Letter to Dom

June 22, 1989.

Dom,

Play. Pause. Rewind. Play. Coffee. Scribble. Pause. Play.

It may bring you jubilation in knowing that the putatively anonymous tapes discernibly marked with your idiosyncratic writing has been generously working my record player for many days past. After all, journals are meant to be read and tapes are meant to be played. No one could tell me where you are buddy, and it’s been too long since I have received any form of reassurance from you. So I figured the only way to alleviate the accumulating uneasiness in my chest was take matters into my own hands. Claire and Anne have helped me here and there when I felt like intervening—I could see past a couple of the bluffs, however. Just miss you pal. I’ve gone through most of your tapes now. I’m beginning to piece together a fraction of the events you recorded and what you were going through by transcribing the tapes with your writings, even though the extent of the documentations still remains somewhat nebulous to me. I mean really! You could have made playing the private investigator a lot easier by cutting the tedious walking footages and still sceneries! But I guess my curiosity leaves me no choice but to make use of what I have. It was wonderful to hear that ingeneous humor of yours that I have came to love, and feel that familiar connection to you, but what would be really sublime is a beer at that little bar we used to visit down by the lake together.

To be honest I am grateful you sent these to me instead of anyone else. At least I have a clue you are still out there making your art and music . Hearing you struggling to make a decision on pie is a hell lot better than getting an earful about you conducting self-destructing actions of any kind. But truthfully, I wouldn’t be able to imagine that: you aren’t the type, you have got too much talent and prudence to debase yourself with anything stupid.

Wolf Cove, huh? Interesting place. Claire seems happy with what little contact you are still keeping with her. It takes a real man to still be able to wheel a girl while he is MIA. I know you feel guilty about leaving her, but know that you didn’t abandon her. You didn’t abandon anyone really… you knew exactly where you wanted to wind up and you made a valorous dash for it—if I understand, she must too. If you wouldn’t mind I’d like to hear the whole story first hand from you soon. But I’ll tell you what, if you feel like dropping by Toronto any time soon I’ll be sure to have an iced cold beer waiting for you in my apartment just like old times, and if we’re board we can dip our own mother’s needle’s in the ball-pen ink and open up our own tattoo parlor. On another note, I hope the vapors you got aren’t hitting you too hard. From what I hear it isn’t a whole lot of fun, and you seemed to get it earlier than most. I don’t know which that makes you, lucky or unlucky. Take it easy on yourself bud. I’m hoping to see you back in the city soon, or I’d be more than glad to travel across the ocean to chat over your beautifully played melodies.

Keep the tapes coming, and best luck to you my friend.

Joe

Character Development

T.S.’s love for Layton

“Triumph, It was the first courageous thing I had ever done in my life… I suddenly wished Layton was there to share the feeling with me. He would have loved this adventure.” (103)

T.S. feels guilty that he is responsible for Layton's death forcing him to ask himself, What would Layton do? He seems to believe that Layton is a better person than he is.

Dr. Clair’s passion for her work

“Dr. Clair was a misguided coleopterist, who for twenty years had been chasing a phantom species of beetle – the tiger monk, Cicindela nosferatie – that even she was not sure truly existed.” (11)

Dr. Clair has an extreme attention to detail that T.S. has as well. She is driven by her work and rarely leaves her study except to cook for the family.

His Dad’s passion for the ranch

“These two belonged out here, circling each other along the endless incline of the divide.” (62)

T.S.'s father lives for the ranch and does not seem to fit in with the family. Before Layton's death he was the only one he could connect with. After Layton's death, his father kept to himself more, he began to spend even more time out on the ranch or indoors than spending time with his family.

A Boy in the Moon Blog post

A) Comment on Ian Brown’s impressions of the L’Arche communities in Montreal and in France that he visits. (Chapters 11 and 12) Provide specific support by quoting the book directly.

Ian brown was searching for a place where Walker could be loved and cared for when the time came that he and Johanna were unable to care for him themselves. He was looking for a place that Walker could not only hold his presence, but be taken care of, feel comfortable and enjoy himself. But most importantly, he was looking for a place that could make his son happier so he would no longer have to guilt himself into thinking somehow Walker’s condition was his fault. L’arche was where he found all of this.
Ian was looking for an institution that he himself would feel comfortable going to, and from the very start he knew this could be the place. “I saw for the first time the outline of the unthinking community I was looking for. In that community, I was the stranger.” (187). Brown realized right from the get-go that Walker would be not only be able to fit in there, but even find happiness. As Brown explored more of L’arche he came to realize its daily patterns, unique people, and intriguing atmosphere. “Surrounded by the first time in my life by intellectually disabled adults I had only just met, I suddenly realized I didn’t feel nervous.” (190). He grew to love a place that accepted him for his differences.
But it was not only L’arche that liked Ian. Ian had a strong affiliation for L’arche. It taught him things he may never had noticed on his own. He understood from Isabelle what it meant to be yourself, with out having to put up walls and facades and how much greater life can be if you are focusing more on having a good time and not what others may thing. He learned that differences and strengths do not always need to lead to an unequal balance of power, but both can be looked at for their positives. “Be ready. When their light has picked you out and their questions are asked, say to them: I am not ashamed.” (220).
Walker was where Ian found darkness, and the light of the tunnel all at the same time. He was becoming nearly too much work for him, Johanna and Hayley to take care of. Every move he made was out of love and affection towards Walker, but all he wanted was for Walker to be loved the way he loved Walker. L’arche was a place that could remove Ian’s doubt that any of this was his fault, and begin a new journey of creating happiness for Walker.

B) Describe what you have learned about life with a profoundly disabled child. How has Brown’s memoir altered/clarified your attitude? Provide specific support by quoting the book directly.

Reading “A Boy in the Moon” opened my horizons towards my understanding about the care of a child with a mental disability. I have always had a knowledge on certain disabilities, and understanding of how it happens biologically or ways in which you might interact with someone with certain disabilities. But I have never taken in the fact of what happens apart from the outside world, and all the work and love that goes into taking care of them. Like any child they require time and patience, and like many children their caregivers love them. But they are different from the average son or daughter, Walker is an example of this. Walker’s CFC syndrome has made it more difficult for him to carry out regular functions; he has problems eating, going to the bathroom and has to wear cuffs on both arms to keep from hurting himself.
Looking after a child in a profoundly disabled situation is tough, it is hard, but it is rewarding. Ian Brown highlighted all of these throughout his novel. Every day seems to be uniform, in order to ensure Walker’s trust and safety. “The routine makes the eight years seem long, almost endless, until I try to think about them afterwards, and then eight years evaporate into nothing, because nothing has changed.” (1). Each day Walker runs by the same routine, at the same time, with the same people. Leaving little room for change, and in Walker’s situation he does not do a whole lot of that anyways. Although Ian is sleep deprived, and falling behind in work, and wakes up each day feeling lethargic from the long night before, he realized “Early on I learned my son could lift my mood” (11).
One thing, which astonished me, was the amount of guilt Ian had, blaming everything on himself and the time pondering what could happen if Walker didn’t exist. It was not until chapter 11 that Ian comes to his realization that nothing can change the past, but there can be much done to better Walker’s condition and create happiness to his life. “We can spend a lot of time asking the wrong questions. The right question is, how can I help my son, to be happier? The wrong question is, is it my fault?” (207). I think of Ian as a very brave man, waking up every day with Walker and his family on his mind and taking care of them, not only because he felt obligated to but because he wanted to. A life with a child in a profoundly disabled state does not seem like something just anyone can handle, but it sure does create another kind of joy for everyone surrounding his or her life.

C) Provide three questions for Ian Brown.

i) What do you think life would be like with out Walker?
ii) Looking back is their anything you would do differently, regarding Walker’s upbringing?
iii) Now that Walker has been part of your life for so long, do you still think about letting nature takes its course and not working so hard to help Walker to get better?

The Great Gatsby Blog Post

Part A.) My character analysis on Jordan Baker:

From the gecko of Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby we find ourselves captivated by Jordan Baker. A strong, opinionated woman revealing herself from the very first words she remarks towards Nick upon his arrival at the Buchanans. “You live in West Egg,” she remarked contemptuously” (11) In just five words from a character barely introduced yet, we can immediately spot the way she views ‘that crowd’ on the other side of the lake, seldom by the tone in which she phrases herself.

At the start of the book we see Jordan to be a very contrasting character from Daisy, an odd fit for such close friends. Jordan seems to be a sharp character, able to think quickly on her feet, and carries an aura that creates impact on whomever she is around. “Let’s get out,” whispered Jordan after a somehow wasteful and inappropriate half hour; “this is much too polite for me.” (45)

I believe that Jordan’s flirtatiousness and mysteriousness is what draws Nick’s attention to her throughout the novel. We can tell from the start there is some sexual tension between the two, but it is not until they are spending much more time together that we get to see how their relationship develops and how Jordan is the first of the two to reveal her feelings. This is first noticed when Nick innocently comments on Jordon’s reckless driving with her while stopped for gas. “I hate careless people, that’s why I like you.” (59) We can see that Jordan’s reply is where her character really starts to develop. It is the first time we see Jordan being outwardly honest in the book, and showing a sign of true affection towards Nick.

Although Jordan Baker’s role in the novel was not extensive, her impact on the storyline held prevalence to the themes of hollowness of the upper class, and the decline of the American dream. Jordan shows the reader that just because you have material wealth, does not mean you have everything.

Part b.) He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself. (ch 3)

While reading this passage, I found a very courageous canvas being painted into my mind. An image of a smile was depicted for me, but it was a smile in which you can tell that the beholders eye’s are smiling as well. This image created a very genuine character with promise and a great deal of charisma and wisdom. The way Fitzgerald imposed this passage was the perfect way to introduce Gatsby. It opened up his character with a simultaneous pizzas and serious tone, at the same time. I found it really made the reader intoned with the book and look foreword to his character introduction development. The passage here deeply emulates how Gatsby is revealed to the outside world.

I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. (17)

I found this to be a very effective quote in the book and a very insightful quote for Daisy as we are able to gain revealing insight about her character. We can see Daisy almost describing herself, revealing how women can enjoy themselves more if they are nothing but a fool. Daisy is completely aware that the role women play in her society is very minimal and not nearly as heavily impacted or as prevalent as men. By being a fool, she is not merely disgracing women, yet evaluating that all women can do in this era, is to raise her children, and look pretty. We see Daisy for the first time, being sardonic about a fact, which is both true and a reality.

“We’re getting off,” he insisted. “I want you to meet my girl.” (24)

I found this sentence to be especially effective in The Great Gatsby as it highlighted the amount of infidelity all throughout the novel, and how cavalier Tom Buchanan is about keeping his affair a secret. It shows how similar today’s generation is alike from 100 years ago. In both societies you have groups that conduct in acts that could terribly harm another person. Whether is be; disloyalty or the illegal distribution of alcohol and other drugs. With both being prevalent in separate generations it shows how different social groups come together to make up a community. Ultimately revealing how you can never have perfection if you have unjust practices. This short sentence that Tom barks out at Nick, strongly relates to the theme of the decline of the American Dream, as it reveals the imperfection in the characters lives and the lack of will to create such a life.

C.) We are able to understand the life of Nick Carraway through his observations of the characters and situations around him, but how do the other characters perceive Nick and whether or not he fits in to their society?

Nick states that he is one of the only honest people he has ever met, how is this proven throughout the novel? Is nick a reliable narrator?

Summer Reading Blogging Post -19 Minutes

Jodi Pucoult's 19 Minutes is a heartbreaking novel about an act of violence that shatters the small close-nit town of Sterling, New Hampshire. Peter, the 17 year old male protagonist who had been bullied his entire life turns the tables when he brings a gun to school and open fires on the students. The story closely follows the thoughts and lives of a few of the citizens of Sterling as their lives are forever changed by the shooting. Josie, the female protagonist and former friend of Peter watches her old friend shoot and kill her boyfriend only feet away from her. Traumatized and confused we see her life unfold and the plot twists as the truth is revealed about the abuse she had endured by her boyfriend and the role she played in his murder. Josie’s mother, Alex, is the judge assigned the case and is struggling to cope with the biggest court battle in her career as well as the struggling to help her depressed teenage daughter. The story also takes on the view of the lead detective on the case who is left to put the pieces together and is morally challenged when the evidence takes on an unexpected turn and he is forced to with his personal life. He learns the people closest to him are more involved than he knew. This quick passed story allows us to see the events unfold through the eyes of these characters and we soon realize that no situation is ever completely black or white. We are forced into the grey area as we step into the shoes of each character and see life through their eyes.

Jodi Pucoult has a unique writing technique. Each chapter is focused on the perspective of one of the different protagonists. She successfully allows each character to reveal their own characteristics in the chapters that follow their lives and how they experienced the events. This makes the story even more interesting and the characters even more convincing because they have their own personality, thoughts and feelings. Her writing style is exciting and each page grabbed my attention more and more. The dialogue was consistent with what I believe each character would say and her use of diction carried the story smoothly. Each character revealed more and more about themselves consciously and subconsciously as the story went on and I was able to connect with different parts of their lives. The setting, being in a small town in the states was foreign to me but it made for an exciting story of a small town with big secrets.

The first page of the book is a short suicide note. It starts off by saying, “By the time you read this, I hope to be dead.” I thought this was a really interesting way to start the story because at that point I had no idea who this note was from or who it was for. It is only revealed at the end of the book which was a really cool way to close the story. Another passage that appealed to me was also in the first chapter. It starts off by listing a bunch of things you can do in 19 minutes and then goes to say, “In nineteen minutes you can stop the world, or you can jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.” This obviously reflected on the title, “Nineteen Minutes”. I also thought It was a powerful opening because it foreshadowed on the events that were about to happen and gave the heads up that something drastic was about to happen in a very short period of time. The third passage I chose to write about was midway through the book. It was a small paragraph that took up the whole page and part of it said, “You are the ting that used to be normal, but that was so long ago, you cant even remember what it was like.” I think it was really smart of Jodi Picoult to include passages like this that are easy for anyone to connect with and speak specifically to the reader. I think anyone can relate to feeling abnormal and looking back at believing that maybe at one time you were exactly what ‘normal’ was suppose to be.