Fun Home Chapter 1 by Mr. Matheson https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku Made with charisma en-us 2017-05-09 04:26:08 UTC 2025-10-30 18:32:46 UTC hello@padlet.com Essential Questions- Emma https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170779254 1. Old Father, Old Artificer is a good title for the first chapter of Fun Home because it's an introduction to the image of the father Bruce Bechdel and the fact that he takes his passion, historical restoration, very seriously. 
2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are similar because they both build a reality for themselves, which doesn't match with the real world. 
Gatsby spends all of his life trying to become someone who he isn't by changing his name and moving to New York, where he becomes one of the richest and famous men, therefore creating the reality that he was born rich and that his money comes from his parents. 
Bruce Bechdel creates his own world by restoring his house to have it look like a mansion, and as Alison describes in the first chapter, the Bechdel family isn't rich or different from any other family. He creates the reality for himself, like Gatsby does by becoming rich and successful, Bruce does it by restoring his house and caring about it more than he cares about his own children. ]]> 2017-05-09 14:29:25 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170779254 Essential Questions - Jack https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170779384 On page 12 the Narrator says, "I grew to resent the way my father treated his furnature like children, and His children like furniture." This quotation perfectly explains the irony of the title, "Old father, Old Artificer. By saying he treats his kids like furniture (Artifacts) and his furniture like children the titles means the opposite of what someone would assume. 

Both Jay and Bruce both live a consciously forced life. Jay pushed himself out of his birth life becoming a rich extravagant millionaire using his wealth as a tool to attempt to accomplish more. Whereas Bruce instead of totally redefining his identity he pushes it down hiding his true self behind his hobbies. ]]> 2017-05-09 14:29:45 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170779384 Essential Questions- Jessie https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170779555 1. Old Father, Old Artificer is a good title for the first chapter because it introduces the reader to what type of person the father is. The father, Bruce Bechdel, is an English teacher for a salary but his passion in life is historic restoration. Historic restoration is the fathers way to escape his sexuality by obsessing over restoring things. Bruce also has a way of taking these old useless things and recreating them into beautiful pieces that he puts in his house.
2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are similar because they both obsess over their image. Jay Gatsby spent so much of his time making his house presentable for Daisy that he never actually enjoyed his house. Bruce Bechdel spends do much time restoring things that he fails to appreciate his kids and appreciates his things more than anything else. Both Bruce and Jay fail to focus on the more important things in life. They both do not realize that it is more important to sit back and enjoy all the things they have. They both are never fully satisfied and continue to forget the important things in life. ]]> 2017-05-09 14:30:22 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170779555 Essential Questions-Stella https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170781597 1. To be an artificer is to be a skilled craftsman or inventor.  The title, Old Father, Old Artificer is appropriate for the first chapter because Alison's father, Bruce Bechdel, seems to be a man who takes great pride in taking old things and transforming them into beauty.  

2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are similar because they both try to change things. The reader notices Bruce's constant control over trying to make things perfect and change how they appear and not just with furniture. Just like Gatsby did with his identity, Bruce is trying to hide who he truly is and attempts to pull of a charade to keep his true character hidden.]]> 2017-05-09 14:37:15 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170781597 Essential Questions- Teddy https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782343 1. Old Father, Old Artificer is a appropriate title because it shows the reader that the he is Both a father and worker. Bruce the father really likes to take care of the house and tries really hard to make the house look perfect. From the first chapter we see the strange relationship that the fathers has with children. The father cares more about the house and making sure that everything is perfect that he forgets about his kids.
2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are similar in many ways because they are both trying to get their perfect world. Gatsby and Bruce both want to have their perfect world but don't understand thats it is impossible to obtain. Also, both characters try to hide their flaws by making up their own identities. 

]]> 2017-05-09 14:39:25 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782343 Robbie https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782381 1. From the beginning, Alison’s father is depicted as caring for his house and his decor more than his children. In nearly every scene, Bruce is fixing something or building something to better his house, hence “Old Artificer”. The “Old Father” part of the chapter title could possibly come from the fact that Alison maybe doesn’t consider Bruce to be her father anymore, or at least one that filled the perceived role of father in her mind. In addition, she is writing in retrospect, saying that her father is now dead.
2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel can be compared in the way they both care so much about the appearance of their houses and how no matter what they do they are never satisfied and are continually modifying it. The difference being, though, that Gatsby is doing it for Daisy while Bruce is doing it for himself.
]]> 2017-05-09 14:39:32 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782381 Essential Questions Henry https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782384 1. Alison is telling the story of her father, who is also an artificer. He looks old physically, and he also behaves in a "old" way that he likes to take control of the family. The question is that is he more of a father or artificer. Bruce treat his furnitures like children and children furnitures. This title is ironic to say that Bruce do not even understand which is more important, a father or artificer.
2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are similar because they both want their world to be perfect and they cannot tolerate any flaws. They want people around them to do things they consider to be perfect. Jay wants to be the only person Daisy loves and forces her to tell Tom that she never loves him. Bruce tells his children to move the furnitures and dress the right clothes. They both do not understand that they cannot control other people. They cannot make other people do to what they want to be. ]]> 2017-05-09 14:39:33 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782384 Essential Questions- Jordan https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782476 1. Old Father, Old Artificer is an appropriate title for the first chapter as Bechdel attempts to present her father, Bruce, as an authoritarian parent obsessed with order and aesthetic beauty. Bechdel's father's true passion is the restoration of the home that their family lives in, but through his work of he also portrays his negative, perfectionist personality that permeates throughout the house. Additionally, Bruce tries to be perceived as the perfect father and the perfect husband, but his public image is damaged due to his relationship with young boys.
2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are extremely similar because they both share the obsession of presenting the perfect picture of themselves, Bruce through maintaining the perfect house that results in him mistreating his children, whereas Gatsby is obsessed with the perfection of himself through his extravagant parties. Even though they both create this perfect image of themselves, both Gatsby and Bruce are extremely vulnerable due to their inner insecurities. Additionally, both Bruce and Gatsby have a great sense of shame, Bruce because is gay and Gatsby because he was originally poor. ]]> 2017-05-09 14:39:52 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782476 Zach https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782480 1-I Think that it is a appropriate title for the first chapter because it shows you who he really is as a father and the way he goes about his life and uses fixing the house all the time as a way to get away from his sexuality 

2- they are both similar in the way that they want everything to be perfect including themselves 

]]> 2017-05-09 14:39:53 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782480 Essential Question-Austin Hamilton https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782603 1. Old Father, Older Artifcer is a appealing title for the first chapter, as it shows the fathers main focus. A Artificer is a craftsman.Bruce Bechdel is portrayed as a craftsman throughout the book. The father is portrayed as being obsessed with his home. He put in countless time building and restoring a home, so it could take his mind off of strong desires.

2. Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are very similar. They both work countless hours to keep their minds off of something they cant control. Gatsby is a bootlegger to earn a great amount of money, so he can take his mind off of poverty. Bruce Bechdel works on his house all day, to take his mind off of his strong sexual desires, which are constantly on his mind. The only thing that distractions Bruce Bechdel is working on the house.

]]> 2017-05-09 14:40:17 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170782603 Essential Question- Sloane https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170783154 Old Father, Old Artificer is a good tittle for the novel because Bruce has an old soul and an eye for antiques. He uses his ability as a carpenter to build and design his house and give it an old fashion feel. Interior design is evidently the most important aspect of his life and though it is not his paying job, he constantly adds and renovates their house. 
Jay Gatsby and Bruce Bechdel are similar characters because they both value items higher than the people in their lives. Bruce uses his house as a release because his life is not what he pictured it to be and he is not happy. Gatsby used his house to hide the fact that he was not with Daisy and constantly used artificial items to hide his unhappiness. 

]]> 2017-05-09 14:41:48 UTC https://padlet.com/jermaine_matheson/tjjjszw0ekku/wish/170783154