“Baptizing the Gun”

“Baptizing the Gun” by Uwen Akpan was an interesting story about the travels of a Roman Catholic priest that is finding money to aid in helping out swamp-dwellers in the Niger Delta. These people were killed in an oil fire and the priest travels to Lagos, which is war-torn, to ask rich parishes for money. He has been successful in getting churches to send money and supplies but runs into a problem when a Lagosian tries to help him and comes along for the ride. The whole time they are driving together, the priest thinks that the man is just trying to kill him and thinks that he has a gun in his pocket. They run into several mishaps, mostly because the car the priest is driving has a lot of mechanical issues. In the last scene, they have a mechanic helping them with the car and at this point, the priest realizes that there is no gun in the Lagosian’s pocket and that it is just a handkerchief.

I enjoyed this story because the priest reminded me of myself in a lot of ways. He was terrified for his life for most of the ride and then began to accept his fate that the Lagosian was going to kill him. I have really bad anxiety so I would have done the same thing as the priest and thought the worst of the man that is riding with him. Also, I would have convinced myself that the bulge in his pocket was a gun as the man in this story did. Looking back on some of the quotes referencing the gun, it now makes sense that it was actually a handkerchief. For example, “Sweat dribbles down his face. He reaches for the gun but changes his mind.” Now it makes sense that the item in his pocket was not a gun because he went to pull it out when he was sweating. 

            I also liked the quote that said “We’ve been driving now for three, four miles, the longest stretch since the Lagosian kidnapped me.” I would have considered it kidnapping too if I was in the same situation because of my high anxiety. Overall, the priest really reminded me of myself and I could see myself reacting very similarly in the situations he was placed in. One other minor detail that I liked about this was how by the end of the story, the priest began to call the Lagosian his “companion.” The author/narrator repeatedly began sentences with “my companion” and went on to describe who he previously referred to as his kidnapper. I thought this was interesting because to me, companion means a friend. This shows the typical attitude of a priest, who tend to always find the best in people.

Vocab:

Bludgeon: something used to attack or bully

“The bass guitar of Awilo Longomba’s “Coupe Bibamba” begins to bludgeon the night from two loudspeakers.”

Coiffure: a style or manner of arranging the hair

“The chef, sporting stretch jeans, a T-shirt, and a Grace Jones coiffure, is dancing for the crowd.”

Mudguard: fender of a car

“Then he rushes to my side and, together with the mechanic and his family, leads me over to sit on the Beetle’s mudguard.”

Guffaw: a loud or boisterous burst of laughter

            “He’s tapping the dashboard again. His chortle bottoms out into a relentless guffaw.”

Nam Le- "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice"

The short story “Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” by Nam Le was basically about writing a story. The story was written in first person and the main character describes a three day visit from his Vietnamese father. Nam Le is in school at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has a deadline that is only three days away as well. He is in the midst of a writer’s block but soon turns to his father’s childhood stories to find inspiration. His father then reads his stories and offers more information to help expand Le’s original story. While listening to his father, Le had gathered 45 pages of notes and used that to create what he felt was a masterpiece. In the end, his father ends up burning his work right before it is due, leaving Nam with nothing.

I really liked this story and it was a very easy read. One thing that I thought could have made the story better was if there was some sort of explanation after the climax. I felt like the story climaxed at the point where Nam found his father burning his story but it ended right after that. One quote that I absolutely loved though was “The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written” (page 23). I really liked this quote because I feel like it applies to so many other aspects of life other than writing. It is very philosophical.

One other detail that I liked about this story was how the author described how his father spoke in proverbs. I once did a project on Italian proverbs and found them to be very interesting, and I even researched the meaning to some of them in this story. For the most part, I could not find anything so I conjured up my own meaning. One I especially liked was “the captive buffalo hates the free buffalo” (page 23). I felt like this meant that one always yearns for the life they are not themselves leading. I could be completely false in my interpretation, but half the fun of proverbs is making them your own. 

The ending of the Lazarus Project

I thought that the last section of the book was straight out of a crime show, like Criminal Minds. It involved a lot of gory details, fights, and murders. At the beginning of this section, the novel is the Lazarus /Olga half of the divided plot lines. At this point, they are describing a brutal murder is painful details. My stomach got queasy at one point when the author described “Seryozhka Shipkin held up a blood-dripping tuft of Mr. Mandelbaum’s beard in his hand” (page 241) and when he was describing hearing bones breaking and hearing Mr. Mandelbaum’s skull crack. I couldn’t imagine how Lazarus felt to watch this all occurring.

In the next section about Brik and Rora, they are planning on returning to Brik’s hometown of Sarajevo. While they are in the cab on the way to the train station, they get stuck with a creepy cab driver that Rora describes as “I think he is planning to murder us” (page 257). For some reason, I can relate with being in a situation like this, where you don’t know what could happen because anyone could be a murderer. It is scary to think about all the times I get into a taxi or bus and all the while I am just hoping to be alive when I get off. I am just a worry wart in this sense though. I thought it was bold that Brik and Rora knocked the driver unconscious after they got out of the car though so that his “girlfriend”, the sex slave could be free. In this fight, Brik breaks his arm.

The novel then goes to Olga’s part and then part to Brik and Rora’s section before ending. Again, this section involved a murder that luckily was not as brutally described. Rora was killed at a café while waiting for Brik to arrive. Brik and Rora had been separated for a few days because Brik wanted some time alone in his hometown. One quote I liked from Rora’s murder scene though was when the author said “as the café disintegrated into panicked particles” (285). I thought this was a neat way to describe the scene and I am a biology major so I liked the use of chemical terms in the description. I also though it was humorous for the author to add in that someone’s ringtone went off playing “Staying Alive” which shows the cynical nature of this book. The book finished almost without explanation of what Brik plans to do after his hand is healed. In my own mind, I think he stays in Sarajevo because he seemed happier to be there.

Literary Festival Event

On Friday night, I had the privilege of attending the Mark Halliday poetry reading event. I attended the event with two English major friends who really talked up this poet and I was not let down. I really enjoyed his work because it was quite simple, making it easy listening. He read about ten poems on varying topics; with some I was able to relate to. One poem that I particularly liked was entitled “Parkersburg” and was about a town in West Virginia, 35 miles from where he lived in Ohio. This poem was ultra descriptive and made it feel as if I was in the poem myself. It was so descriptive to the point that the appearance of the character is was described down to his “purple shoes.” I also liked the poem “The Rescue Squad” which Halliday described as being about his undergraduate love life. I could relate to this poem as I am in a relationship. Most of this author’s poems sounded less like a poem and more like a story, which I really enjoyed. Although at times it became hard to differentiate between his personal stories before the poem and the actual poem itself. Only one poem called “Cleveland” actually rhymed and the author made it a point to tell the audience that he did have one rhyming poem at the end; which was a question I was pondering throughout the readings. Another poem I enjoyed was “Return to Elmgrove” which was a dream poem. This poem was unlike any other poem because it was not about a specific reality. Lastly, one other poem I liked was entitled “Tim Off To Charlotte” which sounded like a mix of phone conversations that the reader overheard in an airport. This poem reminded me of my own father because I pictured my father being one of the businessmen that the author overheard and took note of. This poem was interesting because it was an interweaving of many conversations that took place and was a peculiar way to present the range of conversations that were overheard. All in all, I was really happy that I chose this session of the Literary Festival and got to expose myself to a fairly famous poet. 

Cowboy Chicken

The short story “After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town” was about the inter-workings of a fast food restaurant in China. The restaurant served typical Southern American fare and had a lot of ups and downs throughout the story. At times the restaurant was doing great business but at other times they were on the verge of struggling. The boss of the establishment was a tyrant named Mr. Shapiro who was an American that spoke no Chinese and had to converse through the manager Peter, who knew both languages.

            I really enjoyed this work because it was very relatable. I’ve spent the last five years working at a restaurant in my small town and understand the woes of the restaurant business. Also, like the workers in this story, I was bossed around by a tyrant myself. The restaurant I worked at had two owners, one of which worked the day time and one worked the night time. Since I was in high school, I worked the night time and got stuck being ruled by the worse of the two bosses. We had many quarrels over some of the same things Mr. Shapiro got mad about, specifically eating the restaurant’s food.  The quote that stated “I hid my glass and plate in a cabinet so that our boss couldn’t see them.” (page 201-202) sounded exactly like something I have done in the past to hid my eating on the clock. Also, even though Manyou is not a manager or boss, he did something that my own boss would have also done. Manyou said “I’m going to give your fly a hot bath to see if it is from our place.” (page 208). He was eager to prove the customer wrong and this is something my own boss would try to do. I laughed reading about how they felt the American way was to always let the customer be right because in my own experience I have not seen this in action. Actually, I am told that the customer is often times wrong!

            All in all, I really enjoyed this story and found it to be an easy read. They were not many difficult words that I did not know and the story flowed really smoothly.

The Same River Twice, take 2.

In the third chunk of The Same River Twice, there were some parts I really enjoyed and some parts that I felt were wordy and unnecessary. I realize this is a memoir about a writer, but I feel as if some of the story gets lost in the over-detailing of minuscule events. Because of the detail and descriptions of some parts of the book, I have started to wonder if the author has over exaggerated any points throughout the story. I can understand that it would be easy to exaggerate the past to make it sound more enjoyable. This book has really built up my anticipation though, as I am waiting very patiently for the arrival of their child. I get really excited when I get to one of the parts about the present day, hoping that in that chapter Rita will finally give birth. The fact that I have so much anticipation has really kept my interest and allowed me to want to read a little bit more, despite my previously state disgust for the over-detailing.

            I also enjoyed the chapter outlining Dane’s wedding. I was wondering all along how his family felt about his nomadic nature and it was interesting to see the family dynamic when he returned for the wedding. I liked the quote where the author says “For all my wayward ways, I was still the favored son and Dane was relegated to piloting the Nina, running aground on his own efforts to please the family.” This quote shows Dane’s struggle with middle child syndrome. This is not something I know well being the oldest, but I can see my sister feeling the exact same way. It is interesting to see how Dane struggles with this around his own wedding day, a time that is supposed to be his. I also liked the quote describing Ellen’s family. “The family of the bride was polite and charming, although their Southern Baptist beliefs opposed them to coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, dancing, and me.” I am from up north and the Southern Baptist religion was one of the many culture shocks I felt when coming to Clemson.

The Same River Twice

The Same River Twice is simply the memoir of an American nomad. I like the set up of the novel, it skips back in forth from the past to present, giving necessary background information right when you need it. So far I have really enjoyed the book, because I feel like it relates in some ways to Catcher in the Rye, which is one of my favorite books of all time. Both stories talk about the protagonists struggle to find himself and his adventures along the way.

So far, the parts I enjoyed most were the ones outlining Chris’s life in New York City. In a sense, Chris is living out the typical American dream of moving to New York City to pursue an acting career, but he fails and returns home after an injury from playing sports. One specific quote I liked from one of these sections about when he was 19-20 years old stated “We were both at the bottom of our republic’s fabled melting pot.” (page 27). When learning about immigration as a child, I used to love the term “melting pot” to describe the mix of individuals in America. This term was always heavily used in large cities, New York being the most famous because it was the center of immigration. I also liked the author’s use of the word “fabled” which is often another word for mythical. Another quote I enjoyed from these sections was “..nobody I knew had been born and raised here” (page 36). I like this quote because I never realized that this is how New York City has always been. It has always been a place where people move after some time spend somewhere else, and many of its residents are not originally born there. I thought this was quite insightful, and something I honestly never picked up on. All in all, these parts about New York City were my favorite, and I think mainly because it showed someone living out their dream to break free. I’m sure when I was growing up I dreamed of moving to NYC to become an actress at least once, as this is a common dream of many Americans.

Throughout the novel thus far, I was trying to place it in a time period. I have come to the conclusion that it takes place a few decades ago, possibly early 80s or maybe late 70s. One event that lead me to pick up this time was when Rita goes to get her check up while pregnant and the ultra sound only consists of hearing the heart beat, while today you can practically see the entire body. Just this advancement of the ultra sound machines places this novel before the boom of technology that I think happened in the 90s.

Vocabulary:

“with the jodhpurs at her ankles” page 37

            - riding breeches cut full through the hips and close-fitting from knee to ankle

Guest Blogger: Katalin Bartz

"America"

We're all a little stubborn, and we always think about ourselves first. 

Living in freedom has made many of us ignorant of how poor other countries are.

But we give money to others to make ourselves look better,

Not because we actually care about them.

The Ending of The Crying of Lot 49

            For some reason, after finishing this book, I am still completely and utterly confused as to what happened in the story. I was hoping for some sort of mind blowing clarity in the last chapter and I was somewhat denied that luxury. Personally, I did not like the ending of this book because I felt like it was a cliffhanger of sorts; you want to find out who this mystery bidder is but it is never revealed. I would think the author is alluding to the fact that the bidder is Metzger or Pierce Inverarity, but I cannot be completely sure. For the sake of this blog though, I am dreaming of my own ending to take place where the current ending leaves off. In this dream ending, Pierce reveals himself and proves to Oedipa that he is not dead, and has been playing tricks on her for the entire length of the story. At points of the story, and even in chapter 6, Oedipa is concerned that this quest has been nothing but a huge lie. On page 140, she realizes that “every accessible route to the Tristero could be traced back to the Inverarity estate.” At this point, she contemplates the idea that Pierce has paid all these men to play this trick on her. Farther down on page 140 she states, “Or loyal, for free, for fun, to some grandiose practical joke he’d cooked up, all for her embarrassment, or terrorizing, or moral improvement?” I feel as if at this point, Oedipa is putting all the pieces together and realizing that Inverarity is in every part of this mystery, even where she had no idea. While Oedipa is putting all of this together, she calls the man she met at The Greek Way and asks him to put the final piece of the puzzle together. It was at this point that she does not get that clarity; instead he proclaimed “it’s too late” and hung up the phone on her before she could question his intentions. Anyway, I was really looking for meaning in the end of this chapter, and also looking for an explanation of what “The Tristero” was, since I really did not understand this concept throughout the rest of the book. With the lack of clarity at the end, I will just have to research more into this “quest” online.

microcosm: a little world; a world in miniature

            “Nobody else I ever knew was so close to the author, to the microcosm of that play as it must have surrounded Wharfinger’s living mind.” Page 125

incommensurate: disproportionate; inadequate

            “…her love, such as it had been, remaining incommensurate with his need to possess, to alter the land…” page 147-148

litanies: a ceremonial or liturgical form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or supplications with responses that are the same for a number in succession.

            “…monotone litanies of insult..” page 149

Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49"

            Now being 79 pages into “The Crying of Lot 49” I feel as if I should have more of a grip about the plot. I am still completely and utterly confused as to what is happening, and I have even had to consult SparkNotes for clarification. I did not read the SparkNotes until after I read each chapter, but I am glad I did because it has helped me understand a tad bit better. I have a grip on the idea of a conspiracy that Oedipa must figure out, but I honestly do not understand what this conspiracy is all about.

            Regardless, I really hope further reading gives me a clearer understanding of this conspiracy because I enjoy examples of conspiracy. I remember learning in History classes about conspiracies surrounding assassinations such as JFK’s and being very interested in the whole idea. I really want to give this book a try because I would like to get into the mystery of it.

            One aspect I would really like to highlight though is the subtle uses of popular culture that I have recognized. Pynchon frequently brings different verses of songs into the novel, which I feel is significant because of the time period. The 1960s was a time of widespread revolution, and music was one of the ways to publicize that revolution. Music was very popular during this time and I think Pynchon deliberately placed these musical references in to play up the time period more. At one point, the music even is used in the workplace. “The routine business took an hour; for another hour the shareholders and proxies and company officers held a Yoyodyne songfest,” shows that the plant uses music to bring people together. The idea of music bringing people together was very popular in the 60s, and is evident in music festivals such as Woodstock.

            Another quote that I particularly enjoyed was when Oedipa was trying to work out the Wells, Fargo incident in her head. She says “A cross? Or the initial T?” and I liked this quote because I personally thought it showed her becoming a detective of sorts. At this point, she has realized there is a conspiracy to figure out and has already started overlooking the face value of a “sign.”

Vocabulary:

Oblong: deviating from a square, circular, or spherical form by elongation in one dimension

            “…handing her an oblong magnifying glass.” Page 77

Philatelist: a specialist in philately : one who collects or studies stamps

            “…who is the most eminent philatelist in the L.A. area.” Page 75

Adversaries: one that contends with, opposes, or resists

            “He did, but not about their dark adversaries.” Page 74

"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in."

Like most of the other readings we have done thus far, I truly enjoyed Fences by August Wilson. It was a fairly easy read and I tend to like books that are written in the sort of dialect that is the spoken word. I’m assuming this sort of language is typical of plays since most lines are spoken words, but I do not know much about literature in that sense. Lines such as “Naw, you telling the truth there. I seen you do it” may not be correct English, but these sorts of lines make it an easy read in my mind. I also very much enjoyed the story line and liked the speed of the play. There was not too much fluff and was very straight to the point.

Going along with that point, I liked how Bono alluded to Troy’s affair but it wasn’t until their very serious conversation where you find out that it is true. At first, I thought the whole idea of Troy having an affair with Alberta was just nonsense and I liked the surprise the play gave me when it was really talked about. As odd as it is, I do not like surprises in my own life, but this sort of underplayed aspect was a “good surprise.” One quote I really liked from this particular scene where Bono calls Troy out for his affair is “You responsible for what you do” because sometimes people try to justify things until they are blue in the face and it gets under my skin. I felt like Troy was trying to blame some sort of intuition for his love for Alberta when it is his own fault. Troy made a mistake and should have fixed it, but instead he continued and impregnated the woman.

This play was fabulously written and I am glad I have found all the previous works to be semi-enjoyable; it really makes this class interesting. One pet peeve I had with this book was a mistake (I think) I found. In the prelude to scene five it stated, “There is noise and activity in the house as Rose, Gabriel, and Bono have gathered,” but it isn’t until later in the scene that Gabriel actually arrives from the mental hospital. For some reason this really threw me off.

Atavistic: recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity

“A dance of atavistic signature and ritual.” (page 101)

Pallbearer: a person who helps to carry the coffin at a funeral

“I’m gonna go down and get the pallbearers lined up.” (page 92)

Treed: planted or grown with trees

“Blue treed a possum in a hollow log.” (page 99)

Tennessee William's "The Glass Menagerie"

The Glass Menagerie is a complex work presented in a simple setting. I’ve studied this work before and consider it one of my favorites. Saying that, I still re-read the section assigned to find more complexity that I had not found previously. I think that I can relate to this work, and I feel like that is what makes me enjoy reading it over and over. Amanda reminds me of my own mother, although my own mother does not stress about me as much as Amanda does over Laura. Amanda obsessed over Laura’s well being, to a point that was unhealthy for both of them involved. My own mother worries about my well being, but luckily, does not hurt herself in doing so. The character of Amanda is very complex; she is also very dramatic in all that she does. When she finds out that Laura dropped out of the Business school, she becomes overly dramatic, as if the world was going to end. My own mother would probably react the same way, but I have invested a lot more in my education compared to Laura. A particular quote that reminded me of my mother was “Try and you will succeed” (page 31) because my mother always tells me this when I am questioning my abilities. Another quote I found interesting was “he had the Midas touch” (page 9) because this is a common expression today and I did not know it was common back then as well.

                One underlying aspect of this work that I always forget about when reflecting on this play is the character of the father, who never actually appears but is heavily referenced. I think it is beyond weird how obsessed the family is with a man that has left the family for greener pastures. Their father seemed like he was at one time a respectable man. At one part of the play Amanda tells Laura that “one thing your father always had plenty of was charm!” (page 18). Regardless, he left the family abruptly (or so it seems) and everyone will not forget him. His picture is still above the mantle and there are other constant reminders scattered about their apartment. Amanda even wears his robe, and it had been sixteen years since he left.

                Tom, the son of Amanda, reminded me of the narrator from Delmore Schwartz’s “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” because both characters have thoughts on the experience of seeing movies. The narrator in “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” describes going to a movie as forgetting oneself. Tom describes his desire to go to the movies often as a need to feel adventure that he does not feel in his typical life. I thought these two different uses of movies as an escape from reality to be an interesting change of pace. Personally, I do not feel as if I forget myself when I go to the movies, but I do find adventure in the tales that movies tell. In some ways, their views about movies were similar since both escaped reality, but the narrator did not feel the adventure that Tom did.

Delmore Schwartz "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities"

            I really enjoyed this short story. I felt like it was an odd perspective of writing; the narrator was dreaming of the beginning of his parent’s relationship. Often, the narrator interjected when he is coming out of his dream-like trance and actually interrupted the other people around him. He is clearly sitting in a movie theater and not paying attention to the actual movie. This is evident in the second paragraph when the narrator says “I have forgotten myself: it is always so when one goes to a move; it is, as they say, a drug.” I was oddly surprised to find out on the fourth page that the narrator who is the “I” in this piece is actually a man. This person was very emotional and I just associated the way he expressed feeling with a typical women. Saying that, I am not alluding to the fact that women are always more emotional; but I am a women and I know I am more emotional than most males I know.

            I really enjoyed this piece, as I typically like works that show the culture of the early 1900s. The Roaring 20s are my favorite time period, but I digress. Some parts where I thought this was evident were the parts where it was described what happens when the “father” first arrives at the “mother’s” house to pick her up for a date. Times have really changed and some of the mannerisms shown in this part are very old-fashioned.

            I thought it was interesting when the parents were on the merry-go-round, because it was stated earlier that the mother did not want to bother with the “riotous amusements” that were at Coney Island. It seemed like she was very into the ride because she wanted to acquire more rings and did not. I thought this showed the mother reaching a certain comfort level with the father, which is crucial in a relationship.

            I really felt like this short story relates to my life in a way. At one point in the story, the narrator leaves his dream and streams out in the movie theater “Don't do it! It’s not too late to change your minds, both of you. Nothing good will come of it, only remorse, hatred, scandal, and two children whose characters are monstrous.” I think this shows that the narrator’s parents’ marriage ultimately ends badly, which I have seen in my own life. My parents are still together, but many of my friends’ parent’s marriages have ended badly and in scandal. Of those friends, many often mention that they wish they could go back in time and tell their parents to break up before they got married at all.

Exultant: filled with or expressing great joy or triumph

“My father becomes exultant, lifted up by the waltz that is being played, and his own future begins to intoxicate him.”  page 477

Demurs: to make objection, esp. on the grounds of scruples; take exception

“My father suggests the best restaurant on the boardwalk and my mother demurs, according to her principles of economy and housewifeliness.”  page 476

Revery: the condition of being lost in though

“...scarcely as he though it would be, on his long walks over Brooklyn Bridge in the revery of a fine cigar…”  page 477

Sylvia Plath's "Daddy"

In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” she starts off the poem in a slightly less ominous tone than she ends in. It took me roughly two or three times before I actually came to understand the undertones she created using large-scale metaphors such as Nazi Germany. I still do not know if I fully grasp the ideas she is trying to get across. I feel like she is speaking of how she constantly tried to live up to her father’s standards but finally after a long time, began to give up. At first, she uses less harsh terms to describe how she feels she needs to break free from the memory of her father, as it has had a huge effect on her life. This feeling of breaking from memory is evident in the line “Daddy, I have had to kill you.” In the fourth stanza, Plath begins to change the tone and starts describing her father in Nazi Germany terms. I may have interpreted this wrong, but I thought she was describing her father as one would describe a typical Aryan during World War II in the line “Every woman adores a Fascist, The boot in the face, the brute Brute heart of a brute like you.” The poem also dives deeper when Plath mildly describes an attempted suicide in the line “At twenty I tried to die And get back, back, back to you.” After she describes her attempted suicide, I believe she goes on describe how she married someone just like her father. She stated “And I said I do, I do” which is what led me to believe she is alluding to marriage. Also, when she talks about someone sucking her blood for seven years, I think she is referring to her husband. At the end, I feel as if Sylvia Plath tries to sum up all of her emotions before finally breaking free from all her pent up sadness and anger that she has for her father’s death. She probably built up all this anger and sadness because her father died at a time when she was still very young.

Vocabulary Words:

Luftwaffe- generic German term for air force—“ I have always been scared of you,

With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.”

Taroc- card game consisting of Tarot cards—“ With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack”

Chuffing- to produce noisy exhaust or exhalations—“ An engine, an engine Chuffing me off like a Jew.”

Letter of Introduction

I have limited experience when it comes to reading and writing. I never took an English class unless it was essential to my graduation from high school, and I have continued this trend throughout college. It is not that I do not enjoy English classes, because I do love reading and writing, I just never have the time to take any classes other than those required by my strict Biology major. I have read a number of great works such as To Kill a Mockinbird and Catcher In The Rye and I have written all sorts of pieces ranging from persuasive essays to short stories. I was fortunate to be a part of a school district in high school that taught me a lot about writing in general as well.

It is quite bizarre that I was asked to list off some of the particular books I have read and enjoyed, because I recently made a list of all the books I could think of reading in my life. I seldom read for fun, but I did read an immense collection throughout the past couple of years.  I always felt as if I was one of the very few people who enjoyed many of the works I read throughout high school but there were a few works that I did not like as well. Topping my list of my favorite books I have read is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. This book was a captivating tale about the life of a fictional geisha and I enjoyed it because of the history it presented. I am a mild history buff, and found this story incredibly interesting. Another book I particularly enjoyed was 1984 by George Orwell. This book was an odd but interesting outlook on what the world could become, and I enjoyed reading about a world 100 times different from my own. One book that I can recall extremely loathing was Watership Down by Richard Adams. This book was supposed to be a political novel but used rabbits as the subjects. I can reason that I did not like this book because of the weird use of animals and also because I do not particularly like anything to do with politics.

My high school curriculum was also very big on Shakespeare. Luckily, I came to love most of his pieces that I read. I had one particular English teacher for my junior and senior years of high school and he was mildly obsessed with William Shakespeare, or so it seemed. He made learning Shakespeare easy by reading all the plays aloud during class and describing everything as we went along. He also focused on quotes, which really helped me learn how to depict what Shakespeare was trying to say in modern English.

I have discovered that over the years I have written many research papers on controversial parts of some of the books I have read. I have also written many book reviews, highlighting different aspects of works. I do not have much experience with creative writing, although I did write some poetry for high school English classes. I am usually very formal when writing emails and such, but I have contemplating blogging for an informal approach for quite some time. I am taking this English class, as it is a requirement for my Literature Humanities course. I was going to take an Italian class to fulfill this requirement but chose otherwise. My major is Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology. I hope to attend Dental school after graduation from Clemson. I am also in my junior year and I am from New Jersey.

Short Poem:

Choosing to come to Clemson was a big decision,

Coming from so far away was hard to do,

Some of my classes could use some revision,

But I’ve learned a lot and made some friends who are new.

I’ve learned Anatomy, Chemistry and Biology galore,

And I’ve learned how fiery Tiger fans are on Saturday,

I have one and a half years to learn much more,

But I am waiting to graduate on that fine day in May!