I need a good claim to show my teacher tomorrow and I need help. I need a claim on the story " what we talk about when we talk about love" by raymond carver. Any ideas or examples I can go off to make my own claim. Please and thank you.

What's a "claim"?

An argument.

What claim did you use?

Carver does not provide a definition of true love and even shows that it's almost impossible to come up with such a definition. I want to focus more on how he develops the characters, like why he has Mel be a cardiologist, or why he has Mel want to be a knight and has him make a "Freudian slip" of vessel for vassal, or Terri's relationship with Ed and how Carver has Mel look at it, etc.

But I do not know how to make a claim out of that.

Let's talk about it.

Rather than character development for all characters, pick one. Who would you choose and why?

I would choose Terri or Mel because that is what the story is mainly about. Mel because he likes to state his own opinion I mean they both have there own opinion on love because Terri was in her past relationship that was kind of abusive but she didn't see it that way because she thought that was true love.

Okay. Now, pick one of them.

I would choose Mel. Because why would the author make him a cardiologist? Why in the story does he say he wishes he can come back in a different life and be a knight or a serf? Like how does that all go with love?

So what would your claim be for Mel?

That's exactly where I am having a hard time. Because I can not write my paper unless I have a claim.

I made one, but it wasn't the write point where my teacher wanted me to go. I had throughout the story, the author showed us many different viewpoints on love, and with these the reader can get a better understanding of the true definition of love. When I told her I thought that was my claim that is when she said the focus should be on the story itself and how Carver does what he does. Carver does not provide a definition of true love and even shows that it's almost impossible to come up with such a definition. Focus more on how he develops the characters, like why he has Mel be a cardiologist, or why he has Mel want to be a knight and has him make a "Freudian slip" of vessel for vassal, or Terri's relationship with Ed and how Carver has Mel look at it, etc.

Did you say how long it is supposed to be, and what level are you?

(Your teacher seems to be making this a lot more complicated than it has to be, plus it's very difficult to make a claim about the whole story.)

The essay has to be 8 pages it is our final essay. My teacher is ridiculous very hard on grading and if I don't pass this essay I fail the class. So I would rather ask you than email her because she makes no sense and you seem to help me more.

Despite Carver's characters' best efforts to define it, no one is able to adequately pinpoint what love is in the short story, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." [Then talk about each character and how he or she defines love, but very poorly or incorrectly or superficially.]

I strongly suggest you get two blank pieces of paper, title each side with a character's name, divide each page in half with a line down the middle, title each column "good" and "poor," and then list all the things each one says about love and why each is a good definition or not.

Okay, thank you. I have one last question this is my final essay for the semester it has to be 8 pages long. Do you think you can give me some ideas what to write about in each of my paragraphs or talk about in each. I will send you the topic again. Also should I choose another story by Carver to write about because I have to use some research but I don't know exactly what to research. This is the last thing I am asking and I will leave you alone.

Choose a story by one of the above authors. It must be a story that you really, really like. Then, write your paper, using two to four researched sources, to analyze why you like this story. It could revolve around how the character(s) is created, or the plot twists and turns, or how the author surprises or pleases you with the ending, or how the setting is created draws you into the story and makes you feel as if you're right there, looking on. If there are two stories by the same author that you can't choose between, then write about something similar that the author achieves in both stories. This will still need an argumentative thesis, one that claims something like “Erdrich takes a difficult situation and gets the reader to fully understand what the two main characters are experiencing and feeling.”

Mel

Good - tries over and over again to explain what love is

Poor - confusing examples (older couple in hospital), nasty comments to wife Terri

Okay, did you get what I wrote before this one?