Class Notes

11.08.02

by: Rachel Berman

Today’s Agenda:
-Roll
-Quiz Returned
-Antonia’s Line
-Monday-Holiday
-Wednesday
-Term Paper Returned

Movie: Antonia’s Line (Dutch movie)

*The story takes place in Netherlands after World War 11.*
-The movie begins with Antonia, as an old woman on deathbed, who realizes that it’s her “time to die” and ponders about informing family/friends as her death approaches. She decides to get out of bed to spend the last day of her life.
(Movie portrays Antonia’s house and zooms in on beautiful portrait hanging on the wall)
- As Antonia moves about in her house and farm, she reminisces her life. FLASHBACK begins.
- Antonia, now as a young woman in the movie, returns to the village of her birth post WW11 with her daughter, Danielle. Antonia, who left the village 20 years ago, has come back to bury her mother who is about to die and take over her house and farm.
- Antonia and Danielle wander through the town and go to the house, where Antonia lived in. Antonia introduces Danielle to her dying mother, who is psychotic and talking obscenely. Antonia’s mother snaps at the sight of Antonia and Danielle and dies suddenly.
- On the way to Antonia’s mother’s funeral, Antonia shows her daughter around the town and shares some life stories. Several of the town’s residents are introduced (as far as the movie goes):

• Chiel- the smith, whom Antonia used to go out with.
• Farmer Bas-Antonia’s ex-husband who still loves her.
• Crooked Finger-Antonia’s good friend before Antonia left the village.
• Mad Madonna-a woman who bays at the full moon.
• “The Protestant”-Mad Madonna’s neighbor who listens to his ‘howling’ neighbor.
• Deedee-a retarded girl who is mistreated by her own brother.
• Pitte- Deedee’s brother

- Antonia and Danielle arrive at church to attend Antonia’s mother’s funeral. During the funeral, Danielle envisions Antonia’s mom waking up out of her coffin and talking to Jesus on the cross.
- After the funeral, Antonia and Danielle go to a pub/restaurant, where things started to get dirty. Men from the bar tease Antonia about her return and mother, who had just passed away. Some man grabs Deedee, who was standing outside of the pub/restaurant, harasses her sexually by touching her boobs. A mysterious old man stops this nonsense and releases Deedee.
- The movie progresses along, highlighting different episodes. Winter comes, and Antonia and Danielle go to visit Crooked Finger, who is pleased with Antonia’s return.
- Antonia goes for horse ride and ventures through the field. She sees a little boy throwing a rock at some poor young gentleman’s head and hangs the little boy on a tree branch as a form of punishment and rides off. A gentleman, who was hit by a rock, is amazed by Antonia’s deed that he follows her and befriends her.
- Later, Danielle walks around the town, and she comes across Deedee again, who is seen being mistreated by her controlling brother. Danielle is shocked by the sight of this. s
- More life stories are narrated. Antonia visits her best friend’s, Bertie, grave with Danielle. Bertie and Crooked Finger were Antonia’s best friends.
- Farmer Bas goes to Antonia’s house one night and begs her to be with him again since his recent wife passed away. Farmer Bas asks Antonia if she wants a husband, and she says no. Antonia just want to be friends with Farmer Bas and invites him and his boys over for a feast, along with other town residents. Antonia shows her affection for Farmer Bas, although she’s just friends with him.
- Danielle discovers the town some more. She goes into a barn and walks in on Deedee being raped by her own brother! Danielle takes on and stabs Pitte with a pitchfork. Danielle rescues Deedee, and they run off. Danielle brings Deedee to her house and takes care of her.
- Pitte leaves the town, once everyone knew what happened.
- The movie shows Madwoman, baying at the moon, twice, with “The Prostestor” listening to her eagerly.
- Danielle draws Crooked Finger. She has a passion for art. She goes to an art school, where she’s very happy. While Danielle is “painting, her mom is planting.”
- Danielle confesses to Antonia that she wants a baby! Antonia asked her, “ How about a husband to go with it?” Danielle said “I don’t think so.” Antonia tells Danielle that they will go to the city to find the father. To be continued on Wednesday.

*Professor McGride says that the movie is magic realism (a realistic story with a magic touch to it)

Research Reports passed out-Professor McBride made several comments:

Make an appt if you want to talk about the term paper-suggests visiting the Women’s Studies Writing Center. Look on the website for office hours. Bring in your paper and have someone proof it.

Argumentation-it’s the most difficult thing to do. Go to the link for more information constructing an argument. It should be the main focus of your revision process.

Just because something is not marked on your paper doesn’t mean you don’t need to think about improving it. Professor McBride addressed argumentation, topic sentences, thesis statements. Work on other things on your own and get help if needed.

Every student receives a grade, but it doesn’t count. Whoever turned in on time gets 5%.

Turn in the 1st version with your final version of the term paper.

Some abbreviations Professor McGride wrote on papers:

• Arg-argumentations
• CS- comma splice
  
• PRA- parallel contruction
  
• Awk-awkward

by: Russell Salzman

Daily Schedule:
Roll
Group quiz returned (quiz 8)
Movie: Antonia’s Line
Monday-holiday
Revisions for resource report returned
Term Paper draft returned w/ comments

Antonia’s Line Summary
-Dr. McBride asks if anyone is fluent in Dutch. The movie is in all Dutch subtitles.
-The beginning of the movie begins with the main character, Antonia, weighed down but still handsome and unbowed by age, starts her last day with familiar morning routines: opening the shutters, feeding the goat. Then, as she looks out the kitchen window, her memory flashes back to the end of World War II. She begins talking about how it was time for her to die. She led a long and fruitful life and is ready to pass on. She then flashes back and tells the story of her life starting with the burial of her mother.
-The time is just after World War II and the setting is in a little Dutch village where everyone has known each other and all others that come in are considered outcasts.
-Antonia travels to her old village that she left twenty years ago. Antonia’s mother seems to be possessed as she bounces around and still curses her dead husband. With Antonia in her presence, Antonia’s mother is able to pass away saying, “Late as usual.”
-After her mother dies, Antonia takes her daughter Danielle for a walk around the city to get acquainted and meet the people. It seems that the town has the same people as when she was last there and everyone is the same. They must get acquainted because they are going to move there and take over Antonia’s mother’s place, the “pink house.”
-Antonia goes with Danielle to her mother’s funeral. A note to make about this scene is that Danielle begins to use her imagination and she sees things. What she sees is inanimate objects that start moving on their own. This is referred to as “magic realism.” First, she sees her grandmother sit up out of the coffin and sing “My Blue Heaven” while the crucified Jesus watches and smiles. Another scene shows a statue knocking the priest over because he had not given a man his last rites for harboring Jews from the Nazis during World War II. No one else notices her imagination but her. Another note about the priest/church incident involves how even though Antonia and her daughter went to church regularly, church was not a major factor that shaped their lives.
-While in town, Antonia and Danielle stop for a drink at Olga’s bar and come upon a citizen auctioning off his retarded daughter. The men proceed with grabbing her breasts and abusing her. One of the men, Pitte, is the brother of the retarded girl. Finally, the torment is over for the moment but still the girl is treated with disrespect. This scene makes it seem that in this small town these acts are accepted.
-A man that both Antonia and Danielle often visited was Crooked Finger. He was a local intellectual in town that kept to himself. He often offered valuable advice for the two women and was great friend.
-While on the road, some boys were being mean to an older man who was a little slow. Antonia came to his rescue and he became her friend and worker. His name was Loony Lips.
-Antonia and Danielle had a neighbor, Farmer Boer Bas, who really liked them because they accepted him despite him being a newcomer to the town, unlike the rest of the village. He seemed to be quite fond of Antonia and after a while he proposed to her but she asked that he just come over and visit and help out with chores, in turn they would receive meals (He wanted Antonia to be a mother for his boys). Even though at first he says that he already had these things at his own home, he does these things anyway, and has regular picnics with his family of boys and Antonia and her daughter.
-One day Danielle is sent to get a saw back from Pitte’s family and she is directed to go into the barn. When she goes in she sees the retarded girl Deedee getting raped by her brother Pitte. At that point Danielle yells at him and in rage she throws a pitch fork and it stabs him in the crotch area.
-After that incident, Pitte healed up and left and was never seen again. Also, Deedee began to stay with Antonia and became friends with Loony Lips.
-Danielle learns that she is a great artist and wishes to go to art school. Her mother approves sends her to art school. She comes back unfulfilled.
-To fulfill herself Danielle wants to have a child. Her mother thinks it best to have the father from the city rather than from the little rural village.
-END of the movie for that day, the rest will be finished on Wednesday next week.
Movie comments:
-The weird things that Danielle does or sees are called magic realisms…no other questions or comments.
-A main point to see in this movie involves how Antonia is affected by her village and vice versa. Many people seen as rejects (Loony, Deedee, Boer Bas, etc.) are taken in by Antonia as if they were extended family. Antonia is like the mother of these people that she takes in and she is indomitable. During the war, in prior history, and in other movies patriarchy seems to be the main focus. However, this movie presents another less popular view, matriarchy. Antonia is the head of the matriarchy within her village and everyone looks up to her, even men such as Farmer Bas. This reminds a hegemonic-masculinity-based society that women are very important to families/communities/societies as well as men, but the importance of matriarchies are less supported and/or recognized.
-After Antonia decides it is time for her to die, she gathers up her family and extended family and then flashes back in her life. The story shifts back four decades to just after the Allied liberation of WWII, when Antonia and her daughter Danielle return to Antonia's hometown after a twenty year absence. They settle down and begin an extended family, learning about the enjoyment of life without the constraints of rules, Church, or tradition. They befriend the rejected of the town, bringing a sense of compassion and tolerance. Along with the rejected, Antonia’s daughter Danielle also bears a child to add to the “family.” They help others see the possibilities that lay beyond the rigid structure imposed on their lives-- in a sense, liberating them. The movie offers a different way of life with surrealistic scenes that punctuate movies point involving statues coming to life, and the dead rising in triumph. Looking deeper through the moments of joy, moments of grief, the mystery of birth, the miracle of death, this movie strives to help people use a different view on life outside of the ordinary.
-The movie molds how we and the characters in the movie see Antonia. Even though she may seem a bit stern, old, and a bit overweight everyone sees her as strong willed, beautiful, healthy, motherly and wise. She seems to be molded by all aspects of life and people around her and others are also affected by her presence.
Returned Term Paper and comments:
- The graded revised resource reports are handed around in the file folder.
-Monday is a holiday so don’t come to school.
-Wednesday the movie will be finished up.
-Dr. McBride will not be available to talk after class because of a meeting but go to office hours of any of the assistant instructors (listed on the website) or go to the Women’s Studies writing center, the hours are also posted on the website.
-Most weaknesses in the Term papers occurred in the Argumentation section of the paper, picking an argument and backing that up strongly. Also, a few problems occurred with paragraph structure and topic sentences. Help is available on the website under the section about the Term Paper.
-Not all revisions that must be made are marked. Therefore, don’t just change what is marked and read through the rest and get some outside help.
-We have seen more movies and readings that can help with the papers.
-With the final paper, turn in the first draft.
-Paper is returned.
-Again the office hours are on the website.
-End class.