In "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men", all I could think while reading this story is what is wrong with this author. I often had a hard time following the story to the point that I lost interest, like a book that has been so badly written that you decide not to commit anymore of your precious time to reading it. The only real message I gathered from the story was a very unflattering portrait of men.
The second story "Signifying Nothing" was just bizarre, but I think I understood the point he was expressing. The dynamics of family is evident in this piece, while the content of why he was mad was just plain weird I understood that feeling of anger and why he cut himself off from his parents. I wondered while reading this story if the moment he suddenly recalled did not happen just as he pictured it which brought about the response from his father. Have you ever had a dejavu moment that seems so real but it wasn't and you have to convince yourself that it didn't really happen? I have had that feeling before, that intense feeling that I had seen an old friend again and we had resolved our differences, only to push further back in the recesses of my mind to remember we had not spoken to each since our disagreement.
I think in this story the ending was the most powerful, the author showed the power of a family to forgive and move on. The author shows that awkward moment and then someone makes a joke and everyone laughs and life moves on. As a member of a family with similar dynamics and being very close to each other there are times where we hurt the other one's feelings and the silent treatment is given for awhile. But with that same little awkwardness in our story and a silly or well placed comment we forgive and move on.
My letter from in class assignment
Dear
I wondered about your story, did you really remember the event or is there a possibility that you had a dejavu moment? Where it seems so real to you that it becomes real, I have had those moments myself. If you really thought it was true why didn't you bring it up in a joking manner first to test the waters to see how your father would react. Similar to your behavior in the resturant with the chicken, you could have said "Dad, I had this really bizarre recollection of this event happening when I was a eight...". Instead you bring it up in a confrontational manner and then seem surprised that your father looked at you like had taken leave of your senses. Maybe he didn't remember or maybe it never happened, some people sleep walk and do the most bizarre things.
What really bothered me was the childish manner in which you handle yourself for the next year. It really blows my mind that you choose not to talk to your father or your innocent mother (as she doesn't even know what happened) for a year. You cut them out of your life for an entire year for a brief memory that pops into your head that may or not not be true.
I think you owe your family an apology for your behavior but if you are unable to apologize because you truly believe the incident happened you should realize the importance of your family's love for you. You make sure you tell them how much you love and care about them. The simple fact is they were so happy to see you that they don't bring up the fact you cut them out of your life they just pull you back into their embrace without a word. This shows how important family is and the degree of the love your family has for you.
Sincerely,
Monica Schreiber
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
"Ironhead" and "Motherfucker" by Aimee Bender
I enjoyed both of Aimee Bender's stories that we read, of the two I enjoyed "Ironhead" the most because I could relate to the story as a parent. The love a good parent has for their child(ren) is all consuming at times; I have often wondered how parents are able to deal with the death of their child. I worked with two women that tragically lost their children within a short time of each other, one due to suicide and the other an only child died in a horrific car accident, I always wondered how they made it through everyday because I am not sure how I would survive if one of my children died.
In class assignment I chose to write a letter, unfortunately I wasn't feeling incredibly creative on Monday.
Dear Aimee,
I read two of your stories today, "Mother-Fucker" and "Ironhead", I enjoyed both stories for very different reasons. The "Mother-Fucker" brought initial feelings of rage towards the main character, I thought what a douche bag this guy was. As I continued to read the story my rage lessened as I realized the person he was helped the actress become the woman she became. If that makes sense. Sometimes we encounter people in our life that by their behaviour leave an impact that is sometimes positive and unfortunately sometimes not so positive.
The Second Story I read was "Ironhead", this story brought a great sense of sadness to me. At first I wondered if the pumpkin head couple referred to a racially mixed couple because their children were one more yellow and the other a dark orange (130). I have raised two children, one white and the other racial mixed, we have encountered many prejudices along the way. My son is blond blue eyed and my daugther is an exotic looking brunette with brown eyes, they stuck out as being different than other kids.
There were other references in your story that I wondered about like on page 129 when she told her boyfriend (he later becomes her husband) "I'm getting cooked", was this a reference to a biological clock ticking away? If that was the case it made me think that the third child born seven years later was a late in life baby that are at risk for downs syndrome. Downs syndrome children often have larger heads/faces than regular children, and can be bigger in size than other children, tying into the comment about the other kids assuming he was a tough guy (133).
When the child dies I feel this immense amount of sadness for his parents as they are burying their son and the people around them are being insensitive. I can almost hear others saying something as callous as it is for the best. Someone telling them that the death of their child was for the best because of his handicap could have the effect of being hit with an iron. One of my cousins has a son that was born with Spinal bifa, he has had a very tough life with many surgeries and hospital stays, but he has survived and today he is in his early twenties. I could not imagine telling his parents if he died that it was for the best.
The very last part of the story brings home what I often wondered about the two ladies I worked with, how do you keep moving on through life when you lose your child? Does the pain ever go away? For the Pumpkin heads it is very evident that the pain doesn't go away.
In class assignment I chose to write a letter, unfortunately I wasn't feeling incredibly creative on Monday.
Dear Aimee,
I read two of your stories today, "Mother-Fucker" and "Ironhead", I enjoyed both stories for very different reasons. The "Mother-Fucker" brought initial feelings of rage towards the main character, I thought what a douche bag this guy was. As I continued to read the story my rage lessened as I realized the person he was helped the actress become the woman she became. If that makes sense. Sometimes we encounter people in our life that by their behaviour leave an impact that is sometimes positive and unfortunately sometimes not so positive.
The Second Story I read was "Ironhead", this story brought a great sense of sadness to me. At first I wondered if the pumpkin head couple referred to a racially mixed couple because their children were one more yellow and the other a dark orange (130). I have raised two children, one white and the other racial mixed, we have encountered many prejudices along the way. My son is blond blue eyed and my daugther is an exotic looking brunette with brown eyes, they stuck out as being different than other kids.
There were other references in your story that I wondered about like on page 129 when she told her boyfriend (he later becomes her husband) "I'm getting cooked", was this a reference to a biological clock ticking away? If that was the case it made me think that the third child born seven years later was a late in life baby that are at risk for downs syndrome. Downs syndrome children often have larger heads/faces than regular children, and can be bigger in size than other children, tying into the comment about the other kids assuming he was a tough guy (133).
When the child dies I feel this immense amount of sadness for his parents as they are burying their son and the people around them are being insensitive. I can almost hear others saying something as callous as it is for the best. Someone telling them that the death of their child was for the best because of his handicap could have the effect of being hit with an iron. One of my cousins has a son that was born with Spinal bifa, he has had a very tough life with many surgeries and hospital stays, but he has survived and today he is in his early twenties. I could not imagine telling his parents if he died that it was for the best.
The very last part of the story brings home what I often wondered about the two ladies I worked with, how do you keep moving on through life when you lose your child? Does the pain ever go away? For the Pumpkin heads it is very evident that the pain doesn't go away.
"Capitan's Club" and "Sex Scenes from a Chain Bookstore" by Aryn Kyle
We review the "Sex Scenes from a Chain Bookstore" in class as group exercise, and the remaining story "Captain's Club" we needed to blog about the questions we had answered earlier in class for the "Sex Scenes...".
I enjoyed the "Captain's Club", I could understand as a mother where both Tommy and CJ were coming from in their relationships with their fathers. Both of my children have strained relationships with their fathers, because both act in similar ways to the fathers in this story. I will explore this further in my final essay, so on to the question.
What was the author saying about life and living through this story? I think he was addressing the difficulty of relationships, and often how the people we love the most hurt us the most without given it much thought. For Tommy though he had his mother and sisters, and it seemed liked they had a deep bond. But for CJ I think even his relationship with his mother was tough.
What is the most important passage?Why? I think the most important passage in the story was on page 108 "And all at once, Tommy knew exactly what the world required of him, what his purpose was, what he was supposed to do...". For me it seemed that Tommy understood his place in his relationship with his mother, sisters, CJ and even Tree, what he could do to make a difference. Life is about simple moments in time with no one moment defining us, it is the accumulation of all those moments that make us the person we are. We learn from our hurts, and what we are willing to let hurt us. My son would tell that he makes a conscious choice not to be the same person his father is, and my daughter would tell that she has learned that her father is hardwired to disappoint and that she should not take it personally.
I enjoyed the "Captain's Club", I could understand as a mother where both Tommy and CJ were coming from in their relationships with their fathers. Both of my children have strained relationships with their fathers, because both act in similar ways to the fathers in this story. I will explore this further in my final essay, so on to the question.
What was the author saying about life and living through this story? I think he was addressing the difficulty of relationships, and often how the people we love the most hurt us the most without given it much thought. For Tommy though he had his mother and sisters, and it seemed liked they had a deep bond. But for CJ I think even his relationship with his mother was tough.
What is the most important passage?Why? I think the most important passage in the story was on page 108 "And all at once, Tommy knew exactly what the world required of him, what his purpose was, what he was supposed to do...". For me it seemed that Tommy understood his place in his relationship with his mother, sisters, CJ and even Tree, what he could do to make a difference. Life is about simple moments in time with no one moment defining us, it is the accumulation of all those moments that make us the person we are. We learn from our hurts, and what we are willing to let hurt us. My son would tell that he makes a conscious choice not to be the same person his father is, and my daughter would tell that she has learned that her father is hardwired to disappoint and that she should not take it personally.
"Emergency" by Denis Johnson
"Emergency" was one of those stories about drug abuse that made me wonder if the author was taking drugs when he wrote it. I am finding it hard to blog on this story because I really did not care for the story. I loved someone that had a terrible drug problem and I find this story hard to deal because of the way the guys behaved, like it was acceptable to be in this drug filled stupor. The fact that they worked at a hospital and should have been taken care of their patients without the aid of drugs made it even worse.
"Me and Miss Mandible"
"Me and Miss Mandible" confused me at first, what was this guy doing in a classroom with 11 year olds? Had he been reincarnated or was he time traveling? As I read the story closer I realized that it was his disillusionment regarding his life. He felt he was being sent back to elementary school because he did something wrong at his job,"when I was first assigned to this room I wanted to protest...I have been betrayed again"(18), mentally we know that you can't be sent back to elementary school for a do over. But you can be treated like you were so stupid that you feel like you needed to be sent back. I had a very book smart boss like that, he would talk down to me like I was a child. I would find it so condescending and over time it ate away at my self confidence in myself, I started to feel like I was a stupid child.
A point that resonated in several parts of the story is the author felt that others were able to grasp the rules and play them to their advantage where he often feel out of place. "It took me a fantastically long time to realize what others grasped almost at once..." (19) and "they (meaning the students he was with the second time around) have a confidence in their ability to take the right steps and to obtain the correct answers". As I have traveled through my own life there have been times I have felt the same way. I would get so frustrated at work when I would work hard and give many extra hours all while watching my coworker spend most of her day with her cigarette and coffee cup in hand, and what I did was never quite enough for my boss.
I laughed the day I found out my ex-boss had been demoted, I know it sounds juvenile but I am ok with that. I can understand our main character's feelings when he decides not to tell the teacher his story about his position. "Here I am safe, I have a place; I do not wish to entrust myself once more to the whimsy of authority", this speaks VOLUMES to me. I like being back in school like a carefree twenty year old instead of being the responsible 45 year old that I am. But alas I must go back to work.....
A point that resonated in several parts of the story is the author felt that others were able to grasp the rules and play them to their advantage where he often feel out of place. "It took me a fantastically long time to realize what others grasped almost at once..." (19) and "they (meaning the students he was with the second time around) have a confidence in their ability to take the right steps and to obtain the correct answers". As I have traveled through my own life there have been times I have felt the same way. I would get so frustrated at work when I would work hard and give many extra hours all while watching my coworker spend most of her day with her cigarette and coffee cup in hand, and what I did was never quite enough for my boss.
I laughed the day I found out my ex-boss had been demoted, I know it sounds juvenile but I am ok with that. I can understand our main character's feelings when he decides not to tell the teacher his story about his position. "Here I am safe, I have a place; I do not wish to entrust myself once more to the whimsy of authority", this speaks VOLUMES to me. I like being back in school like a carefree twenty year old instead of being the responsible 45 year old that I am. But alas I must go back to work.....
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
"Real Estate"
When I read this story I felt a sense of sadness when our characters are thrust into changes that they don't want and are not mentally prepared for. Ruth knows her husband was a scoundrel and for the most part accepted it. When his last relationship fails he punishes Ruth by insisting that they move, which I could not help wondering if it was to punish Ruth for staying with him. Ruth was in despair, her husband was a scoundrel, her daughter had disconnected from her - empty nest syndrome, she has been battling cancer and Terrence throws the final blow "lets move". Terrence is a douche bag, he pushed her to make the change to a new house and then disconnects again forcing her to handle mayhem. I think she stays with him because she is resistant to change, I understand this because I am resistant to change at times at well. I lost my mind when my son's girlfriend moved my furniture around and hid my things, I would have liked to have done what Ruth did to Noel on her for quite awhile. Her putting everything in similar places in the new house as she had them in the old place does not seem odd to me, because I have done the same thing.....my cupboards and drawers in the kitchen are set up exactly the way my mother's were in the apartment below mine. I will have to say that I would not have tolerate Terrence's crap though, I have a low tolerance for bs.
I thought at some point the author was setting up Ruth and Noel's bylines in order for them to connect in a positive way as they were both in despair and struggling with the changes in their lives. Imagine my surprise when she kills him! I was like OMG. For Ruth this must have been the very last straw when she shot Noel, she had been trespassed upon and violated for the very last time. Sometimes we get to the point where we just cannot take anymore, she had been pushed around and pushed down repeatedly and then this man comes in her home to violate her one more time. How unfortunate for Noel that he broke that last straw and how fortunate for Terrence that she didn't turn around and shot his pansy butt too.
I thought at some point the author was setting up Ruth and Noel's bylines in order for them to connect in a positive way as they were both in despair and struggling with the changes in their lives. Imagine my surprise when she kills him! I was like OMG. For Ruth this must have been the very last straw when she shot Noel, she had been trespassed upon and violated for the very last time. Sometimes we get to the point where we just cannot take anymore, she had been pushed around and pushed down repeatedly and then this man comes in her home to violate her one more time. How unfortunate for Noel that he broke that last straw and how fortunate for Terrence that she didn't turn around and shot his pansy butt too.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Flash Fiction 2
I have truly loved the Flash Fiction stories; the stories are quick, meaningful and enjoyable. Even if there is one you don't like you haven't invested a lot of time reading it only to be disappointed. I have two stories of this group that I absolutely loved.
The first story "Snow" by Julia Alvarez, the story done first person was the tale of a little girl new to the country. She told of a favorite teacher who nurtured her first year of school, and her very first experience with snow. I loved this story because it brought me back to when I was young and my favorite teacher. I would be surprised if not all readers get that nostalgic moment when reading this story.
My favorite teacher was my fourth grade teacher, she encouraged the love of a good book. I remember to this day her reading C.S. Lewis's "A Loin, a Witch, and a Wardrobe", when she read the book I had this mental picture of the story as she read the story. I was so excited three years ago when this story was made into a movie, I was in love because the story was exactly how I had imagined it so many years ago. Somewhere in my library of books I have this book and I have both movies. My favorite story of all time.
The second story that I fell in love with was "Corners" by Sheila Barry, written in third person. I loved this story because of the emotion I felt when I read this story. As the reader I felt Jessie's pain, and that moment when you feel you can't breath because the pain is so intense. Then the moment they share that makes them laugh and helps the pain subsided.
I have a brother and sister that I share this bond with, there have been many times in each of our lives that our pain has been so intense that we have had that feeling that we can't breathe. One of us will get the other two going with a memory or a laugh, my grandmother had one of those snorting laughs that my brother could imitate perfectly.
The first story "Snow" by Julia Alvarez, the story done first person was the tale of a little girl new to the country. She told of a favorite teacher who nurtured her first year of school, and her very first experience with snow. I loved this story because it brought me back to when I was young and my favorite teacher. I would be surprised if not all readers get that nostalgic moment when reading this story.
My favorite teacher was my fourth grade teacher, she encouraged the love of a good book. I remember to this day her reading C.S. Lewis's "A Loin, a Witch, and a Wardrobe", when she read the book I had this mental picture of the story as she read the story. I was so excited three years ago when this story was made into a movie, I was in love because the story was exactly how I had imagined it so many years ago. Somewhere in my library of books I have this book and I have both movies. My favorite story of all time.
The second story that I fell in love with was "Corners" by Sheila Barry, written in third person. I loved this story because of the emotion I felt when I read this story. As the reader I felt Jessie's pain, and that moment when you feel you can't breath because the pain is so intense. Then the moment they share that makes them laugh and helps the pain subsided.
I have a brother and sister that I share this bond with, there have been many times in each of our lives that our pain has been so intense that we have had that feeling that we can't breathe. One of us will get the other two going with a memory or a laugh, my grandmother had one of those snorting laughs that my brother could imitate perfectly.
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