CLASS...THIS IS WHERE YOU POST YOUR COMMENTS
Class after reading "Your Arkansas Traveler" and watching the film version, A Face in the Crowd, please compose a complete response to two of the three questions below:
1) Is Lonesome really in love with Marcia? Why or why not?
2) Name at least two contemporary celebrities, politicians, news commentators or personalities on TV, radio or the Internet that you think are similar to Lonesome Rhodes or share common characteristics with him. Explain how they are similar and different?
3) If Lonesome Rhodes had not come to his sudden and tragic ending, what do you think would be his future? Would he have been able to continue for much longer?
Note: A complete response for each question is defined as a minimum of two complete paragraphs of not less than five sentences each.
I believe Lonesome Rhodes is really in love with Marcia. Marcia was the one who discovered him and believed in him before all of his fame and money. During the movie we discovered Lonesome was scared and he felt people was taking advantage of him and he confided in telling Marcia how he truly felt despite having all the money and fame. To me a man telling you his secrets and confiding in you means he loves and trusts you. Men are not like us women, they do not go on telling people how they feel unless they trust and love you enough not to judge.
ReplyDeleteLonesome Rhodes loved Marcia because she never left his side although he was crazy (in my opinion). Marcia was the only one to really put him in his place and get him to do his job after being a crazy drunk. Anytime he would call Marcia, she would be therefor him and for that Lonesome loved her. Also because he knew he could never have her, he always asked her to marry him and she said no, a man likes hard to get woman. In conclusion Lonesome Rhodes in his own sick twisted way actually loved and cared for Marcia.
Mayleen...thanks for being the first to respond!
DeleteIf Marcia had returned Lonesome love or married him would things have turned out different? Is the reason Marcia doesn't marry Lonesome a question of class...if Lonesome had been educated and city-sophisticated would Marcia have married him?
Lonesome Rhodes was a sociopath in my eyes that man was unfortunately spiraling out of control. Usually it never ends well, so no I do not believe he would have been able to continue much longer. He may have continued to do television for just a little while l but I think his down fall was always trying to bring war upon other countries. His head got so big that he really thought he can rally up the people to bring war upon any country he wanted, this also worried Marcia. She constantly tried to stop him and this is why she always went back to try and stop him.
ReplyDeleteI think his future would be a lonely place if he did not get himself together after all the only person who cared about him was Marcia. Eventually she would have gotten tired of saving him after all these years. Rehab or even a mental institution would have been his new home; he was just getting out of control and too big even for himself. Lonesome was always a drunk and even appeared crazier on film rather than the short story. He was talented and had a gift not a lot of us where blessed with and that was being persuasive and a person of the people but his fame got to him so his future would not of ended well.
Mayleen.. I agree completely that Lonesome is a sociopath spiraling out of control. Why do you think that in the film version the decision was made to have Marcia sabotage his career in order to bring him to a stop rather then having hm come to a quick and tragic end like in the story?
DeleteI think Lonesome is really in love with Marcia, but that was the beginning of the story. Lonesome fell in love with the simplicity and directness that she had to tell him things. He also love how she cared about him. Probably because he was not used to being treated well.
ReplyDeleteLonesome grew up in his career, his fame was on the top and he believed he could have everything he wanted, but he cannot have Marcia. For more insisted that he was, Marcia refused him. So the love that he felt was become in obsession. He was so obsessed that he tried to threats her. I also believe his marriage was just to make Marcia jealous. In conclusion Lonesome was in love with Marcia but that love became in an obsession at the end.
Lonesome had big changes in his life, form being a western man in jail (film version) he became in a famous person. he pass to be someone in the society. everybody do what he say. Those changes were strongest points on his mental disorders and adding that he is a alcoholic. A man with those characteristic never end well. Lonesome Rhodes was well directed to that end.
ReplyDeleteLonesome maybe got an opportunity to apologize with his fans, and continues with the TV show. but never going to be the same, he will lose popularity and finally lose everything he gain. his cars, his money everything. His psycho behavior combine with his alcoholism is something that going to ruin him, the people will not trust him anymore. he will come back to his old life and be unhappy, in his depression maybe he end dead not by accident as in the story. if not by suicide, cirrhosis or perhaps he end in jail again as in the film.
lonesome was a man who wanted to be love but only on his term. Lonesome was a power, hungry manipulator who let the power of fame mislead him. He wanted to do things his own way. He wanted to be in control.
ReplyDeleteI believe Marcia was a strong, educated woman. She was the professional type. Lonesome was in love with Marcia Personality, but was challenge by her strength. She was an independent woman;she was somebody he could have rely on. She was a straightforward person;she was the one person who would have told him the truth.
On the other hand, Lonesome was challenge by Marcia strength. She was educated and he was not. She was more stable than any of the other women. She was bold and confident. Lonesome love for Marcia was in need but to act on that love was a challenge. Lonesome was afraid of Marcia Subduing him.
Being the man Lonesome was, a manipulator; He wanted to be in control.
In conclusion, Lonesome love for Marcia was challenge by her strength.
If Lonesome had not come to his tragic ending, He would have still been famous. He would have been popular for a while until his character traits become exposed. We all know that television can deludes some people; while it can also expose others. After a while the truth would have been surface." It does not take long for the media to mirror in on you".
ReplyDeleteEventually, Lonesome career would have come to an end. The failure to co-operate with his workers; The failure to run his organization. The need to be in control of the people . As much has Lonesome wanted to be in control. He needed the guidance of the people. And not having the need to be wanted could have cripple his reputation.
Lonesome once lived a dark and lonely life . A break in his career was a light that he needed. Lonesome would have probably end up back in Jail. He probably would have taken his own life has depression cloud his mind.
on the other hand, the experience he faced in life could have taught him a valuable lesson to cherish the ones that are there for you and to never take anything for granted.
"To determine if Lonesome would have recover from his life experience"? was a path that Lonesome was going to choose." A road to success or a road to defeat and failure."
In the beginning of the story and the film I think Lonesome was kind of in love with Marcia.Since she was the person that discovered him and Marcia was his manager at the time.Once lonesome started getting famous he became less attracted to her because every girl in the world wanted him. Instead of Marcia being his one and only girl she became his side women who he would tell his problems to whenever he was going through something bad in his life. In my option, Lonesome did not realize what he had until he lost it.
ReplyDeleteEven though, Marcia kind of fell in love in with lonesome he just was not into her like that anymore at the time. For example:he told her that he wanted to marry her after he divorced his wife, but instead he married a young girl who was half his age. Lonesome just had love at first site with the girl in the band he didn't think with his head he went with his heart and that's what caused his down fall. Everything just happened too fast and lonesome couldn't handle everything on his own and the only person who could set him straight was Marcia who couldn't handle the way he was treating her anymore.
If Lonesome career had not ended like it did he would have lost most of his loyal fans and he would be talked about for awhile mainly by critics. He would probably still have his TV show, but he wouldn't have as many views as he did before. once a new person took his place Lonesome would be just like any other one hit wonder who had it all and lost it. Lonesome would find other women and he will get married again but nobody is going to really replace the one person that who meant something to him which was Marcia.
ReplyDeleteAdrian...Are you referring to the ending in the short story? If so, why would Lonesome have eventually lost his fans? Would they have eventually figured out he was a fake or didn't really care about them? Explain your response in more detail.
DeleteI don't think that Lonesome truly and genuinely loved Marcia. I think that he was infatuated with the attention that he received from her. I believe that he liked the idea of being in love but as far as Marcia goes, it did not seem natural. I also feel and think that Lonesome was insecure deep down inside and once Marcia gave him attention that made him feel good, he latched on to her until something better came along or when he was able to receive it from anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI strongly feel that the way you meet someone and the way you become romantically involved with them is the way you end up losing them. The circumstances were not appropriate because she was supposed to be his manager, nothing more than that, but she ended up getting caught up with Lonesome. She cared way too much about him and I felt that he took advantage of that by "having his cake and eating it too" with other women.
Had he not had such a tragic ending, I don't think he would have coped with his life very well. I think he would have been very overwhelmed with everyone and everything. Marcia would have eventually came to the realization that she was his doormat and would have moved on from him. Lonesome probably would have died a very sad and lonely person due to pushing everyone and everything that was good and positive away from his life.