English Composition II Blog
Hey everyone! This is the first draft of my fan fiction narrative. You can get the details of this assignment here!
This is a story about the Obergruppenfuhrer and his son, Thomas. Enjoy! Fan Fiction Narrative The Story of Thomas Smith Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith was huddled at a pristine office desk, twiddling a coin between his fingers. Heads…or tails?” He couldn’t stop himself from repeating that question over and over again in his mind. Heads or tails? Heads or tails? Heads or tails? He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he shouldn’t leave this decision to mere chance. It was foolish, he wasn’t even sure that he would go through with the decision if the coin didn’t land in his favor. Or better yet, in his son’s favor. Thomas’ condition had slowly begun to worsen. Once upon a time, he only fell down the stairs upon occasion. Now, he was having trouble simply picking up a fork. The entire thing was enough to make someone ill. How could Thomas do this? How dare he? Heads or tails, John? Heads or tails…. “John?” Helen popped her head into the office. Her blonde curls were neatly in place, not a single hair askew. John grunted, signaling that he had heard her. “Dinners ready, we don’t want to start without you.” Of course, you can’t start without me. John was the man in the family; it would be considered incredibly rude if his wife, son, or daughters took the first piece of whatever food was laid out on the table. John nodded. “I’ll just be a minute.” He turned and pulled his lips upward to make a smile. “Okay, dear. Take your time.” She grinned back and soared back into the dining room. John rested his head in his hands, resisting the urge to pound his forehead repeatedly into the desktop. He knew what he should do. But what he should have been doing and what he wanted to do were for once, two completely different things. Heads or tails? Damn it, damn it, damn it. He dropped the coin into his pocket, pushed back from the desk and stood up. Had the chair always been that uncomfortable? He loosened his tie a bit and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. Everything was suffocating him nowadays. He shuffled out of his office, closing the door with a slight click. Heading into the dining room he was greeted with a burst of noise. “Father!” the two girls exclaimed. He smiled tightly at them as he took his seat at the head of the table. Thomas sat to his left, pristine as ever in his Hitler youth uniform. “How was your day at school, Thomas?” John asked as Helen dished out piles of roast beef onto his plate. “It was fine.” He offered no more explanation. “Just fine?” “Yes, just fine.” “What was just fine about it?” Helen was now pouring peas onto his white ceramic plate. “We had gym class today.” Oh, I know where this is going. John struggled to control his face as he asked his next question. “And, how was gym class?” “Fine.” Oh, this is worse than torturing a man. They at least speak more than what Thomas is doing now. “What did you do in gym class today, Thomas?” “John, could you pass the salt and pepper please?” Helen was giving him that look. That look that said, please don’t. Thomas still hadn’t replied. “I asked you a question, Thomas.” Thomas picked up his fork, his hand shaking slightly. “We played soccer today. I was the goalie, and my team ended up losing.” Ah. “And why did your team lose?” “My legs kept cramping up, I couldn’t get to the ball fast enough.” “How do you feel now?” He shrugged his skinny shoulders. “I feel okay, my legs still feel odd.” “Those growing pains are hitting you hard honey.” Helen reached over and patted Thomas’ hand reassuringly. Heads or tails. “Amy.” John looked at his youngest daughter. “Yes, papa?’ He reached into his pocket and drew out the coin, striving to make sure his hand didn’t tremble. “Let’s play a quick game. Flip the coin. Heads you get dessert now, tails you get dessert after you wash the dishes.” Please let it be heads. I cannot kill my own son. Amy’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I hope I get dessert now!” “John,” Helen was looking at him. “Do you think this wise…?” “Not particularly, but a decision must be made.” “About dessert? Right now?” her eyes were wide. “Yes right now, Helen!” She placed her hands in her lap meekly, not replying. Amy flipped the coin. John watched the silver shiver through the silent air. It landed on the table with a clatter. Everyone leaned over to look. None so far as John. “Darn it!” Amy exclaimed. John paled. “I really wanted that cheesecake now.” “Get the dishes done, then you can have it.” John pushed back from the table, the chair squealing on the ground. Of course, it had landed on tails. What had he expected? That night as he climbed into bed, his mind was racing. The syringe was in his bedside drawer, beckoning to him. When should he do it? How should he do it? Helen was already sound asleep, breathing deep and evenly. With her eyes closed, she looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. And she didn’t. She had no idea what was going on, no idea that her only son was about to die. But it had to be this way. Thomas couldn’t live when all he would be was a detriment to society. Thomas would understand. After tossing and turning for some time, John got up and went into his office, sitting down in the uncomfortable chair again. He looked up when he heard the door creak open. “Thomas?” his heart stopped looking at his pale face. “What are you doing up at this hour?” John heard the click of the gun before he saw it, shining in his own son’s hand. For once it wasn’t shaking. “Why haven’t you killed me already, father?” He knows. “So you know about…?” “Yes. I overheard you and the doctor talking. I’m not stupid! Why haven’t you killed me yet?” “You’re my son, Thomas. It’s more complicated than just a matter of pulling the trigger.” “No, no it isn’t. If you were a loyal subject to the Reich I wouldn’t be here right now. You’re committing treason. What happens to people who commit treason?” he pulled the trigger. John slumped to the floor, unmoving, unable to draw another breath. “Well.” Thomas heaved a huge sigh, raising the gun to his temple. “For the Reich.” BAM
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Summary: In Man in the High Castle's tenth episode, A Way Out, tensions come to a head. Frank and Juliana have just finished watching the new film. On it, Frank is shot in the head by Joe. When Joe arrives at the school Frank and Juliana are at they demand to know why he was on the tape. Joe confesses that he has no idea why he was on it. Joe steals the tape from them and leaves. Juliana and Frank tell Karen and Washington what was on the tape and that Joe now has it. Karen and Washington want Juliana to kill Joe. They said if she kills him they will get her and Frank on a boat to Mexico. Juliana refuses to do that so Washington says all she needs to do is lure Joe to a spot where he can kill him. Juliana agrees. Inspector Kido finds the man who shot the crown prince and kills him on the spot. Meanwhile Smith is out hunting with Heydrich who he knows wants to kill him at this point. Wegener arrives in Berlin and visits his family before going on his mission to kill Hitler. Insetad of killing Hitler, he ends up killing himself. Ed is caught melting Frank's gun and he is arrested. Frank finds out and tries to save him, to no avail. Juliana, instead of letting Washington kill Joe, lets Joe go on the boat to Mexico. At the end of the episode, Trade Minister Tagomi somehow manages to travel into the world of the Grasshopper films. Into a world where the United States won WWII.
Student Choice: Found Poem: John Smith's Feelings: Our children. It's a nightmare. Bad news, but everything is fine. Tell me it isn't true. This is our world now. How is that possible? Summary: In Man in the High Castle's ninth episode, Kindness the episode begins with Juliana and Joe held captive by the Yakuza. Karen and Washington pay to have Juliana released. Juliana is free to go but Joe is still held captive. Juliana wants to free him but she discovers the only way to do that is to pay 50,000 yen. She goes to Frank for the money. He reluctantly agrees but only if is he is the one to get Joe out. While this is happening, John Smith has numerous suspicions about Heydrich who he believes is going to try and kill him. Heydrich releases Wegener from prison and tells him he needs to go to Berlin and assassinate Hitler. Frank frees Joe fairly easily and they manage to snag the film on their way out. Now Frank and Juliana cannot simply get on a bus and leave. The officials are asking for sufficient identification so it would be much more difficult to leave. Frank and Juliana ask Joe to help them leave town but Joe is unable to help them. Smith soon realizes that it was his underling Connelly who planned the hit on him. He pushes him off the side of a building and calls it a suicide. By the end of the film, Juliana and Frank finally have the chance to watch the new and different film. The film shows a line of people being shot by a Nazi agent. The Nazi agent turns out to be Joe and the last person to be shot is Frank. The episode ends there.
Student Choice: Found Poem: Frank's Feelings Frank, who are you? I don't know, really. Are you alright? I'm okay. I can't talk about it. I should have just let him die. Sacrifice. How does that even work? This way out, this future, isn't going to help us. She'll die for a film. Kill him. Go. |
AuthorHey everyone! This is my blog page for my English Composition II class. In here I will post assignments, thoughts, and drafts of current writing pieces I'm working on. Enjoy! Archives
May 2017
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