Titles

Danielle Hartwig (Hour 1) Katie Mastoris (Hour 3) Jayme Moon (Hour 7)

Title Definition: The prominent name of a book (including chapter & section), poem, picture, piece of music etc.

Relation to Rabinowitz:

On page 61 in the packet, Rabinowitz explains that titles guides our reading process by telling us where to concentrate and they also provide a base around which to center and organize our interpretation. Many titles can have multiple meetings and can alert a reader to contrasts such as the title //Pride and Prejudice// as explained on page 60 in the packet. Certain titles want readers to concentrate on character while others, plot. A title can also serve as a way for the reader to tie together contexts when the title is repeated and can be interpreted in different ways.

How does this rule of notice apply to //The Plot Against America?//

Chapter 4 of //The Plot Against America// is titled "The Stump." Within the chapter is when an injured Alvin is discharged from the military hospital in Canada, and rejoins the Roths in New Jersey. The title "The Stump" is pretty non-descript and vague. This leaves the reader wondering what the chapter could possibly be about. As a result, the reader searches for the meaning behind this title as he or she reads Chapter 4. The author finally reveals his intentions as " [Alvin's] left trouser leg dropped straight down from the knee, a sight generally familiar to adults but one that startled me..." (p. 127), as it is divulged that one of Alvin's legs is no longer more than a thigh, what he, the author, and the narrator Phillip, call his "stump." The stump continues to be the focus of the chapter as Phillip fearfully inquires, "Do I have to look at it? Will I ever have to touch it?" (p. 131). Eventually, Phillip grows accustomed to the stump, and doesn't mind helping Alvin dress it and care for it, as he thinks of it almost as his duty. Roth clearly named Chapter 4 "The Stump" in order to draw attention to this reoccuring presence that is the focus of the chapter. However, Chapter 4 isn't the only time the stump appears throughout the rest of the novel. Roth continues to use the stump as a symbol as the novel continues, ending //The Plot Against America// with "The boy himself was the stump, and until he was taken to live with his mother's married sister in Brooklyn ten months later, I was the prosthesis." (p. 362)

Furthermore, Roth titles Chapter 6 "Their Country." By this point in the book, the divisions between the Jewish and the non-Jewish citizens of America, especially those centered New Jersey and New York, are clear. It has come to an "us vs. them" mentality for both the Jews and the non-Jews. The fact that the author chooses to name the chapter following the "us vs. them" line-of-thought signals to the reader to focus on the animosities between the two groups that are sure to be a central element of Chapter 6. Within the first two pages, what their country is specifically referring to is evident, "Several days had to pass before my father could summon the composure to show the company's letter to my mother and to break the news that as of September 1, 1942, he was being transferred from the Metropolitan's Newark district to a district office opening in Danville, Kentucky." (p. 205). " 'And how many Jews in Danville,' my mother asked, 'of the six thousand and seven hundred? How many in the whole state?' 'You already know Bess. There are very few.' " (pgs. 205-206). "Their Country" refers to the non-Jewish city of Danville, and the non-Jewish state of Kentucky. However, it may also be referencing the entire nation, as it appears that the Jews are being treated as outsiders in the non-Jewish (their) country. Although they are American citizens, the Jews are being persecuted as if they were foreigners. For them, America is no longer "our country" but "their country." What the author is steering the reader to is to not only use this title to find the focus of the chapter, but also to find the focus of other events that are still to come in the rest of the novel.

Titles in Everyday Life:

In everyday life there are many examples of titles used to alert and give clues to a reader. An example which I'm sure most people know is //Batman: The Dark Knight.// The title is an indicator that Batman is no longer good but will turn "dark". This happens throught where people are questioning wether Batman is still good or not and in the end wants to be percieved as dark and bad. Using the word knight with dark is showing that it is not talking about night but a an actual person, something not noticed through hearing but through seeing it in the previews, right before the movie begins, on advertisments, or on the movie case. Through this title a lot can be inferred, and can be connected and help provide more information throughout the movie. Also the use of titles is used in songs. It can provide the overall theme that the singer is trying to get across for example //Imagine// by John Lennon. John Lennon repeatedly has imagine in the song with different imaginations of his, and of what he imagines the world could and should be, "Imagine there's no countries it isn't hard to do nothing to kill or die for and no religion too imagine all the people living life in peace...". He wanted people to imagine what the world could be like. media type="youtube" key="BPROGyJ2FNA&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425"Titles are constantly being used as a device whether in a movie title. song title, or a book title, and realizing this readers will be able to grasp much more or whatever they are watching, reading, or listening to.