“Just along for the ride”
by Dennis Kurumada
Story and Work Tasks a), b), c) & d)
Inhaltsverzeichnis
1. Story. 1
2. Work Tasks a,b,c and d. 2
a) Describe Dick: 2
b) How does the narrator feel? 2
c) What type of text is it? 2
d) Is the narrator a friend? 3
1. Story
The short story “Just along for the ride” (1984) by Dennis
Kurumada is about an adventure of Dick, Phil, Reid, Steve and the narrator. The
five friends are cruising around aimlessly when Phil proposes hitting a person.
He imagines opening the door fast and prodding it with the door. After having
looked for a victim, the friends approach a boy. They want to collide with the
child whereas the narrator refuses their plan. The boys choose Ken Benjamin,
the narrator’s friend, as the victim. The narrator warns Dick to stop aiming at
Ken. However, the driver bumps the boy and drives off. The narrator wants to
return in order to see if Ken was dead or still alive. His friends plan to take
flight because they do not want to be punished for their crime. In the
meantime, another car drives behind them. The boys shake the pursuer off by
driving on side roads. Finally, everybody arrives home. The narrator enters his
house at midnight. He feels guilty and is decided to drive to Ken’s house and
look after him. But, the narrator is not able to do this. So, he returns home
where his friends expect him to listen to their words. They tell him that Ken
is safe and sound. Anyway, the narrator pays a visit at Ken’s.
2. Work
Tasks a,b,c and d
a)
Describe Dick:
Dick is a hit-and-run driver. He
flees from the pretended unmarked police vehicle. Later, the driver visits his
friend in order to ease his conscience.
b)
How does the narrator feel?
But this situation causes the
narrator’s guilt. So, he drives to Ken’s house to apologize profusely for the
attempted murder. The boy thinks that he could have killed his friend. He feels
responsible for Ken’s life.
c)
What type of text is it?
The text “Just along for the ride” by
Dennis Kurumada is a short story. The reader is directly involved in the
storyline. There is no introduction, so the story begins immediately. It shows
one situation with different figures who are not characterised at all. The
reader has to imagine the relationship between the figures. Additionally, a
short story has an open end. In this case the reader does not know anything
about the end. He/she has to think what the narrator would do at Ken’s house. The
story is told by a 1st person narrator. The reader is particularly
informed about the narrator’s feelings and perceptions. He/she knows that the
narrator feels guilty of the accident. In return, the actions of other
characters are neglected because the narrator takes centre stage.
d)
Is the narrator a friend?
Personally, I consider the narrator
to be a real friend. He is a person who deserves the name “friend”. Sometimes
it is not easy to find a good friend. But the narrator worries about Ken
although he is still alive. The others must have said: “Oh, Ken is still alive.
So, yeah, we didn’t kill him. Saved by the bell!” .But precisely because Ken
survives unscathed, the narrator visits his friend. This is the chance for him
to talk the horrible action away. Because if Ken had been killed at the
accident, the narrator would not have had the chance to speak to his friend and
then he would have felt guilty his whole life.
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