Final Presentation: Blogging 101

Blogging 101

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Technology!

Wow, this has been an interesting semester, as far as technology goes. When it comes to the worldwide web, I am not exactly a know it all. Taking an online class is far different then taking an in person class for the following reasons; I really feel like there is more work associated with an online class. It seems that to make up for not physically going to class, professors pile on more of a work load. That has been my experience anyways. Online classes also differ when it comes to the way in which your assignments are turned in. This class has taught me all about blogging and learning how to make a post interesting as well as visually presentable. I’ve really enjoyed this aspect of learning. I never thought, in a million years, that I’d be blogging! Surprisingly, I didn’t mind the blog parts of this class, as well as responding to classmates blogs. 

 I think some of the challenges associated with taking English online is having to really motivate and push yourself on your own. A lot of times with an in person class, you can get feedback and immediate interaction from your professor and peers. However, online that is not as immediately available. The blog really helped with this particular issue, so that wasn’t a struggle for me. An advantage of online classes is not having to show up twice a week to class and it becomes more flexible with daily life. I enjoy that part of online school. The most beneficial technology I used this semester was blogging and learning how to navigate successfully through blackboard and an online database for sources. I enjoyed being able to read other classmates posts, and also getting feedback from them. That was really useful. For the future, I’m sure I will use my ability to blog in other classes, so it is nice having that knowledge. I will also surely need to know how to use an online database for future classes so that skill is necessary. I still believe taking English 102 in person may have been a better route for me personally, especially since English is a tough subject for me, but I managed to survive and the knowledge I gained over the course of the semester, technology wise, is priceless.

For info on some advatages of online learning

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Reflection

Reflecting on this English 102 class is bittersweet. There have been assignments that challenged me greatly, as well as readings that made me annoyed for having to read them. I have cursed, sweated and bled English this semester, just like I knew I would, seeing as how English is not my strong subject like Math is. Reading Winter's Bone was eye opening and touching for me because I never really considered the challenges and life struggles for a child born into addiction. Writing essay number 3 was probably the easiest for me, as the material from my head just poured out. Reading and writing about Bartleby was a challenge, to say the least, because it was not very easy to comphrehend and I just did not enjoy it. Up in the Air was by far better then Bartleby but not anywhere near as interesting or moving as Winter's Bone. It was just okay, but mostly boring. Essay 4 was a very tough assignment. I struggled through it, but in the end, I'm pleased with my final draft. I say this class has been bittersweet, because as time consuming, challenging and hard as this class has been, it is a neccesary evil. It is neccesary to be able to put together a proper sentence, with no grammatical errors, and that flows well. Reading has never been a favorite past time of mine, nor has writing any sort of essay, but I prevailed and have come out better then I started. I am still a work in progress, as I'm sure English will be a subject that always challenges me, but over the course of the semester I have learned far more than I ever thought I would. I have learned how to write an essay in proper MLA format, correctly construct a works cited page, tackle books that I never thought I would read, write a strong thesis to an essay, properly distinguish between summary and analysis, and to properly cite my sources. Although there have been times I loathed and hated this class, and wondered how I'm ever going to pass, I have come out stronger in the end. This English class will help me in my future career plans as a firefighter, as well as in everyday life, like helping my children in school. I am proud of the work I've produced in this class, however I could not be happier we have reached the end.

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first draft Essay #4

Kyle Audis

Essay #4

Professor Cline

22 April 2012

Up in the Air….Finding Hope

               

To know what having hope is, first takes losing something you value. This is what happened to America as our economy fell, as well as what created the vast differences between the book and film version of Up in the Air. The book, Up in the Air by Walter Kirn is a story about a businessman, Ryan Bingham, whose life in the air world, from hotel to hotel, city to city, firing people for companies who request such a skill, is dreary and void. His fascination and goals lie in reaching the 10 million mile frequent flier club, a feat only known to few. Although being fired is a less than a desirable space to occupy, the book was written during an economic high, gaining less sympathy from an ever critical reader, for such news.  Perhaps the book plays more on the sympathies for a man lost in a life of vacant human connection, disconnect from real emotion and empathy, and his ever growing unhealthy mental state, then it does for the victim behind the desk losing his job to a stranger in a tie. As Bingham finally begins to realize his need for human relationships, he finds out he has a brain tumor.  Eight years after Walter Kirn wrote Up in the Air, a movie version of the book was created. The year 2009, while only 8 short years later, is enormously different, in terms of economic rest and employment security. While the movie version  of Up in the Air has some similarities to the book, the changes made reflect a now broken America, a shattered spirit and a desperate need for hope once more. The movie version, although also takes on subtle cosmetic changes, (George Clooney is certainly not 35 and his home is in Omaha, not Denver) the more profound changes resurrect a different sympathy from the audience. George Clooney, who plays Ryan Bingham, is more focused on saving his ability to fire people face to face, where he can counsel and coddle grief stricken people, rather than on a cold online conversation. The movie plays on the sympathies for the loyal, hardworking and blindsided employees whose lives are shattered with such news, rather than the disconnected Bingham who, after an encounter with a fellow passenger and a daunting task of giving a pep talk to his less than enthusiastic future brother in law about marriage, realizes his need for “company” and companionship. The goal of changing such profound pieces of the book was to reflect an America whose job security, economic growth and prosperity are now deeply threatened, and to give a new kind of hope to viewers.

                Book version of Up in the Air by Walter Kirn is dripping with dark humor, satirical undertones and is very melodramatic concerning the dreary world of airlife, business and a superficial quest for frequent flyer miles.  Written during an economic high, compassion for a disgruntled employee whose just been terminated, was far more hard to come by, as jobs were easy to obtain and the outlook for a secure future was still not threatened. The whole plot of book version Up in the Air was to seek sympathy and hope for Ryan, the main character, rather than the persons who were now unemployed. In fact the book has very little to do with the Ryan’s job and the victims he is forced to let go. Kirn instead plays on sympathies for his main character, a businessman whose life has no internal fire, human connections or true happiness, as well as no need for such things until the very end when Ryan is told of a life threatening condition . Ryan’s  obsessive addiction to achieving frequent flyer miles, his inner struggle with building relationships with others, and his paranoid mental status after frequent encounters with never ending suspicious airport personell is a dark and cold life that, at that time in American culture, was more easily relatable then having pity for those no longer employed. Walter Kirn explains in an interview with David Riva, why he chose to write up in the air; “People thought they were going to get richer and richer, that the business (cycle) had ended forever and things were going to go up, up, up ... I wrote the book because everything that must go up must come down.” (Riva n.p.) In a sense, Walter Kirn was inviting his reader to feel compassion and sympathy for a man who seemed to have it all, from a birds view, the glamorous life of a businessman, yet in sharp contrast, was anything but. The main characters deep need for an exit out of air world and into a more grounded lifestyle shows the only vunerable side of Ryan in the book. Kirn writes; “My dream is to land a position in brand analysis, a benevolent field that involves less travel and can be done from home, over the wires” (Kirn pg 14).

                Jason Reitmen directed the movie version of Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, as a gentle and attractive glimmer of hope to a more broken America. As Walter Kirn downplayed the severity of becoming unemployed, especially at the hands of a cold and vacant career transition counselor, Jason Reitmen took the main character of Ryan and molded him into a cradle the fall advocate telling his now broken clients to lose the zombie like persona and chase the once very alive dreams that would bring more happiness and purpose. As George Clooney is sent to fire a group of employees at big company, he tells one man, who is struggling with what he will tell his kids; “I see guys who work at the same company their entire lives, guys like you. They clock in, they clock out, they never have a moment of happiness (Up in the Air, 2009). Jason Reitmen changed so much of the book for the movie to coddle the viewers, resurrect more empathy for Ryan’s now jobless clients and to not touch a nerve in the bleak outlook of the current economic recession. With little to cling to as far hope and optimism are concerned, America is in a state of emotional turmoil, economic unrest and a threatened idea of living the American Dream. This being said, Jason Reitmen had little to work with following the depiction of Kirn’s Ryan, and also the whole theme of the book. A more compassionate, suave, and charming Ryan was needed to coddle the blow of a termination left hook, as well as a likeable young female mirror to Ryan, to point out the negative aspects of his failing personal life.

With Clooney playing Ryan, charisma and charm are in high dose, as well as buckets of reasons why losing your job could be a good thing. Perhaps there is a reason why choosing Clooney to play the main character fit? Author of the novel version Walter Kirn calls Reitmen’s casting choice, “brilliant.” (Riva n.p.) Kirn goes on to say; “He just plays a guy in a suit,” he said. “And that gives him so many dimensions and such depth and subtlety that you almost don't notice it.”(Riva n.p.) And who would be more fitting then to serve a steaming pile of confidence to those thirsty for encouragement and hope in a broken America then oh so convincing Clooney?  Force feed 92 minutes of hope and charm to unemployed and dismal viewers, and you end up with a box office touchdown right in the middle of a recession.  Jason Reitmen wanted to instill a sense of hope that’s not lost in our current period of time, and a few reasons why, when all seems so unchanging, good things can still happen.

Although both the book and film Up in the Air, seek a response of hope and change, the stark contrast of ways in which it is obtained is vast. Walter Kirn sought hope for a man that had no real ties to life or people. His only world was lived in the air and in his mind. Readers sense, from deep within the main character, guilt and remorse for having chosen such a lifestyle, and a personal struggle to disconnect from it. Readers are asked to give sympathy for a man, for his lifestyle, and then his ever growing need to change it in time to enjoy his last few years on earth. Although written very coldly and without much sugar coating, it did not lessen the intent of Walter Kirn. Movie version of Up in the Air seeks hope and change in a different, perhaps more soothing light. The movie seeks hope for newly unemployed symbols of Americans, and their need to cling to something. Although main character Ryan is charming and relatable, the movie really focuses more on the tragedy of losing a job, the emotions it provokes and the economic distress that the country is in. Both versions give glimmers of hope where needed and provide insight to a world known by few. Given the different time periods of each, the sense of hope may be in a different light and may ask for a different response, the message in both is still the same, it is about finding hope, especially when it feels like there isn’t any at all.

Works Cited

Kirn, Walter.  Up in the Air.  New York:  Anchor Books, 2002.  Print.

Up in the Air.  Directed by Jason Reitman.  Paramount Pictures, 2009.  Film

Riva, David. "Walter Kirn, author of 'Up in the Air,' discusses his novel and the film adaptation process." Michigan Daily [Detroit] 09 FEB 2010, n. pag. Print. <http://www.michigandaily.com/content/interview-walter-kirn-author-air?page=0,0>.

Up in the Air Thesis, Finding Hope

Finding Hope

                To know what having hope is, first takes losing something you value. This is what happened to America as our economy fell, as well as what created the vast differences between the book and film version of Up in the Air. The book Up in the Air by Walter Kirn is a story about a businessman, Ryan Bingham, whose life in the air world, from hotel to hotel, city to city, firing people for companies who request such a skill, is dreary and void. His fascination and goals lie in reaching the 10 million mile frequent flier club, a feat only known to few. Although being fired is a less than a desirable space to occupy, the book was written during an economic high, gaining less sympathy from an ever critical reader, for such news.  Perhaps the book plays more on the sympathies for a man lost in a life of vacant human connection, disconnect from real emotion and empathy, and his ever growing unhealthy mental state, then it does for the victim behind the desk losing his job to a stranger in a tie. As Bingham finally begins to realize his need for human relationships, he finds out he has a brain tumor.  Eight years after Walter Kirn wrote Up in the Air, a movie version of the book was created. The year 2009, while only 8 short years later, is enormously different, in terms of economic rest and employment security. While the movie version Up in the Air has some similarities to the book, the changes made reflect a now broken America, a shattered spirit and a desperate need for hope once more. The movie version, although also takes on subtle cosmetic changes, (George Clooney is certainly not 35 and his home is in Omaha, not Denver) the more profound changes resurrect a different sympathy from its  audience. George Clooney, who plays Ryan Bingham, is more focused on saving his ability to fire people face to face, where he can counsel and coddle grief stricken people, rather than on a cold online conversation. The movie plays on the sympathies for the loyal, hardworking and blindsided employees whose lives are shattered with such news, rather than the disconnected Bingham who, after an encounter with a fellow passenger and a daunting task of giving a pep talk to his less than enthusiastic future brother in law about marriage, realizes his need for “company” and companionship. The goal of changing such profound pieces of the book was to reflect an America whose job security, economic growth and prosperity are now deeply threatened, and to give a new kind of hope to viewers.

For more info about the author Walter Kirn

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Up In the Air Reaction

After reading Up in the Air by Walter Kim, I must say, I was less than impressed. I had an extremely hard time getting into the book because I felt like it was so boring and uninteresting. Walter Kim's writing style is not my particular taste, because he does a lot of fill in stuff, like babbling on and on between the parts that actually matter. He also doesn't write smoothly, and by this I'm meaning his book is hard to comprehend and follow. At times, I read paragraphs over 3 times because I found myself drifting off and thinking about other things. I tend to do this with books like this, books that I would never choose to read myself. If a book can't keep my interest, I drift off in my head somewhere else, and it takes me twice as long to read it. Not a sign of a page turner for me.

So basically this book is about the main character Ryan Bingham, whose career as a Career transition counselor (basically someone who fires people) leads him to live a life on airplanes and in hotel rooms. Ryan enjoys this "airworld" as he calls it, which in my opinion shows that he is unable toform  healthy relationships because he is content with lifeless trivial human contact. Perhaps the stress of work, or years without proper and healthy relationships, Ryan is mentally unstable, narcissitic and detatched. His only relationships come from 2 sisters, one of which also has incredibly unhealthy relationships, his mother and woman he meets in airworld. Ryan's ultimate goal is to reach a million frequent flyer miles before his boss returns to find his resignation letter on his desk. Between the complex and unrelateable writing, uninteresting plot of the book and the awkwardly self centered and mentally detatched main character, this book was a nightmare to read. I'm hoping to watch the movie version of this book soon because I hear it's a lot better then the book (which in itself says a lot about how bad this book is) and also because I'm a big Clooney fan, but overall my reaction to this book was not good and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

For more info on Up in the Air and Walter Kim

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Check in Letter

Professor Cline,

   I'm writing you this letter to check in, fill you in on my weaknesses and strengths thus far in class, and to tell you my goals for the rest of the semester. First of all, I have REALLY struggled in this class. My time management skills have been tested to the brink, with buying a home, moving, working, and full time school. Perhaps that is life, but I've been thrown a lot of curve balls all a once and have been struggling to keep it all together, schoolwork getting the brunt of the chaos. Let's just say the month of march has been a tricky month for me. I've also really struggled in citing my work. When I put my thoughts and ideas into an essay, then am told I'm plagarizing, it's confusing and frustrating for me. I know I need to really work harder on correctly citing my sources, even just thoughts and ideas. That has really been a struggle for me. My greastest strength in this class has been effectively managing a blog and doing well on all my blog posts. I really enjoy free writing, where I can express my mind freely, without the stress of using MLA properly, or having a perfect thesis. 

   The readings we've had thus far have not been my cup of tea, however Winter's Bone was really the least of all evils for me. I can't say I didn't enjoy that book because I did, and I enjoyed how it made me more aware to the problems in our country. I think Winter's Bone affected me by opening my eyes to the drug problems in our country and the poor children who have to live like that. 

   For me, literary analysis is a lot different then any other writing I've done. I can't say I enjoy that style of writing because, like I said, I enjoy more free style writing. Literary analysis is especially hard when the piece of writing you're analyzing is very hard to comprehend. 

   My goal for the rest of semester is to better manage my time so I have more focus in this class. Also, I hope to better my citation abilities and work on that so I never plagarise in any way. I've never had an intention to do so, but for me, citation is so confusing. I really hope to improve in that area, and hopefully pass this class so I can be done with college english classes so I can get my fire science degree. Thank you for your time and patience in dealing with me this semester!

V/R,

Kyle Audis

Essay #3 Winter’s Bone In Context

Children of Addicts

            Drug addicts lead messy, chaotic, selfish and greedy lives. The addiction knows no boundaries, keeps no promises and paves no ways. Children born to parents who are addicted to drugs are caught in a spider web of their parent’s bad choices, broken promises and weakness to a never ending chase for a high. The book Winter’s Bone is a powerful story about a young girl, caught in that vicious web her father spun out of a meth addiction, when she is abandoned and left to care for her 2 younger brothers and unresponsive mother. Although there are many strong messages in Daniel Woodrell’s book, the most powerful message was the impact drug abuse has on the children who are forced to live in such a world. Many people do not understand the bleak outlook for these children, the limited resources, choices and money they have, and the grown up world they see on a daily basis. Perhaps the setting of the Ozarks was appropriate for such a topic, considering that is an area plagued by addiction unlike most, but the true honesty in the story was the harsh and sad reality for the children born to drug addicted parents.

            Children that come from homes with drug addicts become untrusting of adults. In a world where every adult in your life that is supposed to take care of you, love you and care for you, does nothing but lie and deceive you, trusting anyone is difficult. In an article by Emily Baucum, called The Horrors of Growing up in a Meth Home, she discusses what helping these children is like with foster parent Allen Bangs, "These kids don't trust you because you're just another adult who's lied to them." (Baucum 2010). Bangs goes on to say that these children usually come to him with just the clothes on their backs, and they’re scared. (Baucum 2010) When you live in a survival type world, where you are constantly guarded, on edge and ready for letdown, it would be hard to trust, have compassion, or even love. These children are forced to make adult decisions, take care of themselves and they learn that even their own parents are against them. When even your own family isn’t looking after your wellbeing, will anyone? That is the mind frame of most of the children who grow up in a world filled with drugs.

            In the book Winter’s Bone, the main character Ree, is clearly isolated, socially awkward and guarded, like most children of addicts. She is defensive, hard and in survival mode. This is typical for a child that grows up in her circumstance. According to an article on Recovery Magazine.com, children of addicts often grow up socially isolated and tend to develop emotional difficulties and behavioral problems (Recovery Magazine-admin 2010). Although it would be an assumption, if we were to have read about Ree being placed in a loving foster home, it is likely she would have had trouble adjusting, behaving and fitting in. Children that live in constant chaos do not have a chance to develop properly, grow normally as children should, or to enjoy the simplicity of being a child. Children of addicts must focus on where they will get their next meal, how they will keep warm, or who will be in their company at any given time. Ree faced these struggles on a daily basis. Because drug addicts are known to keep company of other drug addicts, the children are often surrounded by many addicts, each with very unpredictable behaviors.  

            Violence goes hand in hand with drug addiction. High doses of crystal meth promote agitation, paranoia, and bizarre behavior (drug-effects.com 2012). Children that are around addicts, also experience seeing the addicts experiencing these symptoms. The slightest things can set off a violent reaction from an addict, leaving the child in the cross fires. Children of addicts often live with violence, poverty and unsanitary living conditions. Children of drug addicted parents are at a higher risk for placement outside the home (nacoa.net 2012). A lot of children who are raised in violent homes go on to have violence as a constant in their lives because it is what they know and what they have grown up seeing. It becomes a vicious cycle of abuse that is hard for families to break.

           

            Many of us cannot even fathom the environment that children of addicts must live in. In  an article by Jennifer Michael, called Growing up with Meth, she describes the realistic horror these children face, “Parents abusing meth can stay high and wired for an entire week, then crash into comatose sleep for several more days. Meanwhile, the house grows filthy, and the refrigerator goes empty.” (Michael 2006) Most children do not have to worry about the everyday chores or worries of keeping a household running and happy. Children of addicts must worry about it all. They may not eat for a couple of days, have running water, clean clothes or eve a tube of toothpaste. Children of addicts are left to fend for themselves because they are so neglected. Drug addicted parents are not able to worry about their children because they are too busy worrying about getting their next high. Not only do these children have to worry about food, water and shelter, they often worry about violence, sexual abuse and exposure to chemicals when drugs are being cooked. It is a sad reality for children of addicts, and a scary world for a child to grow up in.

            Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell is a message and a wakeup call to those who do not know the harsh existence for children of addicts. Woodrell’s thought provoking story really touches a nerve about the drug problems, abject poverty and bleak life of a child who is born to parents of drug addicts. Although Ree’s character is strong, skilled at hunting and surviving, that is not the case for many of the children in her circumstance. Many children of addicts starve to death, are beaten daily, are forced to live in extremely unsanitary homes that may not have utilities, clean beds or food in the cupboards. Many people do not give thought to the children forced into this life, nor do they empathize with them. Woodrell’s book gives us a firsthand look into the life and honesty of a child who must endure a broken and tragic life, and gives us some insight as to the conditions and choices forced upon these kids. Both chilling and honest, Woodrell really paints a picture that is captivating and raw. Perhaps only a story that may be forgotten in time, it should also serve as a truth that we all must hear, acknowledge and be made aware of. Children of addicts do not ask for the life they’ve been given, nor do they want to go hungry, live with violence or be stripped of their childhoods. They do  not ask to make grown up choices, see adults making bad choices, or be forced to parent siblings when they are just children themselves, but their circumstance in inevitable. Children of addicts need advocates to stand up for them, to give them a voice in a battle they did not choose. Daniel Woodrell’s book Winter’s Bone is a plea and a cry for help to children lost in such a broken world.  

Works Cited

Woodrell, Daniel. Winter's Bone. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. Print.

Michael, Jennifer. "Growing up with meth." Children's Voice. (2006): n. page. Web 21 March 2012.. <http://www.cwla.org/voice/0602meth.htm>.

Baucum, Emily. "The Horrors of Growing Up in a Meth Home." OzarksFirst.com. (2010): n. page. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=266385>.

"Children of addicted parents." Nacoa.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar 2012. <http://www.nacoa.net/pdfs/addicted.pdf>.

Crystal Meth Effects." Drug-Effects.com. (2012): n. page. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.drug-effects.com/crystalmeth-effects.htm>.

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More info on children of addicts

Essay #3 article

The article I chose to use as reference to my third essay is called The Horrors of Growing Up in a Meth Home. It was written by Emily Baucum on May 12, 2010. Emily describes the reality of growing up in Missouri, the number one state with meth lab busts. Emily talks with a young teenage brother and sister who escaped their meth addicted mom and the chaotic and hard life she forced them to lead. Now 16 and 17, Victoria and Joe were able to get away from their mother and into a foster home. These young kids describe the horrors of being kids born to drug addicts in the Ozarks, seeing their mom shoot up for the first time when theuy were very little. Victoria and Joe decribe their life without food in the house, seeing the physical tole the drugs took on thier mother, whose teeth are now all gone, and the violence that plagues the life of any addict. Emily also describes the point of view of Allen Bangs, a foster parent who has housed more then 10 children from drug addicted families. Allen describes the effects that addiction has on these children and the type of qualities this life puts into them. At the end of this sympathetic and thought provoking article, Emily tells her readers about the movie Winter's Bone, a look at the life of a teenage girl struggling to get through life in the meth trade in the ozarks without falling victim to the hold of drugs that has ruined so many people in her life.

This article really fit the bill for my essay becuase I am choosing to write about the deep impact drugs and addiction have on the children forced to grow up in the middle addiction. Winter's Bone is really about the children who are forced to grow up, to make adult decisions, to take care of the adults who SHOULD be taking care of them, and the lasting impact this life will have on them. The vicious cycle of drugs and abuse is deep, and the long term effects this lifestyle has on the children of these homes is sad and sickening. Ree is a young woman growing up in horrid circumstances in the heart of the Ozarks, yet hasn't let herself fall victim to drugs, and is trying desperately to keep her brother and sister fed and out of harms way. I am sure for many of the children that grow up in meth houses, they aren't as strong. Many of these children fall into the vicious cycle of addiction, ending up as drug addicts themselves, leading the same lifestyle they grew up in. I plan to explore this vicious cycle and understand why it might be hard for children of addiction to not be as strong as Ree Dolly in Winter's Bone.

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Aricle by Emily Baucum

 Citation:Baucun, Emily. "The Horrors of Growing up in a Meth Home." OzarksFirst.com. Nexstar Broadcasting, May 12, 2010. Web. 11 Mar 2012.

Response to Winter's Bone

Winter’s Bone was a disturbing story in my opinion. Not disturbing because of the content (well partly) but more so because of the reality of the lives that some people are forced to live. Ree is a teenage girl who is forced to care for her 2 younger brothers while her catatonic mother can be of no help, and her meth lab running father is nowhere to be found after putting up their house and land for bail. Although this young girl is forced to put food on the table, keep her poverty stricken family together, and teach her brothers the need to knows of survival, she must also scour the volatile Ozarks searching for her sorry excuse of a father. 

 What really stood out to me in this book is the reality of poverty and drugs, and the inevitability of responsibility put on the kids from this culture. After reading this, I thought to myself, how easy it is to go about your life, taking for granted the abundance of food, the heater in your home or the comfort of safety. This poor girl Ree is a prisoner of her born circumstance, yet she’s fighting hard to stay afloat and do what she can for her family. I admire her character because, even in the most dire of circumstances, she doesn’t give up. And even knowing that her father is the one who landed her in such horrible circumstances, you can still feel her love and respect for him. It’s easy to think of how you’d personally react if put in Ree’s shoes, but not growing up in the environment she had, it’s hard to speculate. I might wonder why she didn’t just pack up her brothers and hit the road hitchhiking to a town far from the dust of her past and start over, but her ties to such a chaotic and volatile place are strong. One might wonder why the women in the book also choose to stay with such volatile men? This was definitely a story that was eye opening about the serious poverty in that area, the drugs that plague it, and the people who are just born into such a hard knock life.

More about rural poverty

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Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street.

 Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street by, Herman Melville is Grim, yet almost comical telling of a man who has become an empty shell, one who has lost himself and his ambition not just in his occupation, but in life. As you begin to read the story of a dry, dull and gloomy man named Bartleby who comes to find work as a scrivener in a Wall-street law office as a copyist, you begin to realize that he is much more than just a key character in a story.  Bartleby’s character represents the deterioration of the work place, the toll the changing times have brought on us, and the emotions brought on by such changes. Throughout the story the narrator speaks of himself and acknowledges himself as part of the greater whole of a society who would rather hide behind closed doors, or go unnoticed than deal with adversity or trying issues. “Ah, happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay; but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.” (Melville, par 89), as the narrator states, in short, he is simply saying we pretend all is well, when deep down all is not. Bartleby is not just a victim of circumstances of his own will but a representation of how most are truly feeling. Throughout the story you will see the almost intoxicating like affect that Bartleby has on his employer (the narrator), as well as the other scriveners in the story.

   The narrator's self-characterization in the story explains that he is a "safe" man. He is one who takes very few risks and tries above all to calculate and conform. He feels that the easiest paths in life are also the best. His priorities are that of the up most concerns of financial security and the ease of life. While working as a lawyer and dealing with other rich men’s legal documents, he has found himself very comfortable in the modern economy. This makes him an almost, opposite or mirror image to the offices’ new scrivener and they complement each other in numerous ways. In the bleak Wall-street officer of our narrator the other two scrivener characters, “Turkey” and Nippers” seem to mirror each other as well. Turkey, a rather large Englishmen, is productive in the office during the morning, but is drunk and useless in the afternoon. While Nippers on the other side is useless and disgruntle in the morning is quite productive in the afternoon. While these to characters have some differences, one being there age, they share a come task, that is bring some comic relief or value in a dull and upsetting scene.

   The story of Bartleby is one of corporate discontent and emptiness of modern business life. The description of the Wall-street office is descripted as a dark, somber and bleak modern dungeon. On one side of the office the window looks out on to a brick wall that resembles a blackened curtain and the other  a small isolated shaft of light fall into the office from between the high rise buildings above. The landscape of Wall Street is completely unnatural, and that is cut off from almost all of our natural surroundings. At night, this isolation from our surroundings also includes the absence of people. This work environment is sterile and cheerless, but most adopt it with varying degrees of success. Even though the narrator seems to be a successful man, he can also be viewed as a victim of circumstance and progress as his current position fell on him after his earlier position in law was illuminated, when it was no longer needed.

   As Bartleby is introduced and described in the story he is descripted as if he is a ghost or sad spirit.  Bartleby is described also as if he was a corpse or machine. He is pale from his work indoors, expressionless, motionless and cold. He lacks of human passion or compassion. The narrator describes him as a man who has been beaten and broken down from life and has lost all sense of happiness.  During the story the narrator ask Bartleby to do various simple and regular tasks around the office, the same as he expects from his other employees. Yet when these are asked of Bartleby, instead of obedience, he is met with a simple request that become famous of Bartleby, “I would prefer not to”. This was however, not seen as a simple act of defiance but a request of an exhausted and beaten man. This simple and very passive statement is one that seems to mesmerize the narrator and cast a spell over him. Throughout the story Bartleby seems to become more detached from his surrounds each time he “prefers not to” do something. He slowly becomes more phantom or sprit like throughout the duration of the story as he pulls farther away from his occupation and society. “Like a very ghost, agreeably to the laws of magical invocation, at the third summons, he appeared at the entrance of his hermitage" (par 19).

   While Bartleby’s characteristics are that of a good worker, they are also that of a machine; very constant, robotic and unwavering. It also seems that Bartleby has become a fixture at the office, constantly there with an almost haunting effect. These notions are only strengthened by the fact that it is found that Bartleby is living in the office and sleeps in the abandoned office on Wall-street at night. At first consistency seems to impress the narrator, but bartleby’s actions, or lack thereof begins to wear on him. The narrator begins to sense there are parallels between himself and Bartleby, in which the scrivener’s gloomy sadness affects him more and more. The scriveners character draws the narrator into depths of feeling that he was unaware he was capable of. A large portion of Bartleby's power over the narrator is that he somehow sees Bartleby as a part of himself. He sees that he has also been forced to adapt to the unforgiving business world. He feels while he has adapted and gone through the consequent numbing, Bartleby has also been pushed to exhaustion, to the point where nothing pleases him about this world and in at times the narrator to help Bartleby overcome his current state. The narrator feels a sense of obligation and compassion to help Bartleby because he is a living, suffering being, and that both men are "sons of Adam," the narrator arguably should do everything he can for him.

   After considerable attempts to ignore bartleby’s state and numerous attempts to help him the narrator becomes frustrated, feeling that he is inconveniencing bartleby’s life. He approaches the scrivener with money and tells him it is time for him to leave the office. Bartleby rejects the offer a states that he would “prefer not to” leave. The realization come to the narrator that Bartleby is a reflection of him, after learning to Bartleby had lost his Dead Letter office job due to a similar fate as his own. The narrator realizes that Bartleby was haunting the office as he was his old office suite. He finds himself returning to his old office which he refers to as his “old haunt”. It isn’t until after Bartleby is jailed and he comes to visit him that he realizes that they are one in the same. That they are a reflection of one another, victims of circumstances of the new business world. That they are as cold, bleak and empty as the office walls of wall-street that they both seem to haunt. In the world that the narrator thrived and one that exhausted Bartleby, I realize that Bartleby represents the deterioration of humanity in the unforgiving, constant, cold, caculating machine that is the business world.

Works Cited:

Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Bartleby. N.p., 2011. Web. 19 Feb 2012. <http://www.bartleby.com/129/>. 

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INFO ON BARTLEBY AND HERMAN MELVILLE

Bartleby

“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance. If the individual so resisted be of a not inhumane temper, and the resisting one perfectly harmless in his passivity; then, in the better moods of the former, he will endeavor charitably to construe to his imagination what proves impossible to be solved by his judgment. Even so, for the most part, I regarded Bartleby and his ways. Poor fellow! thought I, he means no mischief; it is plain he intends no insolence; his aspect sufficiently evinces that his eccentricities are involuntary. He is useful to me. I can get along with him. If I turn him away, the chances are he will fall in with some less indulgent employer, and then he will be rudely treated, and perhaps driven forth miserably to starve.”

After reading the story by Herman Melville, Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street, I began to scratch my head. This story is very difficult to comprehend and interpret and a reader must really try to read between the lines to find out what Melville was trying to convey. From what I could understand, this story is about a lawyer on Wall Street who employs several scriveners in his small office. It appears that this lawyer (who is also the narrator) seems intrigued by all the men he employs, giving full descriptions of them. He is most intrigued by a particular one of the four, Bartleby, due to his insistence of passive resistance, even to the most routine tasks. After the lawyer asks Bartleby to help him review a document, Bartleby replies “I would prefer not to.” This response surprises the lawyer, as he expected Bartleby to give complete obedience, seeing as how Bartleby was an excellent employee at first. It is hard to say if the lawyer feels bad for Bartleby, or feels pity, anger, or perplexity. What is known is that the lawyer cannot wrap his head around this strange scrivener he employs, yet he feels bound to keeping him, rather than firing him because he does not feel that he is being intentionally rebellious. I especially liked this passage because it really showed how the lawyer felt bound to Bartleby, even though he had shown disobedience to complete routine tasks. Overall, I was not a fan of this particular reading, but it was interesting and made me really have to work hard at comprehension.

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About the Author: Herman Melville

Summary Vs Analysis

               Although there are distinct and clear cut differences between summary and analysis, the two are easily confused. Perhaps because it is easy to simply summarize a piece of literature, rather then get into the meat and potatoes of it and really dissect it. For whatever reason it may be, the main problem with summary versus analysis is that many do not fully understand the difference between the two.

                A summary is simply a recap of the material presented. When summarizing a story or piece of writing, you are simply retelling it in condensed form, highlighting critical and important parts. A summary gives the reader a chance to know what they are getting themselves into, without bias, opinion or argument. There can be no room for judgment or argument, because a summary simply puts the material out there, it does not dissect it in any way.

                An analysis is an interpretation and opinion of the material given. In analysis, an opinion or argument is given about the piece of writing based on facts and evidence about the piece. In an analysis, thought provoking dissection and evaluation is done, examining every detail and word to support the claim. An analysis takes much more thought and work then a summary, and is one’s own interpretation of the material.

                For me to describe summary versus analysis, let’s take the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. To summarize this book, I might say that it is a story about a bunch of animals on a farm who decide they are tired of being slaves to man. They overtake their farm by driving out their farmer Mr Jones.  After the animals take over, the pigs assume leadership. Over the course of the book, the pigs fight for power, one overthrows another and after years pass, the pigs begin to walk upright and carry whips and form an alliance with humans. At the end, the other animals cannot tell the difference any longer between the faces of the pigs and humans because they all look alike.  In this summary, no argument can be made because I am simply explaining what the book is about, I am not making a claim or judgment about the book. In an analysis, I might say that the author, George Orwell wrote Animal Farm to show his readers what happens politically in organizations and how easily it’s members can be manipulated. In my analysis, I would show evidence of my claim and perhaps give some history and insight as to the timeframe of this book, the background of Geroge Orwell and his political views at the time. One could easily argue my opinion, saying he did not want write Animal Farm for this reason. An analysis goes far beyond a summary.   

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-A MODEST PROPOSAL-

The essay “A MODEST PROPOSAL” by Dr. Jonathan Swift is a look at the debilitating poverty levels in Ireland that was continuing to spiral out of control during the 1700’s. In his essay Swift proposes that poverty could be controlled, in a very unconventional, yet cost effective way. As you begin to read his proposal to rid poverty in the “Kingdom” , Ireland by selective breeding and using the infants and children of starving families from the dirty streets as a food source for the rest of the country, you cannot help yourself but to cringe and chuckle to yourself a bit, while telling yourself, swift must be joking about his answer to a serious problem. In my opinion, Swift is using a very extreme alternative to an issue that had, at the time, been plaguing Ireland for quite some time. Many others had proposed plans to rid Ireland of the over population and poverty with little or no prevail.  Jonathan Swift was simply trying to wake his country up to the fact that something needs to be done, That they (the people of Ireland), are not just low maintenance animals, sheep or livestock as he so cleverly compared us to in his essay, but that they are a civilized society with a problem that needs to be handled in a more humane manner. I feel that Swift was using an extremely sarcastic read to spark a fire in the back of the mind of the people of the time to begin to a balance to the poverty level and to put more food on the tables of the hungry.

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ABOUT Dr. SWIFT

GOOD READER

    Vladimir Nabokov explains the parameters of , in his opinion, what a talented writer or author and a good sound reader should possess to allow a novel, story, article or essay to be more than words or ideas left on a numbered page. In Nabokov’s’ essay “GOOD READERS AND GOOD WRITERS”, he explains the connection that should be made between the author and the reader as well as what the qualities a good reader should have in order to fully enjoy the world the writer has created . The way Nabokov explains his theory is that a good writer should make the words come alive and dance of the page. The words and paragraphs should reach out and wrap themselves around the reader, bring them into a world they can hear, feel and sense, keep the reader from becoming the story. A good writer should possess the abilities to be able to put right next to the character without letting you, “the reader” become the characters. It’s as if you should be watching what is happening over the shoulder of the reality created on the page. Nabokov also hints that a good writer should be able to use great detail explaining a situation or scene without losing or boring the reader with unneeded explanations.   
  
   As for the reader Nabokov explains that a good reader should possess a combination of qualities to bring the best of the material. Good memory, imagination, identifying your taste and a good dictionary are some of the things or qualities a reader needs to fully enjoy what they are reading. A good reader should have an eye for detail in the book and appreciate the world that has been created. A good reader should identify them himself the characters in the book and find some common ground with them. This will make the reader more stimulating. A good reader should strive to see the underline messages and feeling the author is trying to create in the read.   

   While I am not much of a reader, I do agree with Mr. Vladimir and his take on what both a good reader and a good writer should possess to make the read worthwhile. I believe there need to be a connection between the reader and writer in order to share the vision in which the author is trying to create. I would consider myself an “ok” reader, I have to be constantly stimulated in a book to keep me interested. I need to feel a connection with the characters or settings in order to keep turning the pages and while I do possess a couple of the qualities the Nabokov suggests having, I definitely do NOT possess them all.

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