November 28

ELA 20: Nov 28 Goalie questions and two poems…

  1. We began class by rereading a portion of the essay titled “Goalie”. We discussed it briefly and then looked at the questions in detail. There were some really insightful and developed responses from the students.
  2. We talked about the idea that a parent has to realize, at some point, that their child is alone and that they as a parent are unable to be there for their child as they may like. I shared with them the idea that a parent and child can be walking in a line, side by side, but eventually that child grows and starts widening that gap between themselves and the parent and, at some point, may try to venture off in a whole different direction, no longer walking alone side or parallel to their parent. But, from personal experience, I can share that they may find, one day, that they subconsciously walk back towards that line the parent walks and may find they walk again beside their parents, as a friend this time, though, and not as a child. Life is an interesting journey. Looking to the future and anticipating what it may bring is an interesting task. 
  3. We looked at two poems from the perspective of fathers who find their children have become a disappointment. We studied the two poems on the overhead as students made comments on their own copies. We discussed questions concerning the first poem and were cut off by the bell. 
  4. Students were asked, before they left, to consider the essay “Goalie” and one of the two poems we looked at. They are to compare and contrast the father’s from each and in a paragraph write how they are similar and how they are different. I requested that they write their paragraph (make it a proper paragraph with topic sentence and supporting details ) in a word document, proof read and spell check it, and then paste it into the homework blog under this entry. We will share their perspectives and thoughts together when we have finished. 
  5. Their essay is due tomorrow but I will receive them until Friday. 

On a side note, I shared with the students a story I was reminded of through out discussions today. It was a time when my father asked me to do something he thought was right, though it killed me and I was utterly embarrassed. I hated that he made me do this thing, and though it means little now, it was one of those moments where a parent really tries to teach their child the right way, be it tough on child and parent or not! It was an emotional story, but I am glad I was able to share it with the students.  And I love my dad still!! 


Posted November 28, 2007 by Waldner in category ELA 20

11 thoughts on “ELA 20: Nov 28 Goalie questions and two poems…

  1. Eric

    Regarding today’s paragraph-comparison assignment (I would have underlined the short story “The Goalie”, though as this apparently does not translate particularly well from Microsoft Word to your blog, I suppose that quotation marks will be sufficient):

    My comparison will encompass the parents (or more specifically the fathers) in the short story “The Goalie”, and the poem “Imprints For My Delinquent Son”. On the most basic level, these two father figures are similar in that they are somewhat mystified by the behavior of their children; one fails to comprehend his sons’ motives for seemingly torturing himself in the game of hockey, the other failing even to recognize the person/criminal that his son has become (as evidenced by the passage “a sullen face I didn’t recognize clenched its square jaw”), and both feel utterly helpless before their respective dilemmas. Neither man quite sees matters in the way that their sons do, and can do little more than watch in quiet awe, albeit awe that is derived from different emotions entirely. On the other hand, the son in “The Goalie” is doing something for which he is granted lavish praise (namely is apparently remarkable skill, putting to one side for the moment that he does not seem to pay this praise any mind), whereas his counterpart in “Imprints For My Delinquent Son” is evidently involved in criminal behavior of some sort, rebellious more than grimly driven. Both sons have been described as “sullen”, though they do not seem to share any significant motives, and this moody demeanor is totally alien and probably uncomfortable for the parents themselves.

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  2. Megan O

    The two fathers from the stories “The Goailie” and “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become a Thief” aren’t much the same. The farther from the short story “The Goalie” spends a lot of time with his son, tries to help him as much as he can, but realizes there is only so much he can do for his son. His son eventually drifts off and the father has to wait for him to come back when he is ready. The father from the poem “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become a Thief” doesn’t seem like the kind who knew his son very well. He believes anything that comes out of his son’s mouth, but that does not mean he knows his own son. The poem stated that the son stole for no reason whatsoever. This father of his must give him what he wants, buy him whatever he asks for, but does not teach him the lessons he needs to learn. These two drifted away from each other in a different way than the father and son from “The Goalie”. There are many differences in these two families.

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  3. Melissa

    For this paragraph, I will discuss the similarities and differences between “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become a Thief”, by Raymond Souster and “Goalie”, by Rudy Thauberger. Similarities would include the fact that both of the parents were unsure of what the children were thinking and why they were doing what they are. Another similarity between these two would be the fact that both of the children were doing something that puzzled the parents simply because it is what they know and love. For example, in “Goalie” the boy would practise and practise and he was failing and just couldn’t get it right but he never gave up and no one understood why that was. Differences between them would be that in “Goalie” it was about hockey and the other one was about a man who is surprised to find out that his son is a thief. More differences between these two would be the parents in “Goalie” were later able to view their son’s side of the story and in the second one the father was only able to believe the story one way. These were two very good selections and it gives you something to think about.

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  4. Meghan

    In the essay “goalie” the father is supportive, and tires to be there for his son, but eventually he gets to the point and time in both of their lives where the father is of no use, but as support. The child is at the stage in his life, where he doesn’t need his father, or where he doesn’t ask him for help. In the poem “the man that finds his son is a thief”, the father, like in the goalie, is there for his son, and tries to understand what’s happening, in his son’s life. But in the end of things, both fathers’ realize that they don’t completely know their sons, and that they sugar coat things a little too much. They want their sons to be perfect, and a good son, but yet perhaps they’re trying to hard. Which makes the one son lash out in that kind of behaviour, that he knows is unacceptable, which is stealing. The son from “goalie” wants to be a good goalie, but realizes that it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. At the end of the day whether he wins or loses his game, he has a self battle, which makes him lash out and be angry. Both the father’s perhaps don’t know how to react and respond to the situation(s) that their sons have dealt them. which perhaps makes them alike.

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  5. Cheryl

    In the poems “Goalie” and “Imprints For My Delinquent Son”, two fathers take a look at their sons, and try to analyze their sons lives. In both of these poems, the fathers are watching their sons grow up. One way that the fathers are similar is that they don’t really see eye to eye with their sons. They both know that their own son is different than them self but the two fathers treat that differently. In the poem “Goalie”, the father tries to get inside his sons head and tries to figure out how his son thinks. Where as in “Imprints For My Delinquent Son”, the father seems to judge him from the start of his life, and he doesn’t seem to want to figure out his son and why he acts the way he does. I think that both the fathers also might feel that their sons are very alone in certain aspects of their lives and I think that both fathers might have a feeling of helplessness. In these two poems, the fathers are looking at their child’s life.

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  6. Kristie Sopracolle

    In the “Goalie” the father would wonder why is his son putting himself through this. The father remembers when his son would be happy when he would play hockey but know he is almost upset. In “The man who found out that his son is a thief” the father was shocked that his son stole something. The father wouldn’t believe it at first, and then he was angry and upset. The fathers are alike because they both were disappointed with their sons. They couldn’t understand why their sons would do this, they would think where did they go wrong in raising them. Even though their sons are very different, the fathers still feel the same. They are both disappointed in their self with their sons. I would feel the same if my sons were like that.

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  7. Jenna

    I compared the essay “Goalie” with the poem “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become A Thief”. I thought that they were quite similar overall because their fathers can’t do anything with his sons. In “Goalie” the father can’t help him with his hockey and is wondering why his son would play hockey because he would come home sore, hurt and angry every time. He tried to help his son but could not do anymore to help him once he reached a certain level of playing. They were separated. In “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become A Thief” poem the father seems like he is also separated from his son. The father thinks to himself why is he doing things that is not even necessary and he can’t help him with his problem. These two stories differ though because the one father helped him become something good, would watch him all the time and supported him in whatever he wanted to do. Where as the other story the father tried to raise him properly and failed. He also was very oblivious to what his son was doing which resulted him in stealing something. The sons also differed because the one son did not betray his father where as the other stole things for no apparent reason. There are many different similarities and differences in these families but no family is like one or another.

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  8. Amanda

    Comparing the Perspective of two fathers

    As I start to compare the two fathers from “Goalie” and “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become a Thief”, I come to the realization that they are somewhat a like in the impression that they are great parents, and they want the best for their children. It is a parent’s first instinct to defend their child, and in the eyes of the thief’s father he learned the only way that he could and that his child was not always innocent. The goalie’s father was always one to support his son, but he saw that he can not be perfect and accepted that. That is the difference between the two fathers in these stories, the one sees everything that happens and the other only sees what he wants. The goalie’s father saw his son disappointed after every game, and in physical pain from injuries and looking at the thief’s father as far as we know he only saw his boy in trouble when he stole something from the store. As I look at their similarities, they both saw their boy grow up, and deal with some kind of pain along the way. They raised their boys the best that they could and taught them the values in life. With that being said they are just an average parent trying to do their job.

    I would like to say that all of these paragraphs are well done so far, it is nice to read each others words, thoughts, and comparisons. Well done guys!

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  9. Chelsey S

    In the two pieces of writing “The Goalie” and “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become a Thief” there are several differences and similarities in the relationships between the children their fathers. Both fathers seem to struggle in their relationships. In “The Goalie”, the father is on the sidelines and longs to reach out and help his troubled son. There is a line that he cannot cross though, because he knows that his son must get through it on his own. The other story tells of a father who has to face the hard facts that is his son is a thief. These two stories also show differences. In “The Goalie” the father knows his son very well, and can tell when he is in pain, remembers in detail all the hardships his son has gone through, and all the changes. In the other story though, the father seems like he has chosen not to believe what he might of always known, that his son is a thief. Both these pieces are good insights into relationships that make a person reflect on their own.

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  10. Heather

    The story “Goalie” and poem “The Man Who Finds His Son Has Become a Thief” are both in the point of view of parents. These parents are interested in the lives of their children and wish all the best for them. It is hard for both parents (fathers in this case) to witness their children go through difficult times and not be able to help them out. Both fathers wonder what is going on in their sons’ minds. The goalie’s dad wants to know why his son goes through such pain to achieve something it seems like he doesn’t enjoy. What motivation is there to continue in the game? The thief’s dad wants to know why his son has stolen something. What motivation did he have to commit the crime? These are similarities between the two fathers. Another likeness between the poem and the story includes the feelings of being sick, afraid and alone. The goalie is separate from everyone else and the father feels alone also when he finds out that his son is a thief. Both narrations have sad feelings in them. The fathers are drifting away from their sons and don’t know who those little boys are anymore. The boys are becoming more independent and coming up with their own sets of values. Some differences between the two stories include the fact that the fathers end up with different feelings toward their sons. The goalie’s dad is proud of all that his son accomplishes and is amazed at the dedication he has for his sport. The thief’s father is utterly heartbroken because his son has disappointed him in doing something terrible. I can see a difference in the future for the two stories. I can see the goalie and his father growing closer in the future and talking more man-to-man. With the other story, in my mind the father and son grow even more apart from one another and don’t converse anymore. And so, in my comparison, I find that there are many similarities and differences in “Goalie” and “The Man Who Finds His Son Has Become a Thief”, but they both tell us one big general thing. All parents are connected to their children and wonder what is going on in their minds. They always marvel at everything that is done and feel nothing but tremendous emotion for what they see.

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  11. khelan

    The fathers in the short story “Goalie” and the poem “The Man Who Finds That His Son Has Become A Thief” are both similar and different in different ways when dealing with their sons. A similarity between the relationships the two fathers have with their sons are that they both face problems that the sons are experiencing. In “Goalie” the son plays hockey, he is an exceptional goalie but yet seems to be playing the game in agony and suffering, because even if his team wins a game, the son comes home miserable and unhappy. The father of this boy realizes how his son is feeling, but just cannot seem to understand why he feels that way. Even so, in his confusion the father tries to think and figure out what the problem is so that he can help his son. This shows that the father is a very hands on type of guy who conscientiously makes and effort to try and help his son resolve his misery and unhappiness. On the other hand there is the father who just finds out that his son is a thief with proof by evidence. The way he deals with his son’s problem is different from the father in “Goalie”. The thief’s father obviously had a very strong trust for his son because at first he is angry at the accusations, but when the evidence is shown and the son is proved guilty – the father is left confused and angry at his son. Instead of trying to figure out why his son has done this, the father accepts the fact that it has happened, and according to how much we know from the poem, he leaves it at that.

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