Analysis of Great Moves Short Story

2nd Group §  Nisa Khoerotunnisa §  Prahman Yudi Septian §  Ressy Yassinta §  Yanah Nurhasanah 2 E

Kuningan, March 27^th 2012

Kuningan University

Analysis of Great Moves Short Story

Great Moves is short story which tells about friendship between two girls that loved the same two boys. They are Brenda Presscort and Annie. Brenda is energetic girl, nice, care, easy to fall in love, and priority to friendship. So, Annie called her “Tiger” because of her bouncy. But, she is not beautiful like Annie.

On the other hand, Annie is a Brenda’s pal who has beautiful face. She likes make up her face, always wearing soft lens, very priority on her performance, has solidarity, melancholic person, but can’t take decision quickly. Beside that, she called “Pooh” by Brenda because she has fat body while she was still in elementary school. But, it’s change after she entered Senior High School. She grew higher and slim. Exactly, she looks feminine. So, it didn’t strange if many boys who loved her. “No body is Perfect”. Annie comes from broken home family. Her parent divorced. But, they are still care in her. It can be seen on her father gives hand phone, and her mother gives television.

Different with Annie and Brenda’s friendship, Jeff Brayburn and Steve Drew are two boys who wanna go to the Valentine’s day party with Annie. Jeff is smart on English lesson, but Steve is smart on Mathematic lesson. Both of them are compel person. Beside as a basketball player, they also included a President and Vice President of the freshman class, winner and runner-up for Joe Freshman, and the guys answer to Homecoming Queen. So, it can be said that they are popular boys in freshman class.

The story begin when Annie share her problem, about choices between two boys who asked her to be a couple, to Brenda in her bedroom. The bedroom was decorated pink bedspread, a plush pink stool, white dressing table and oval mirror. It showed that the setting of place this story is modern style. The setting of time is about 20^th century. It can be seen from there are modern tools, such as television, hand phone, horse imitation, make up equipment, locker, Valentine’s Dance culture, Levi Jeans, Cheerleaders, etc.

Annie confused with whom she will go to the valentine’s dance. There are two boys who asked her, Jeff and Steve. If she choose one of them , beside it will broke their friendship, it also can be hurt one of them. While Annie is washing her face in the bathroom, her phone rang. And she asks Brenda to get it. Actually, the boy who called is Jeff. And Annie knows that Jeff was in Steve’s house.

In the next morning, before first hour English lesson, Jeff moves his seat behind Brenda. Jeff asked her in order that Annie wants to dance with him. Because of often face to face, so Brenda falling in love to Jeff.  After the Story exam, Brenda reported to Annie about Jeff’s message. Brenda didn’t meet with Annie and Jeff for four days. She felt guilty because of her feeling to Jeff.

While Steve teach math to Brenda, he also said the same command like as Jeff, that he want to go to the valentine’s dance with Annie. Unexpectedly, Steve touch Brenda’s backhand. It makes Brenda falling in love in him.

As soon as the last bell rang, Brenda opened her locker, took her bag, delivered Steve’s message to Annie, and hurried to go home alone. After she arrived, she looks her kid brother, Tony, and his best friend, Lou, playing with horse imitation. She goes to her bedroom directly. While Brenda be in the bedroom, heard her mom voice in the kitchen who said that any call from her friend. As soon as Brenda goes out and receives the call. Actually he is Steve Drew, and suddenly any other voice who said that he must end the call. So, Brenda puts the phone. Her mom knows what happened in the daughter. She doesn’t want her daughter become a belle of the ball. Her prayer, “Take my daughter, somebody, anybody. Don’t let her be a willflower. Please”. Brenda thinks that she laid her characters, her brother, her own best friend, for just one Jeff Brayburn or one Steve Drew. She wants to make a great move of her own. And then, she returns to her bedroom again

After that, Brenda always goes to school early to avoid Annie. She feels sad because of in Valentine’s day she had not couple for dating and she falling in love to Jeff and Steve. But, suddenly Jeff and Steve were beside her while she opened the locker. They were invited Brenda to go to Valentine’s Dance. Brenda feels confuse, she guess that they want to take Annie. So, Jeff explained that Annie won’t choose one of them. So, they asked her to be a couple. Jeff wanted her as same as Steve.

Suddenly, Annie stepped up beside Brenda. She was hurt because Jeff and Steve want Brenda to be a partner. And then, Brenda apologizes to Annie who was crying. She endeavors to calm and tells that they are not guilty. One of the guys interrupted them, reminds that the party is that night. He forced them to join in the Valentine’s Dance. Exactly, Jeff and Steve try to believe girls in order that they will great move their mind to choose one of them. But finally, Both of Brenda and Annie didn’t choose one of Jeff or one of Steve. Because they realized that both of them just playing in them. Beside that, Annie and Brenda don’t want to break her friendship or their friendship. They also don’t want to be hurt one of them. They are more priority friendship than love. Finally, Jeff and Steve were angry to them.

The writer has a role as a main character in this story. It can be seen on first person narrative or pronoun “I” in the whole of story. She is Brenda Presscort. And the protagonist character are Jeff and Steve, it’s caused that there are changes in first story who loved Annie but in the end they loved Brenda. While the antagonist characters are Brenda and Annie maybe, because they often doing oppose to their character or other figure. It still makes us confused because Brenda and Annie also can be the protagonist. It caused that they are main characters who have dominant in the whole story.

ANALYSIS OF A DILL PICKLE (Short story by Katherine Mansfield)

Yanah Nurhasanah 2 E Prose and Poetry

Tuesday, March 20^th, 2012

Kuningan University

ANALYSIS OF A DILL PICKLE

(Short story by Katherine Mansfield)

A dill pickle is short story which tells about a woman who meets again with his beloved former that she hasn’t seen for six years. They were met again at the Café unintentionally. She is Vera. A woman who is really loved the man, but she also was broken the relationship with him. She came from rich family. It can see when she had a little pot of caviar which had cost seven and six pence. She really likes playing piano. On the other hand, the man who is really loved Vera too, came from poor family. But it changes after six years later and he go around to many countries. He often interrupts the conversation, especially with Vera. It made Vera hate him. That his habit didn’t change until they have meeting again. Beside that, the man is so self engrossed and often unconcerned his sweetheart, Vera. He always busy with himself than anybody else. But, between Vera and the man have some similarities, such as egoist, loved one another, and have desire to go to Russia.

The story began when Vera looks the man who was sitting at one of those little bamboo tables decorated with a Japanese vase of paper daffodils. We usually called Café. The situation of this setting is so quiet, like The Café which nothing visitors beside them. Both of them felt shocked when their eyes view one another. The man invited Vera to sit with him and have coffee. Hesitate, she complies it. After Vera sits, they are making little conversation. But suddenly the man interrupts her, call the waitress, to order some foods. It was remind Vera to six years ago when the man stopped in the middle of what she was saying. It’s same, nothing changes until they’re met again.

The man retell about the sweet memory at Kew Gardens, when he didn’t know the names of any flowers. Finally, he knew it one by one, such as Geranium, Marigold, and Verbena. It was a sweet memory for him. Different with him, Vera don’t think so. It was a bad memory for her. Why? Because the man made she felt embarrassing in front of many people with his behaviour. How she had suffered. In the warmth, as it were, another memory unfolded. However they were making romantic activities like other couple.

The setting moves to the Café again. The man offered Vera smoking. Smoking reminded him to Russia. Then, he retell about his journey for six years. He spent time with travelling to Spain, Corsica, Siberia, Russia, Egypt, and China. Vera felt envy to him, because she is really wanted to go to Russia. She was not reach it yet, but the man has go there. Russia is a special country for the man, because it has changes his sadness become happiness. Before he retells about Russia, he was remind about boatman’s song that Vera often like while playing piano. But, she doesn’t have piano anymore for ages ago. Her piano was sold. The man didn’t care about it. He starts to tell that he even spent some days on a river boat on the Volga. He had imagined the situation on that river. He can join with Russian without necessary knowing the language. The Russian life is so free. And the peasants are so splendid. It can see when he offers a dill pickle to the wife of his friends, while they were picnic at the Black Sea. The dill Pickle was terribly sour. The man describes it indirectly. He used poetic expression, but Vera can understand what he saying.

Vera is a marvelous listener for the man. She was changes his life. He had never spoken to anybody before. After he met Vera, he has become accustomed to spoken with other people. Suddenly, the situation became unpleasant when the man tells about a letter, how Vera broken their relationship, while laughing. It made Vera feel offended what he saying. It was so hurt for her and she is crying. Then, Vera stand up and ready to go away. But, the man restrains her with caught up one of her gloves from the table. But, Vera can take her gloves again.

Vera is a special woman for the man. So do Vera. She felt regret had broken the man. He is the only man who had ever understood her. But, all is too late for her. She go away from the Café without touch the cream or saying goodbye. She leaves him alone. She had gone. He sat there, like a thunder-struck, without any words. And then he asked the waitress for his bill. But, he don’t want to pay the cream because it has not been touched.

So, the plot of this story is flashback. And the writer position in this story is omniscient point of view. It can see trough external narrator who refers to protagonist in the third person. The protagonist character is Vera and the antagonist character is the man. I think the coda is “chance will never back again”. So, used your chance efficiently, and don’t forget to think before act!