My last Post

Both of these stories reminded me how lucky I am to be an American. I don't drive down the road worried that this will be the end of my life and don't have to be worried about be screwed over by every person I meet. Then again I have been blessed to live a pretty privileged life. I strongly believe that African countries would be some of the toughest places to live, all of the different militias that try to take control and all of the killings. I honestly would be as nervous as the father was in the story baptizing the gun if my dad started off with a female having her earrings ripped out then the guy that did it burned.. that is a pretty intimidating start to a day. Both stories portrayed my idea of how hard it would be to live in a African country. All the beggars and the militias. At the end of Baptizing the gun, "My embarrassment is boundless as I watch the mechanic soak the "gun" and wrap it around the coil." Again I wouldn't be embarrassed that I was nervous with the reputation that this city has. But it is rare to find trust in strangers like at the end of the story when he shows him his rolex. The end of the Megacity "There is an even darker possibility: that the world won't feel the weight of it much at all. The really disturbing thing about Lagos's pickers and venders is that their lives have essentially nothing to do with ours. They scavenge an existence beyond the margins of macroeconomics. They are, in the harsh terms of globalization, superfluous." I mean in all honesty i feel that way sometimes when i look into space, like we are all meaningless on this little rock in the middle of a huge galaxy, universe. But yet we pretend that we have meaning and that our actions play a roll, but if we wipe each other out the galaxy will keep on spinning and nothing will change, only a few people in this world will ever make an impact that affects all man kind and others that may be out there. And very few of them will be around to see it.

I really enjoyed reading most of these stories and books this semester, a little bit different from what i typically read for enjoyment but it allowed me to see what else is out there, Offutts book was by far my favorite. but I enjoyed most of the others. Thanks a lot for teaching a great class and Thanks for everything else you do. I can't wait till this fall, i'll make sure to pick up a copy of your book and give it a shot. 5 jobs in 1 day seems a little much but i'm excited to see how it turns out.

The Lazarus Project

Well, the first thing I thought was about the bible, and really the only thing I know about the story is that Lazarus was raised from the dead, but looking into it there is another Lazarus story about a un named rich man and a beggar named Lazarus, which I think is what this is going to turn into, but we shall see which one it actually relates too. After reading this first section I have yet to decide if I enjoy reading this story, which means usually I wouldn't even finish it. If I don't get into a story right off the bat I typically just throw it away. I mean I really want something to catch my eye right away. The way Hemon writes is very descriptive and takes away from my visual creativity of a story which might be the reason why I'm not that into it. Also it seems like he is writing this for a movie, or play... This Chief is this story is a very paranoid sole, I feel that he feel threaten by anyone around, not just this poor immigrant that he killed when he knocked on the door.. I understand that this is a pretty short blog today, but i don't really have much to say on this yet, I just didn't find it that interesting

Movie 3/9/2010

I have enjoyed this movie so far, the fact that a man is so passionate about a book that he feels he has connected in a way that makes him obsessed with finding a writer is a normal activity for me too, maybe not in the sense of a book but definitely with my hobbies. I mean when i decide to buy something, I do hours upon hours of researching a product, and reviews, blogs, modifications that can be made, add ons.. I look into every area of that item in an attempt to decide on what I want most, Jessica always says I'm obsessed with my hobbies and decision making habits, but in reality I just want to know everything I can about that subject, always have and that is how I am. When I started brewing beer, I must of bought 10 books on it, and have read through them multiple times, not to mention the amount of forums i look at almost on a daily basis, this has happened when i started looking at my back packing gear, took me months to find a pack that I wanted and to find the right stove, and so on and so on. That knowledge of knowing is a very powerful addiction, and I feel that the narrator wants to hold that knowledge, it is a very interesting documentary about a man that he feels wrote such an amazing novel just vanished. I am amazed with how many books he has read and the fact he remember so much about each one, there are many books I have read that I can't remember anything from them, at least not in the detail that he can go into. This movie has interested me enough that I now would like to read this book to see if I would feel the same about it, and want to know how the writer was to write such amazing words... I really want to finish this movie so I can find out what happened to this man, and if this lemon was worth the squeeze for this guy... good thing I plan on coming to class on friday

The Same River Twice Pt. 4

The last section of the book is more serious then the rest of it, but it should be he is slowing coming to the realization that life isn't worth living if you can't share it and that he is no longer in his youth, he escaped to Florida to get clean and it be his monastery and this is where I feel he discovers his life. "We were de-evolved humans who'd chosen proximity to the foundations of our existence, living on neither land nor water, but in a foreign world of both. The transient existence prevented anyone from getting too close. No one asked question. The choice to live in a swamp implied a past that was somehow worse, therefore worth leaving." This quote Offutt is being to see that in his search for himself he has actually become lost from society and is no longer a member of it. On page 169, the second paragraph starting with "Years ago,....I had entered the world to become a man and wound up truly caring about very little......Jacob was coming for me and I would meet him freely. Hoka hey." this portion is the beginning of his rebirth into a world which he kept running from, "A tremendous gust lifted my feet. My body tipped over the bay, held by wind to the railing, while my legs lifted behind me. for several seconds I hung in the air, waiting for the blast that would crush me like the pelican. I creamed at the hurricane, daring it to come, cursing it for its refusal." In my opinion this is the true point when he changes from a loaner to the man he becomes later in the book. " The wind shifted and my legs dropped, knees striking the concrete. Another gust pinned me to the rail. I shrieked, unable to hear myself..... In the sudden rain I realized I was crying, utterly frustrated by my failure to be defeated." In that moment is where he was born again, just as his baby crowned went back in the did it again, he was realizing it was time for him to grow up, to finally accept that he was 30 and his youth was fading and he didn't want to be 60 and still chasing his youth. Later on he is married and moves to start school and I feel this is the point where you see his rehabilitation from his visit to Florida and he says "The fist year was hard and I considered leaving, an old pattern. Rita convinced me otherwise." might of been the first time he didn't leave something that was pressuring him. when his son was born Offutt says "his birth was my rebirth." but I believe that it was the hurricane that was his rebirth and this was his first steps at being a man. Finally I believe Offutt at the end of his book is at piece with himself and life. He is still surrounded by nature but he now feels as if he has a purpose and a reason of existence, and that is shown with the love he has for his son and his closing words of "Daddy loves you."


"The alligator began walking parallel to the boat, head high as if proud. I felt both envy and awe." I think this experience is really a universal feeling when people that enjoy nature see this, the envy that the alligator is so "free" and the awe that a creature has been around for so long. This quote doesn't have much depth in the point of him turning his life around but more the visualization and beauty that nature has.

The Same River Twice, Pt. 2

I am really enjoying this book much lighter than the other writings that we have read this semester. Also I enjoy that almost each chapter is like a day in a normal life, not everything is connected and does always flow perfectly together. The statement "Two hundred years back, someone asked Boone if he had ever been lost. He answered no, but that he'd once been bewildered for three days. I knew exactly how he felt." I agree with that statement, especially in the world we live in today it is almost impossible to not know where you came from, but not know where your going is possible... Sometimes I do wish i could live this guys life, seems kinda exciting just doing things and experience the world. "The billboard always tells you where you are." I've never despised politesse, but to each there own, that is one reason i always try to be polite because i feel it makes a big difference in the world when people offer a lighter with a pack of smokes, and other things. The second paragraph on 72 killed me, it reminds me of my sister and her husband when they found out she was pregnant, he was reading everything he could, and very very stressed over it more than my sister was. I feel like I will also be this type of person when it is time for me to have children but we will see. "Our wives are grumpy, sleepy, dopey, happy, bashful and sneezy.... his wife's doc." I thought was a really witty statement that someone would come up with but yet does seem pretty perfect for that moment, and not sure if that is just made up or actually happened, seem liked a pretty perfect moment.
On page 78, he meets the missionary, and listening to him talk about his mission to help save people because of Armageddon, to me that is ridiculous, so many radical faith goers use this to get followers, and this is how strange cults are made.. haha... but it does remind me of one time i was surfing in Myrtle beach and some missionaries approached me and wanted to talk about their mission in life.... I am just not that interested, but if it was going to lead to a meal and maybe save my life I guess I could listen for a bit.
I could write about almost every page during this section all the hitchhiking is enjoyable to read. but my laptop is about to die and i think I have rambled already to much.

Stop, Yield, Go

Well, I have to admit that I have not taken an English class in about 4 years, also since this is my last semester at Clemson I have a huge work load with senior design. So senior design and trying to blog all the time is pretty ruff, and even when i read the passages that are required, sometimes i just don't have time to turn around and blog on them.
STOP: Well I understand why we read some of the stories/poems that we have read, the writing styles are very good, hence why these people are considered some of the greatest writers of our time, but the fact that you chose to make us read material that covers the same subject of child molestation is a little off to me, since i feel there would be other writings by the same authors that show case their talents. lolita was one of my favorite books I've read in a long time. The content was a little gut wrenching at times, but the writing was amazing. Also I think that finding the humor is very difficult at times(when it comes to children material), my g/f is a masters student in physcology and is working with kids that have all sorts of issues, and so many of these kids have been molested or beat as young children and will never be able to live a normal life because of this, so it is kinda what i think about while reading those.
Yield: I feel that the amount of work is fine for this class, I feel as a freshman/sophomore you should be grinding through mass work loads anyways, because that is what being an underclassman is all about. I also am glad that you expect us to participate in class, and all though some days i really want to, other times I'm thinking about other things, like fluids and pipe flow..... But i do enjoy my break in my everyday life to sit down and read. I also feel that sometime we look too deep into meanings and that writers just write it how it is(the fish and beer thing, comes to mind)... but I guess that is because i'm a hard science major and I see things how they go together and work, just the way i was trained.
GO: I really enjoy this class being more interactive, so many classes are just sit there and listen to your professor talk... I think that you can connect to most of these students and help coach/encourage a thought that most would not have expressed if you didn't help... As a senior most of my classes are very interactive and involve more "hands" on work rather then just note taking and this class kinda meets that flow, which i enjoy. I don't know how to stay so in the know... I mean sometimes i'm lost with the verbiage that younger students use just because I'm 23 and some of these kids are only 18. I guess because I don't have social networks like facebook, I don't learn the new slange. it just kinda goes with the way that you can stay connected. I really do enjoy this class, sometimes I just have more work than i can handle but that isn't because of your class. keep your format though i think that is a great set up with the blogging and then the open class discussion. I hope this helps and see ya on monday

River of Names & Cathedral

River of Names, is again a story about abuse, incest and poverty. The narrator (Allison) is drawing on her own life experiences to describe her times growing up at home. I am not to sure why we keep reading books like this, although the writing is very sensual, and flows very nicely. It is still hard to understand why as a professor you'd keep making students read about child abuse. To me there are so many other stories from writers and poets that don't cover this topic, and I'd prefer to read something a little lighter every now and then. There have been times that I have also said it "How wonderful to be part of such a large family." and although my family isn't huge I was being just as sarcastic... well probably not, it really makes me think that any family issues I had are nothing. The other quote that really stood out to me was "You've got such a fashion with violence. You've got so many terrible stories." After reading wiki about Dorthy Allison it seems that these stories are true, and I can really only relate her experiences with violence to what soldiers see at war, and how some have trouble letting go. it is hard that she was able to actually let go, and live a life. it is more of a survival story, of her growing up and living her life.

Finally I am able to read something and actually not cringe at the though of child molestation, pain and suffering. This was a really great story about developing a close personal relationship with someone that you first prejudged. I think everyone wants to be able to experiences life experiences and fit in to society, very few won't to be outside of society. and I feel that Robert does a good job being able to experience it. and who doesn't look good with a beard... The narrator was able to finally connect with Robert by stepping out of his shell and helps Robert see the cathedral by drawing it with his hand. Many people need someone to help them step out of their shell with their insecurities and be able to do things.