Seven Grams

Modernized Version of the Wife of Bath

Tale

By: Tori Benner

Writing Choices

• In the Wife of Bath, the knight comes across a beautiful maiden and rapes her. The King wants the knight decapitated, but the Queen requests control over the trial. She gives the knight one year and one day to find the answer to the question of what women desire most.

• In Seven Grams, the gangster Bellatoni, whom is in the Los Zetas Cartel, steals drugs from gangsters in the Black Family Mafia. The Black Family Mafia’s Boss, Manocchio, wants Bellatoni dead, but the Underboss, Azarelli, wants to be the one to decide. Azarelli gives Bellatoni one year and one day to find the answer to the question of what drug is most desired.

Selection of Text

Selection of TextIntroduction Paragraph

In the dark alleys of Detroit, Michigan, the business of mafias is very perilous. You are family; you must respect your brothers. The boss is your father; you must not disappoint him. The three main gangs are the Los Zetas Cartel, the Black Mafia Family, and the Flatheads Gang. All three families are enemies, but if drugs are at hand, then exceptions may be made. My name is Bellatoni and I belong to the Los Zetas Cartel.

Selection of TextFirst Body Paragraph

One muggy night, I was cautiously walking through the streets. I heard drunken laughter from a nearby dark alley. Following the sound, smoke created a new path to follow. I quietly peeked around the corner to find a few members of the Black Mafia Family passing around a blunt. I casually walked over and joined in the men’s laughter. My laugh then turned into a huge grin, anxious to destroy my enemies. The first man was so oblivious of my presence that I snatched the blunt out of his mouth and snapped it in half. The rest of the group stared at me blankly nearly drooling. One by one I took a hit to each of the men. After taking advantage of these fools, I took their bag of drugs which turned out to be seven grams of cocaine. As I stashed the bag in my pocket, I turned my head to find two men rushing toward me each armed with an AK-47. A tall man in a dark coat followed. This was the Boss of the Black Mafia Family, also known as Manocchio. I could barely make out his face in the heavy mist as it hit the light. The first man’s gun was pressed against my body pointing directly under my chin. I did not make any sudden movement for one pull of the trigger and I would be dead. Tape was placed over my mouth and the gun that was against my chest struck me out cold.

Characters ListIn Comparison

Seven GramsManocchio

AzarelliBellatoniGambini

Wife of BathThe King

The QueenKnight

Ugly, Old Woman

Styles

The styles used in Seven Grams is obviously a creative narrative which “tells a personal or fictional experience or tells a story based on a real or imagined event”.

The narrative is written in the first person point of view in which Bellatoni is the narrator but also the protagonist.

The dialogue in the story is written with great emphasis to where you can clearly make out the tone.

Devices

– Imagery – “the ability to form mental images of things or events”. Creates a visual for the reader.

– Symbolism – “a word or object that stands for another word or object”. The gangs and drugs represent power.

– Tone – “the quality of a person’s voice”. Very short and to the point, showing little to no emotion.

– Theme – “a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work”. The apparent themes are power and rank.

– Antagonist – “a character in a story or poem who deceives, frustrates, or works against the main character”. In this case it would be Gambini.

– Protagonist – “the main character or lead figure in a novel”. This would be Bellatoni.

– Dialogue – “the conversation between characters in a narrative”. Much dialogue is used in order to interpret the tone.

Works Citedhttp://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/

work/allam/general/glossary.htm#m