The+Storytellers


 * The Big Questions: How does this chapter fit the novel as a whole / Why is it important / What should a good reader take away from this chapter?**

After reading this chapter, I was baffled completely. This chapter, like all the ones so far, have involved some sort of element of magic that counters the very serious issues of real-life that are also mentioned in the book. While reading the chapter, I had to make inferences, for example, I guessed that perhaps Uncle Zeno was blind, to tie in with the allusion to Homer. It is mentioned that his eyes never seems to be focused on one particular thing, and also he is said to walk around with a staff at times. I also was wondering if the dad dies at the end, because if Jess thinks that every character in his Uncle's story ceases to exist after being told about, then Joe Robert should be dead. Especially since it mentions that he gets up and basically disappears into a shadow once Zeno narrates exactly what is going on as it happens to the father. And of course there are the questions surrounding Buford Rhodes (and Elmer- how did he become a teacher?). Every element of Zeno's stories seem to wrap around my brain and squeeze it, trying to get answers. So many questions...I guess that's important because it's what develops our reading skills. I think a good reader should realize off the bat that this book is one of those where you don't exactly have concrete facts given to you- it's necessary to make inferences and even have individual opinions on what the book is trying to symbolize. (Reynolds)

What a chapter! After much analysis and even re-reading several of the stories that Uncle Zeno told, I have come to the conclusion that each and every one of his stories are books of //The Odyssey//, beautifully retold and creatively changed to relate to the community Jess and his family live in. Jess's references to his uncle's slow, dull tone of voice when reciting his stories further strengthened my thoughts about his stories being about //The Odyssey// because it is with the same monotonous and slow paced rythem that Homer wrote the famous book. (Maia Y)

The first account in which I realized the stunning resemblance to Homer's //The Odyssey// was the story about Lacey Joe Blackman being a well known and amazing hunter, even in his old age. When the issue of the bear appeared, I thought about the bear as the menacing antagonist in the Odyssey, the Cyclops, and the elderly man as the hero Odysseus! The climax was the most eye opening for me (pun intended!!!); in the midst of the crowd, one brave and determined soul stepped out. Blackman raised his rifle and without wasting so much as a second to set his aim, shot the beast and killed it in one shot.

Following that story was the one about Buford Rhodes and his "wife, six younguns and...the dog called Elmer that Bufor was most proud of." When Elmer ran away to embark on a new endeavor after thinking that his master's wife could benefit from a new "coon hide" - the dog had mistaken Mrs. Rhodes' ironing board for a wooden block that Rhodes hung coon hides on -, Rhodes set off after him, wanting desperately to find his canine companion. At this point, I realized that while Rhodes was the new Odysseus in this story, Elmer could not have been Queen Penelope because Rhodes' wife was at home. Thus, the only character that meant just as much to "Odysseus" as his lady and who the role of the loyal and wise Elmer could belong to was Telemachus. The chronicle proceeds with Bufor Rhodes getting lost and, in an attempt to gain shelter and comfort, spending over two years in the dwelling of a woman he barely knew. Now, Uncle Zeno recalls the moment when Rhodes stumbled upon other people who later helped him find his way home:

in washed overalls and pinafores. They kept staring at Buford and he begun to think for the first time how he might look awful strange, dirty and bearded from living in the woods so long. But he kept himself soft-talking and gentled them kids along until they agreed to lead him back to civilization.
 * Out of the bushes come a gang of six kids, looked to be eight, ten years old, and dressed

This was amazingly similar to the part in //The Odyssey// when Odysseus met the princess of one of the nearby kingdoms when she was washing clothes in the river in the woods. Uncle Zeno makes the age gap between the hero and the new characters much more dramatic when in the actual classic, Odysseus was not that much older than the princess. This story ended with Rhodes finally being led back to his home where, because of the great wisdom and problem solving skills that Elmer possessed, Mrs. Rhodes and her children had been living even more prosperous and happy than before her husband left.

Lastly, even with just the beginning of the story, the connection was inevitable, the similiarities already apparent. Uncle Zeno, after Jess' father had stormed off because he was frustrated and enraged at Zeno for not explaining the meaning of his stories and ending his stories properly, told his last story that related to //The Odyssey:// Ember Cove. Had a right nice farm there, a hundred acres or so, but didn't have nobody to work it, her oldest son dying when he was eight and her other boy, Luden, gone off to California on a motorcycle. But she had her son-in-law, Joe Robert his name was, and he was a pretty fair hand at farming, she didn't have no complaints to speak of, except that Joe Robert was ever the sort to dream up mischief...
 * That puts me in mind of Cousin Annie Barbara Sorrels that lived down toward the mouth of

Almost effortlessly and with a narrative voice that wonderfully portays his run-on, never ending stories (until, of course, he stopped abruptly), Uncle Zeno described the predicament of old Laertes before his traveling grandson, Telemachus, and his witty and often times mischevious son, Odysseus, visited his great farm in Ithaca after the duo had defeated the suitors that bothered and frightened Odysseus' household. In this final example, Annie, Jess' grandmother, is Laertes, her "other boy [who had] gone off to California on a motorcycle" was represented by Telemachus, who had traveled the seas on a mighty ship in search of his father and the main character, Joe Robert, whose sneaky and clever nature was unforgetful to Zeno, was Odysseus.

With such a brilliant character as Uncle Zeno and a great subliminal meaning, chapter six, The Storytellers, became my favorite chapter in the entire book. It was exciting for me to read deeper and deeper into each of Uncle Zeno's stories, noticing how familiar their plots and characters seemed, until I made the ultimate connection and unraveled the mystery behind Uncle Zeno's stories: they were simply accounts from //The Odyssey//! Chapter six was great! (Maia Y)

Uncle Zeno is a great storyteller and could have to potential to be a great writer with his imagination and storytelling abilities .He was one of my favorite characters because of his way to capture someones imagination and take it to a whole new level. He just kicks reality to the side when he is elaborating in his stories. In a nut shell I think this is what this book and story does it just pushes reality to the side, and that is what I like being able to get away from whats real and reopen imagination and dreaming.(QBennett02)
 * This chapter is important because it introduces another crazy uncle from Jess's family (Uncle Zeno), and it adds to the mystery of what the main point of this book is. So far there have been two crazy uncles, and now we are introduced to a third, story-loving uncle. I believe that some of the uncles so far have some similarities, like not talking very much. Also going back to my thought from "The Furlough," Joe Robert has a personality change. First Jess's grandmother, then Jess, then Johnson, and now Joe Robert. Before this chapter, Joe is portrayed as a childish prankster who does his work and does not complain. In this chapter, Joe becomes tense and stuck-up when talking to Uncle Zeno. Uncle Zeno attracts all of the attention whenever he tells a story, and after a while, Joe Robert gets mad. Uncle Zeno told the story of Buford Rhodes and his dog Elmer. Uncle Zeno does not finish the story until later on, and will not talk besides when he is telling a story; thus greatly upsetting Joe Robert. Joe goes insane trying to find Buford in real life because he remembers hiring him as a painter. Jess's father shuffles through old checks, asks everyone he knows if they had ever heard of Buford Rhodes, and even traveled to what he thought was Buford's house. Joe is unsuccessful, and calms down again after he gives up, but he still went through a change. A good reader should realize Joe Robert's change, but also ponder where it is that Uncle Zeno gets his stories from. (Weber)

To be honest, I thought Joe Robert was a jealous of Uncle Zeno's story telling ability. Well for a fact I know he is. It says so right in the book. I think everyone one has someone like Uncle Zeno. He's the one who is always better at something and it makes people jealous. Of course Joe Robert tells many stories to try and trump Uncle Zeno, but each one is worse than Uncle Zeno's. Half of the time, Joe Robert was trying to tell a better story than Uncle Zeno but it just isn't possible. I think he should have just let Uncle Zeno tell stories. Not everything is a competition, but Joe Robert still acts like a child. He has to win or he will not be satisfied. Just because everyone likes Uncle Zeno better doesn't mean that he has to steal the spotlight by trying to be better. (Matthews)

When uncle Zeno is telling the story of Elmer and Buford alone in the pasture, he stops mid story just as he had done with all of his other storys. the only differance here is that Zeno is alone (or atleast thinks he is) so he isnt doing this to anger on confuse his crowd, but the story has stopped coming to him. with the line "and the story was gone off to another story teller somewhere else in the world" it makes me think that zeno could be some sort of prophet of storys, or even similarly to the Giver from louis lowrey's "the Giver" these special sorts of people could be the ones who carry all the great stories down through the ages ensuring that they aren't lost or forgotten. Maybe zeno isnt even sane, his only function seems to be telling stories.(Gangemi)

====This chapter is important because Joe Robert's reaction towards this particular uncle is different than his reaction towards all the others. With most uncles, Joe Robert just trys to play a prank on them, but with uncle Zeno, he becomes jelous of his storytelling and even try's to challenge him. This uncle is also different from some of the uncles in the previous chapters because Uncle Zeno didn't back down form Joe Robert or run away from him, as we've seen so any uncles do before. UNcle Zeno came back and told a Hurtful story about Joe Robert that made him look bad in front of his family. (harris) ====


 * This chapter is very important because Joe Robert and Jess almost switch roles in this chapter. Before this chapter there was always a hint that Jess was a bit childish and unknowing. Although his dad was still childish, he could understand, tell stories, show people that he knew things and could be an adult. During this chapter though, Joe Robert gets so frustrated about Uncle Zeno because the only times he talks is to tell a story, which is probably better than Joe Robert's. He gets so angry that he has to prove Uncle Zeno wrong. While Jess is alone and wandering around he hears one of the stories from his uncle and begins to think about Homer. His father had told him that no one could prove Homer was real, Homer was just there. He came to the conclusion that Uncle Zeno was the "Homer" of their time. He wasn't really there only to tell stories that were somehow sent to him from somewhere. These stories were so vivid and real that they took over whomever they were about, and the story became reality. Even though Uncle Zeno had never actually met any of the characters, they were real and his stories could change reality. This is the first sign that Jess has become old enough to think on his own and use his knowledge without relying on others for information. (Davis)

**Important Quotes (and commentary)** "Uncle Zeno came to visit us. Or did he?"
 * This quote sums up the whole chapter in the sense that Uncle Zeno is a character that seems to exist only by telling such vivid stories. Otherwise, he basically doesn't seem to be noticed. (Reynolds)
 * Uncle Zeno stares into space until he gets one of his exciting story visions. Unless he's telling a story, no one paid attention to him. He didn't pay attention to them. (Matthews)

"Uncle Zeno was telling a story about us. I knew what he was going to say; I'd lived through those events, after all. His story focused on my father, and that fact disturbed me.
 * This line is important because it tells a lot about Uncle Zeno's character. He wasn't there for the prank of Joe Robert, Johnson, and Jess eating the chocolate. After all, he came to visit the family AFTER Johnson died, so he didn't even know him. This supports the idea that Uncl Zeno doesn't just think of his Stories. They really do just come to him as if he's some sort of physic of fortune teller. (Harris)

"What if Uncle Zeno's stories so thouroughly absorbed the characters he spoke of that they took leave of the everyday world and just went to inhabit his narratives?" "I was assailed by a wild thought and a goosy sensation. What if Buford Rhodes had ceased to exist upon the earth //because//Uncle Zeno told stories about him?"
 * This is what really got me scared, because after the whole beard incident with the other uncle, everything is just starting to get freaky. Do they all have superpowers or something? Is this an episode of "The Twilight Zone???" (Reynolds)
 * When I read this, I started to think that this story is just as confusing as the movie Inception. Except, instead of there being dreams inside of dreams, there were stories inside of a story. But if that wasn't confusing enough, you come across this quote that just completely catches you off guard. I thought, what if the entire book's characters are starting to become absorbed by Uncle Zeno's stories? What if the entire book has been one of Uncle Zeno's stories and he's the one controlling everything? Then, the part at the end of the chapter when Uncle Zeno started telling a story about Joe Robert made it seem like Uncle Zeno's stories are true, that he really does know everything and that he plays a powerful part in the book. (M Usey)
 * This quote is important because it makes the reader think about the potential power involved in Uncle Zeno's stories. (Weber)

"the story was gone off to another story teller somewhere else" **Moments of astonishingly good writing**
 * this quote makes me think about if Zeno was even in touch with the real world at all.(Gangemi)

"It was as dark as the dreams of a sleeping bear; rain clouds blocked off the starlight and there was only a dim light coming through the dining room drapes. My father was not smoking, but just sitting in a chair shoved flat against the wall of the house."
 * What a great way to use a simile to describe the lighting. I can imagine the scene clearly, and especially the description of Joe Robert matches the fact that emotionally he feels squished, lacking answers he feels he needs so desperately. (Reynolds)
 * How different is Joe Robert from you as you read this book, Gevin? What does Chappell seem to say about the desperate search for answers? (Meyer)


 * "'Apple pie,' he said softly. 'Well, that's not a bad medicine.; He didn't move for a while yet. Finally he rose slowly from the chair. But when he took a step he walked directly into the darkest shadow and I couldn't see him at all and at that moment Uncle Zeno's story concluded and all the night went silent." (Weber)

"I was assailed by a wild thought and a goosy sensation. What if Buford Rhodes had ceased to exist upon the earth //because// Uncle Zeno told stories about him? I had entertained odd fancies since overhearing the old man this morning. What if Uncle Zeno's stories so thoroughly absorbed the characters he spoke of that they took leave of the everyday world and just went off to inhabit his narratives?"

"This was too much. Uncle Zeno was telling a story about us. I knew what he was going to say; I'd lived through those events, after all. His story on my father, and that fact disturbed me. My father didn't seem to get along too well with Uncle Zeno as it was, and perhaps he wouldn't be happy to hear that he was now a character in the old man's stories."
 * I love this quote, not because of the way it's written, but because of the concept. Throughout the entire chapter Joe Robert is angry with Uncle Zeno, and obsessed with his stories. Joe Robert even went looking for one of the subjects of Uncle Zeno's stories to see if he was telling the truth. It was a great twist to have Uncle Zeno start telling a story about Joe Robert when he wasn't there

  My favorite quote from this chapter is: "Actually he didn't get under way until midmorning, some five hours after rosy fingered Dawn had streaked the sky with orient pearl and gold" I like this quotes because of the amazing wording and imagery that occurs in it. It is a great way to describe something as simple as the sun rising in the morning. (Howell)