent to jail which creates a whole new major conflict. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Narration (point of view) - **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Describe how the telling impacts the story. McCarthy tells the story from a third person view. He remains pretty uninvolved to the characters and has an unbiased narration. His story telling focused more on the scenery than the characters at times. Like the setting, Mexico, is the main character. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Qualities of the journey - **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Each group member should make a statement about the journey (metaphorical, literal, etc.) and how the character changes (or not...). **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Caleb - Throughout this journey John Grady loses his friends, loses his love, is thrown in jail, and kills another man. This is enough to send anyone in an emotional downward spiral. All of these events will surely change his life forever and he will never be the same. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jack - John Grady was definitely a changed man when he returned to the Texas at the end of his journey. He had left home a simple boy from a ranch and he returned a grown man who had gone to jail, fallen in love, lost his love, gotten shot, and killed a man. John Grady had suffered more loss from his journey to Mexico than most experience in their whole lives. This dramatically changes his views on life, god, and fate. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Carrie - John goes on an emotional journey in this book and gains his independence as a character. This is a classic coming-of-age story, except in this interpretation John Grady ends up in a worse place. Before the story he had a place to live and a best friend, and now he has nobody to turn to, a lost love, and no family. However, he has had an adventure. Do you think it was worth all the loss? Does every teenager need an intense experience like John Grady to see life in a new, wizened perspective? **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Whip:
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How did you like the book?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What did you care most about in the book?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Who were your favorite and least favorite characters?


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Three A’s Text Protocol **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In pairs, compare notes and find 2-3 passages that make an impact on you. Share these around the circle. Allow time for comments from other participants. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What parts of the text AFFECT you?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you AGREE with in the passages?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you ARGUE with in the text?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. 10 words or less
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On your own summarize the book in ten words or less.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Share the summaries: the writer reads the summary and another participant asks a question or makes a comment in response to that summary. The writer responds and talk can openly from there. Move to the next summary.


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Whip II **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How did you respond to Blevins death?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What did you think of their experience in prison?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What passage(s) made an impact on you?


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Discussion Questions **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How did you feel about untranslated Spanish? Was it still able to be understood or did it compromise the novel?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What was their incentive for leaving? Why do they both leave?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How did you like McCarthy’s unpunctuated writing style? Did it enhance the novel or make it more difficult to understand?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Where do you think Blevins came from?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What was the significance of John Grady’s conversation with the judge at the end of the novel?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">John Cole is sixteen years old. Did this seem believable for a sixteen year old to be having such intense experiences, or was it just a coming-of-age story that was a little more grown-up?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Examine John Grady and Rawlins’ relationship.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Should John Grady have trusted Perez and accepted his help, or was he right to be wary of Perez’s assistance?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Compare this book to Catcher in the Rye. How is it similar? How is it different?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What has John Grady learned about life at the end of his journey?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What was Rawlins’ journey like? The book focuses on John Grady, but what were Rawlins’ experiences like?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Was it noble for Alejandra to refuse to leave with John Grady, or should she have chosen love?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Discuss the women in the novel. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__One review__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> says that they were portrayed as superficial and shallow, except for Alejandra’s great aunt. Do you agree?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What was the climax?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is this a “boy’s book,” a “girl’s book,” or a book that anyone can enjoy?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How did you like the ending? Were you satisfied?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Did the journey of John Grady come full circle? How does the end compare to the beginning?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the first book in a trilogy. The second novel tells the story of another young boy, and the final volume brings together the protagonists of the first two novels. Where would you like to see John’s life go from here? Should he reconnect with Alejandra, or was she just a step in his journey to adulthood?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you think this book relates better to men or women?


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Critical Review **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__This review__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> discusses the fading transportation of horses and contemplates the way McCarthy preserves a way of life that is becoming obsolete with cars as transportation. The author also argues that the untranslated Spanish compromises the book. The author claims that the women were without depth and says that the novel is too ornately detailed. The review also discussed John’s talent - at everything. He wins at chess, he wins the fight in the jail, he trains the horses, and he’s the best rider. The author views this as a weakness. **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New York Times Review <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__here__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• This review suggests that maybe the landscape is the biggest character in the novel. That the humans and their actions derive from the setting. This can be seen in McCarthy’s incredibly descriptive writing about the setting in the novel. Do you agree? **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• All The Pretty Horses is said to be McCarthy’s most accessible novel. Would you want to read his other novels? **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• McCarthy lives a quiet and detached life from the media and from outside influence. Does this show in his writing? **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Trailer for All The Pretty Horses **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">starring Matt Damon as John Grady and Penelope Cruz as Alejandra **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yygkQ8SjjQk__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The movie was not received well critically (it <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__received a 32%__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on Rotten Tomatoes), but was praised for its beautiful scenery. **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• How did you feel about the casting? Was it appropriate? **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• Did the music in the trailer enhance the story or take it in a different direction than you had imagined? **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• Did the set reflect what you imagined as you read the book? How was it different [[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QNJQvL5wGuM-UkMR6HjXM6bpVqn7IrSFhUprpnrmLw5sHNWwdp7BUaKuFu5gfJrZgDXqTN_YmEXqbkUx_Ag3Z7flBYOAgUHB_tp-itQ_UxXVVj1oZg]] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How old would you say he is? **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">• In the novel, John Grady is sixteen years old. In the movie, Matt Damon was 30 and portrayed a man in his twenties. Did this age change seem appropriate? Did it make the story more believable? **


 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Movie Review: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940CE4D71538F936A15751C1A9669C8B63__] **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The critic from this movie review did not enjoy the movie at all. He thought that it was slow and shallow. He also thinks that the story in the movie is thin, lacking original thought, and boring. He thought that the scenery and landscapes were pleasing however. He goes on to say that the relationship between Grady and Alejandra doesn’t seem genuine in the movie. **