{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27214217","dateCreated":"1284762829","smartDate":"Sep 17, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"AmandaTrejos","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/AmandaTrejos","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27214217"},"dateDigested":1531973978,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"the swimmer","description":"Amanda Trejos
\n A mythic hero is a fictional being of great vigor and audacity. This person is not only brave but truly admired and accepted. In the story \u201cThe Swimmer\u201d Neddy is considered to be a hero because of the great long journey he achieved. His goal was to swim all around the county. This county seems to be a really big place but this does not bring him down, he keeps on going until he gets to his destination. This shows the magnificent determination Neddy has. He walked and swam for hours, maybe days and never stopped. His mission was to go into his neighbors house, dive in the pool and then carry on. \u201c Well, I\u2019ll get wet, he said, still feeling that he had no freedom of choice about his means of travel. He dove into the Sachses\u2019 cold water and, gasping, close to drowning, made his way form one end of the pool to the other\u201d (pg1239). In this quote one can see that even thought he was tired and nearly made it to the end of he pool, he went on and accomplished part of his goal. Nearly to the end of the story, one can see that Neddy is has finished his journey and has finally gone home. Neddy feels tired and wretched, this trip had been way too much for him to handle \u201cIt was probably the first time in his adult life that he had ever cried, certainly the first time in his life that he had ever felt so miserable, cold, tired and bewildered\u201d(pg 1240). After such exercise he felt extremely defenseless and weak. The good part is that he got home. In the story \u201cthe swimmer\u201d it is also visible that Neddy is not considered a mythic hero because he did things such as drink heavily. \u201cHe needed a drink. Whiskey would warm him, pick him up, carry him through the last of his journey, refresh his feeling that it was original and valorous to swim across the county\u201d (pg 1238). A hero is never remembered for his drinking or for the bad things he\/she has done. According to this story, Neddy is practically an alcoholic. Neddy is very similar to the character in The Odyssey. Odysseus is man that had traveled from great distances to get home to see his wife and son. He has encountered many difficult tasks during his expedition, but non of that made him turn back \u201cMaking his way home by an uncommon route gave him the feeling that he was a pilgrim, an explorer, a man with a destiny, and he knew that he would find friends all along the way\u201d (pg 1234). This quote is very similar to what Odysseus crossed upon during his home. Good as well as bad things happen to them.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298731","body":"Thanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285016323","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27201761","dateCreated":"1284745792","smartDate":"Sep 17, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"mekster","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/mekster","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1222961126\/mekster-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27201761"},"dateDigested":1531973978,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Response","description":"
\nA mythical hero is a fictional character usually that has special powers or courage actions or brave journeys and is praised for his heroic actions. In John Cheever\u2019s, \u201cThe Swimmer,\u201d Neddy Merrill is focused and determined to cross Winchester County swimming across pools to get back to his house. He thought if the idea while attending a party at the Westerhazy\u2019s house. \u201cThen it occurred to him that by taking a dogleg to the southwest he could reach his home by water.\u201d By doing this he sets off on a \u201cbrave\u201d adventure, maybe to make himself feel like a hero. \u201c\u2026he was determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure.\u201d Although to Neddy, he sees himself as something great, I don\u2019t see him as a hero at all. He does have courage, and the strength to continue even if he is weak, \u201c he climbed up the ladder and wondered if he had the strength to get home.\u201d Even though he is treated badly by some poelpe he has the boldness to keep going. Neddy isn\u2019t really a hero because he is selfish. All he thinks about is his journey, and ignores the fact that his body is wearing out, and his friends feel pity for him "We've been terribly sorry to bear about all your misfortunes, Neddy.". he denies the fact and continued with his adventures. He also took advantage and \u201cbroke into\u201d the Levy\u2019s home when they weren\u2019t there. \u201c\u2026the Levy\u2019s had only recently left\u2026after swimming in the pool he got himself a glass and poured himself a drink. Neddy can probably relate to Oddysseus journey in the Oddysey, not only because of the long, straining voyage that would eventually lead him home, but also because of what he encounters along the way. First of all, he faces hospitality from part of his neighbors which insist on him staying and having some drinks. Hospitaly is an essential theme in The Odyssey and not only do I identify Neddy with Odysseus through this, but also because he encounters his mistress along the way and is somehow \u201ctrapped\u201d in this place for a little while. It is when he arrives at his formers mistress house that Neddy looses all his strengths and is forced to slow down and rest, which seems similar to Odysseus presence in the island of Calypso. Even though Odysseus didn\u2019t want to stop there, he was forced to, just like Neddy was forced to stop and rest in the presence of his mistress. This is how I see Needy and how he relates in very interesting ways with Odysseus journey and all the obstacles he faced.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298699","body":"Thanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285016281","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27177721","dateCreated":"1284698988","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"ereiche","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/ereiche","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1226183145\/ereiche-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27177721"},"dateDigested":1531973979,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"erik reiche: The Swimmer Response","description":"In \u201cthe Swimmer\u201d by John Cheever, through his actions, Neddy Merrill resembles a mythic hero. A mythic hero is a made believed character with a strong, and courageous personality. Most of the time, a mythic hero is admired and seen as a superior and almighty character. Neddy\u2019s determined, courageous, and invincible personality resembles a mythic hero. \u201cThe swim was too much for his strength\u2026his arms were lame\u2026the worst of it was the cold in his bones and the feeling that he might never be warm again.\u201d (Pg. 1238) Even though he is feeling exhausted, Neddy is determined enough to complete his journey, that he finds the strength necessary to keep on going. Mr. Merrill is also a very courageous person, who sees himself as an invincible person. Even though he is no longer a young and fit person, and his idea of swimming home may sound insane for most people, Mr. Merrill sees himself as capable of doing such insane journey. He never stops and thinks about a better route to reach home, or one that has been already used. The idea of exploring a \u201cnew\u201d route is one of his biggest motivations. Neddy\u2019s personality and actions are very similar to those of Odysseus. Neddy and Odysseus both go on a long-lasting journey where they explore new lands and lose the track of time. Both characters also are determined and not afraid of exploring new lands and taking other routes than everyone else. \u201cThen it occurred to him that by taking a dogled to the southwest he could reach his home by water.\u201d (Pg. 1234) even though both Mr. Merrill and Odysseus have some flaws in their personalities, they are both considered as a type of mythic hero, to which we admire some of their incredible traits.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298619","body":"Great Eric,
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285016202","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27176587","dateCreated":"1284695907","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"arifishman95","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/arifishman95","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27176587"},"dateDigested":1531973979,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Ari Fishman- The Swimmer","description":"A hero, in mythology and legend, is a man or woman, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his or her bold exploits, and favored by the G-ods. On John Cheever\u00b4s short story, \u201cThe Swimmer\u201d, Neddy Miller, the main character, often can be compared to a mythical hero. First, when he decides to travel the entire county and get to his house by swimming, it is said that \u201cMaking his way home by an uncommon route gave him the feeling that he was a pilgrim, an explorer, a man with a destiny\u2026\u201d. This demonstrates qualities, such as courage, audacity and curiosity, that are similar the ones society considers right now typical from a mythical hero. Also, we know that Neddy passes through many sorts of difficulties and obstacles. For example, when he isn\u2019t welcome at the house of his ex-affair . At that same place, he has troubles with the bartender, who treats him very discourteously. Furthermore, even though right at the end, he gets weakened by the exhaustion of his journey, he finds out to keep going and get to his house. But, in the other hand, it is said that until the end Neddy Miller has been ignoring his reality; his selfish way of acting distanced him from those persons around him. As he takes the journey back home, he starts realizing about situations he didn\u2019t have a clue. \u201cHe shouted, pounded on the door, tried to force it with his shoulder, and then, looking in at the windows, saw that the place was empty.\u201d His friend\u00b4s illness, the two families that moved away, and his own economic misfortune they had suffered, were main events that woke him up, from the unreal world he was living in, giving him a bad quality, not characteristically from heroes. Mostly, this character can be compared to Odysseus in Homer\u00b4s \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d. Odysseus is a very brave and curious man, than on his way back home has many adventures and difficulties. Even though, just as Neddy, he overcome them, and gets home. With his arrival, he finds that things have changed, and that the situation was not as what he expected, bringing him back to a horrible reality. In this case, the adversity found back home, are not entirely his fault; Odysseus lasted a lot but it wasn\u2019t his option. Finally, in this Epic Poem, the role the suitors play is very similar to the on the empty house does on \u201cThe swimmer\u201d. They both are unexpected bad realities. Despite the fact, that at the beginning of the story, Neddy is brave and adventurous, at the end, he finds out, that the world he was pretending to be part of, wasn\u2019t real, and makes him look more like a villain rather than a hero.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298561","body":"Thanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285016143","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27176121","dateCreated":"1284694900","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"hansel.andrew","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/hansel.andrew","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27176121"},"dateDigested":1531973979,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"will's response","description":"A mythical hero is someone who is above everyone else around them. Mythical Heroes are commonly physically fit. They usually undergo strange quests that require one to think outside the box and be physically adept. Some Mythical Heroes build emotional barriers to others out of necessity.
\nHe is like a mythical hero because he goes on a quest. His particular quest is to swim across the county through every swimming pool. Another way he is like a mythical hero is that he views himself above everyone in that he cannot understand their contempt or feelings. Physically, he resembles a mythical hero because he\u2019s fit and emotionally ill equipped. Like a true mythical hero, the swimmer negotiates his way through the many obstacles that he needs to complete to finish his quest. For example, as he arrived at Grace Briswanger\u2019s party she approaches him with contempt and calls him a \u201cgate crasher,\u201d but he did not flinch, went and got a drink and swam the pool and went on to the next pool. Though the swimmer resembles a mythical hero in some ways, in many ways he\u2019s not.
\nThe swimmer is unlike a mythical hero in that he is oblivious to everyone\u2019s, including his own true situation. We see this because he continues to deny that he has sold his house and that his life has evidentially fallen apart. Even when Ms. Halloran expresses her concern about his selling his house, he replies \u201cI don\u2019t know what you mean about misfortunes\u2026 I don\u2019t recall having sold the house.\u201d He simply does not accept reality. A true mythical hero understands what\u2019s going on around him and has the acute ability to figure it out and respond realistically.
\n Although the swimmer has some qualities that resemble a mythical hero, he does not remind of anyone specific. I can\u2019t think of a hero that is oblivious to everything. They have to be focused in reality.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298421","body":"Thanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285015990","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27172233","dateCreated":"1284689518","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"cfgonzalez94","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/cfgonzalez94","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27172233"},"dateDigested":1531973980,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"The Swimmer Response ","description":"
\n
\n A mythical hero is that epic character who is not only admired by there success but has also portrait critical impact on the life of many. A hero that will go on long journeys into the unknown and beyond with determination and strong will. I can see these qualities in Neddy Merrill, that same power and willingness to go beyond what\u2019s expected. \u201c\u2026he was determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure.\u201d Neddy decided to reach his final destination by swimming pools and finally getting home. He knew that he was going to meet neighbors throughout his voyage but he really didn\u2019t care. Neddy\u2019s mind was set and focused on many childish ideas which made him loose notion on what his life was experiencing at that specific period of time. As his journey is taking place, he meets some neighbors which he already knew. These people were throwing a party, with the result that many of those people actually knew Neddy. Becuase there mind wasn\u2019t set to believe in childish ideas, they actually felt bad for Neddy because they knew what was going on. Creating this sort of feeling for him that wasn\u2019t pleasing at all, but had not much effect rather than the end of his trip. After swimming many pools and meeting many people, Neddy finally arrived \u201chome\u201d. \u201cHe shouted, pounded on the door, tried to force it with his shoulder, and then, looking in at the windows saw that the place was empty\u201d. At the end of the story, you figure out that Neddy was actually living a complete and total lie that he had created. He was not actually a pilgrim or an explorer, he was actually a men who had just lost his house and family. As well as the themes of fate and chance fuses together to drive the plot in the short story \u201c A Good Man is Hard to Find", the characteristics of a mythical hero come and go in this short story. Making Neddy sometimes be illustrated as a resemblance of a mythical hero and sometimes not so much. Neddy identifies himself with a legendary figure, like Odysseus. In fact, Neddy is going on a journey, just like Odysseus was. Neddy is using all the strength he had to reach his way back home and will face obstacles too. Neddy is tempted with hospitality from his neighbors, just as Odysseus was tempted to stay at the island of Calypso and become immortal and live among the riches.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298363","body":"Thanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285015930","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27168607","dateCreated":"1284686057","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"dmarin464","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/dmarin464","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1225941095\/dmarin464-lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27168607"},"dateDigested":1531973980,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"\"The Swimmer\" Response","description":"The idea of a mythic hero is a subjective concept of a fictional hero idealized by either an individual or society. A mythical hero is a dichotomy of heroism and mysticism. A hero\u2019s definition can be tangled and consists of many qualities that not everyone would agree with. For example, one may say a hero could be a strong and brave person that fights crime and saves the day, with the counterexample of a fragile coward who hypothetically accidentally saves the President by fortuitously pushing him out of the way as a terrorists attempts to shoot him with a sniper; in this case, that fragile coward would be considered a hero. However, it the context of a mythic hero, it relates to the notion of a super-being with superhuman qualities, like a God. Mythical heroes are commonly referred the Greek and Roman mythology concerning their Gods and Goddesses. In John Cheever\u2019s \u201cThe Swimmer\u201d Neddy Miller bears semblance to a mythic hero with his determination to swim all the swimming pools of his county. Regardless of his inebriated state, his tiredness, and the cold temperature of the pools as it gets dark, he still maintains his adamant willpower to swim all the way through the length of each pool, including going to his past mistress\u2019s house. However, Neddy does not resemble such mythical hero by means of drinking and getting drunk and creating futile challenges such as his to swim all the pools. The story also adumbrates the assumption that he left his house and children a long time ago after finally coming home finalizing his journey soused in water and finding the door locked while \u201c[H]e shouted, pounded on the door, tried to force it with his shoulder, and then, looking in at the windows, saw that the place was empty.\u201d This is also presumed when Mrs. Hallowan repents him by saying, \u201c[W]e\u2019ve been terribly sorry to heat about all your misfortunes, Neddy\u2026we heard that you\u2019d sold the house and that your poor children. . .\u201d In spite of the fact that Neddy did resemble a splotch of being a mythical hero because of his determination, his plighting milieu evinces his state of loneliness and his family\u2019s breakdown as he escapes his reality by swimming them away.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27298267","body":"Thanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285015791","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"27001911","dateCreated":"1284425191","smartDate":"Sep 13, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"melafavini","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/melafavini","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/davidgarethw-books-b.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/27001911"},"dateDigested":1531973980,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"melanie favini response","description":" A mythic hero is a fictional being of great strength and courage, known for his\/her use of benefits. For a mythical hero it is important that it has courage, since readers can\u2019t identify with your hero unless the hero has courage. Also a clever or resourceful hero. Another very important thing in a hero is a special talent, the hero doesn\u2019t have to have one but it is important since it is any quality the hero has that convinces the reader that he\/she is a hero. Most of the times, the hero is a protagonist, and motivated on achieving what he\/she wants. In the story \u201cA Swimmer\u201d, Neddy Merrill resembles a mythic hero because he is a strong person; he has confidence and is happy. These characteristics make Neddy Merrill a mythic hero. Another thing that makes Neddy Merrill a mythic hero is his objective on retaining his youth. His way of thinking that he can literally swim home by swimming the chain of private and public pools in his community shows the readers that he has courage and confidence, and most importantly, he believed in himself. Neddy doesn\u2019t represent a hero in the ways that of his performance at the end. Described as \u201cmiserable, cold, tired, and bewildered\u201d makes readers completely change their views on Neddy. Also, another thing that makes me look at him as not a hero is how in the story it says, \u201cWhat he needed then was a drink, some company, and some clean dry clothes.\u201d This shows how before, it described Neddy\u2019s \u201cdepression\u201d by not having energy, tired, and cold. And now it states how what he needed were just in a sense, material things that if he had them, didn\u2019t help him in his real problem. Also, Neddy seems a little coward to me because he thinks a drink will solve his cures, when he should know a drink isn\u2019t really the answer to solving his tiredness, lack of energy and coldness. Neddy Merrill reminds me of Zora in the story \u201cHow it Feels to be Colored Me\u201d because Zora was a very admirable person, just like Neddy, who had an objective. But at the end, they both decrease a little bit in that sense because Zora starts to notice everyone is equal, when at the beginning she thought she was the best. And Neddy how he had a objective and when failed, gave up and blamed it on physical things.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"27158077","body":"Melanie,
\n
\nA couple of things...
\n
\n1)"For a mythical hero it is important that it has courage, since readers can\u2019t identify with your hero unless the hero has courage." OK, firstly, is a mythical hero an 'it' or a 'he'\/'she'? Secondly, how do you know that the reader can't relate with the hero unless he is courageous; can you explain this?
\n2)"Also a clever or resourceful hero." What is wring with that sentence?
\n3) How can we make this phrase better: "...objective on retaining his youth."
\n4) "...Neddy seems a little coward to me..." (2 mistakes here)
\n5) "...he had a objective ..."
\nI think that you did a good job, in general, of supporting your views with quotes and references from the text, but you have some grammatical issues that I think you need to work on.
\nI also really appreciate you bringing Zora Hurston into this... it shows thought.
\n
\nThanks,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1284676297","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"27168691","body":"1) a mythical hero is he\/she. It's important for the hero to have courage because it means he\/she has courage to achieve something, that something being what the reader might find heroic.
\n
\n2) another thing important for the hero is to be clever and resourceful
\n
\n3) his will for having his youth back
\n
\n4) Neddy acts coward because
\n
\n5) he had an objective","dateCreated":"1284686142","smartDate":"Sep 16, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"melafavini","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/melafavini","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"27298309","body":"Thanks Melanie,
\n
\nBetter,
\n
\nWebster","dateCreated":"1285015863","smartDate":"Sep 20, 2010","userCreated":{"username":"davidgarethw","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/davidgarethw","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}