August Kleinzahler

This is a very interesting piece, not only because of the writing style but the humorous stories. August Kleinzahler does a great job of describing his unconventional (to say the least) childhood. The first line of the story is “It was the dog who raised me.” At first glance it seems like nonsense. However, as the story progresses, it starts to make sense and actually becomes funny. The dog Granny, killed two dogs, one of which was a Chihuahua. It might not sound funny but when put matter-of-factly is actually quite funny. Another reference is made to the dog when Kleinzahler states “it turned out that I looked like the dog.” Much of his humour works because it is said matter-of-factly.

Throughout the piece he is ignored by his family, which is why he develops such a close relationship with the dog and later his nanny. His mother was too busy reading Shakespeare to care about him and his siblings where either making airplanes or learning Latin. Further more, he states that he was an accident and his mother didn’t even like him or want him. Instead, he was cared for by Czech nanny who couldn’t really speak English. Eventually he started developing a Czech nanny which his parents find creepy. Years later, he dated a Czech and thought of his nanny while he made love to her. Its so sick and twisted it becomes funny.

Glass Castle

Glass Castle

The author Jeannette Walls does a great job of creating balance in the Glass Castle. She almost makes you pity her when tells of her impoverish upbringing but then manages to turn the tables and make her family seem noble, smart and loving. Her parents constantly remind her of their position but actually manage to turn it into a positive thing. She makes it seem like they have a very loving family even without material possessions. Her father explains why they are the lucky ones and not rich folk because they can’t fully appreciate nature and be happy.

“Rich city folks, he’d say, lived in fancy apartments, but their air was so polluted they couldn’t even see the stars. We’d have to be out of our minds to want to trade places with any of them. ”

Walls creates this symbol and feeling of hope when she writes about how her Dad said she can get a star for Christmas. It can also be interpreted that even though the rich might have Christmas trees with a star at the top, she gets the real thing and she can keep it forever which is much more significant. It also shows how knowledgeable her father is about constellations. All this makes you root for her as she seems like the underdog.

Walls’ choice of words helps add emotion and detail to her writing. The story about the rat is well written.

“This rat was not just eating the sugar. He was bathing in it, wallowing in it, positively luxuriating in it, his flickering tail hanging over the side of the bowl, flinging sugar across the table.”

Another passage with detailed writing is when she paints part of the house. I’m not sure if its because I painted a garage this summer but I can really imagine and go through the motions.

“Out on the porch, I opened the can and stirred the paint with a stick, blending in the oil that had risen to the surface until the paint, which was the colour of buttercups, had turned creamy. I dipped in a fat brush and spread the paint along the old clapboard siding in long, smooth strokes. It went on bright and glossy and looked even better than I had hoped.”

Glass Castle

The author Jeannette Walls does a great job of creating balance in the Glass Castle. She almost makes you pity her when tells of her impoverish upbringing but then manages to turn the tables and make her family seem noble, smart and loving. Her parents constantly remind her of their position but actually manage to turn it into a positive thing. She makes it seem like they have a very loving family even without material possessions. Her father explains why they are the lucky ones and not rich folk because they can’t fully appreciate nature and be happy.

“Rich city folks, he’d say, lived in fancy apartments, but their air was so polluted they couldn’t even see the stars. We’d have to be out of our minds to want to trade places with any of them. ”

Walls creates this symbol and feeling of hope when she writes about how her Dad said she can get a star for Christmas. It can also be interpreted that even though the rich might have Christmas trees with a star at the top, she gets the real thing and she can keep it forever which is much more significant. It also shows how knowledgeable her father is about constellations.

Blog 7, TETRIS

Tetris is a puzzle game first designed by Alexey Pajinov  in 1985. It has had numerous publishers and is supported on various game consoles and computers.  The premise is very simple. There are four shapes each made of four blocks which fall one by one from the top of the screen. The player must fit each falling piece to form a full horizontal line and repeat as long as possible. Once a full horizontal line is made, it disappears. Points are award for each line made as well as combos which involves two/more lines cleared at a time. If five lines are cleared, a TETRIS is awarded. After ten lines are cleared, a level is accomplished at which time, the pieces drop faster. There is a level limit of 20.

Although the game is very simple and may seem dry and boring at first glance, it is very addicting. Gamers who play Tetris for extended periods of time can experience what is called the "Tetris Effect". This means that they can visualize Tetris games without actually playing or seeing it. The only thing aside from the pure awesomeness of the game itself that keeps me playing is my desire to place in the top 10 of the Tetris high-score. I was once ranked 20th but after not playing for so long, have been bumped down.

There is nothing i would change about Tetris. I love the visual displays, the amazing music and the simplicity. I'm a Tetris fiend. 

Black History Blog, On Beauty

An element in Zadie Smith's novel On Beauty that I really enjoyed was the detailing of the family's relationship.

"Jerome sat in the front seat next to the taxi-driver because the trip was Jerome's treat and Jerome's idea; Levi, Zora and Kiki were in the second row of this people-carrier, and Howard lay flat on his back with a row to himself... It was a classic family outing, proposed at the moment when all the members of the family had never felt less familial." (pg.60) "Kiki held her temper, waiting for the two to think of someone other than themselves. When this didn't happen, she exploded. They were only just recovering from the family row that ensue. The sulking and door slamming would have continued indefinitely had not Jerome - ever the peacemaker - thought up this trip as an opportunity for everybody to be nice to each other." (pg.61) Because the story is about family relations, I thought it was appropriate to have good detailing when describing the family events.

The book is about an interracial family with a black mother and white father and their children. With relevance to Black History month, it describes the different lifestyle that arises in an interracial marriage. The following passage is a conversation between the father (Howard) and his youngest son (Levi) who is in his teens.

"Are you going to work  today? They let you wear it at the wotsit, the record shop? Sure, sure... Its not a record shop -  I keep telling you - it's a mega-store. There's like seven floors. You make me laugh, man, said Levi quietly, his lips buzzing Howard's skin through his shirt. Levi pulled back now from his father, patting him down like a bouncer. So you going now or what? What you gonna say to J? Who you flyin' wid?" (pg.22)

"Here they all were, Howard's imaginary class. Howard indulged in a quick visual catalogue of their interesting bits, knowing that this would very likely be the lat time he saw them. The punk boy with black-painted fingernails, the Indian girl with the disproportionate eyes of a Disney character, another girl who looked no older than fourteen with a railroad on her teeth." (pg.154) I liked the detail in this passage because one can imagine exactly what Howard must be seeing in his imaginary class.

Another passage that I liked describes those Kodak moment baby pictures because it describes it exactly.

"The children come first in black and white: podgy and dimpled, haloed with curls. They seem always to be tumbling towards the view and over each other, folding on their sausage legs." (pg.17)

Obama's Inaugural Address

President Obama did an amazing job during his inaugural address with regards to both his speaking skills and content. Throughout the speech, he familiarizes himself with the audience by using words like "fellow citizens" and "we". This creates a connection with him and the viewer. While performing the speech, he was passionate, humble and calm. The one passage that sticks with me is the following: "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."  The last line especially sent a wave of inspiration through me as I heard it. For me, that was the most passionate part of the entire address.

In terms of content, he began with the negative situations concerning the US and then explained the ways in which he will combat them. The main examples of tough situations were the economy, climate change and terrorism. He relates the past few years as tough times were America has suffered.  However, he gives hope by saying : "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America." Obama then goes on to list the things that will "remake" America such as creating jobs and laying a foundation for growth, using science to improve healthcare and using solar and wind power to fuel America's industries.

He also takes a step into unchartered territory when he says: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." He also states that they will forgive any wrongdoings if those peace-disturbers will "unclench their fist". He also extends his help to third-world and developing countries. It seems like Obama is looking to better America's image by sending out help and aid instead of war and terror.

All in all, from his passionate presentation to his hope-filled ideas, President Obama gave an unforgettable, fantastic speech.

The Retreat

A great thing about that David Bergen did in his novel The Retreat was the detailing with regards to the characters and emotions. The detailing of the characters  helped to give the reader a visual understanding of what they could look like. "Still, the management wanted Lisa Kennedy happy, and she was happiest with Raymond at her side. She golfed alone. This morning she wore a pink pleated skirt that fell to her knees and a white short-sleeved blouse. A white sweater with the arms tied around her waist. " (Pg.7)

Another example of good physical detailing in the novel is "She'd written something about her mother, about the bone-coloured dress her mother liked to wear, and the buttons that were like tiny bones themselves, and about the shape of her mother's bones within the dress. And the bone of her mother's wrist cracking as she fell down the stairs." (Pg.104)

The author also does a great job of giving the characters traits as seen with Earl Hart, who's racist beliefs almost kill Raymond (the main character) in the beginning of the book. I thought the detailing was great in this passage because it 1) indicates/foreshadows that Hart is a cold man and 2) because it helps the reader understand what his laugh sounded like and gives him an ominous feeling. "He chuckled, but it wasn't truly a laugh, more the simulacrum of a laugh, as if he had spent much time as an unhappy man leaning how to imitate happiness." (Pg.5) 

The author adds more information and traits as the story progresses which is very effective because the reader is reminded just how evil he is. " 'Uncle Earl?' She pulled away from Raymond and stepped towards the police car... He reached out and touched Alice, as if laying some sort of claim on her. He didn't look at Raymond... Hart opened the cruiser's rear door and motioned at Raymond, who said he didn't need a ride. 'Nobody's asking.' " (Pg.18-19) I was drawn to this passage because suspense slowly builds up. Once the reader finds out its Hart, they know its trouble. This makes the reader worry about what will happen to Raymond and keeps them reading.

Questions for the author:

1.) A major theme in the beginning of the novel is hatred and racism. Have you ever dealt with or witnessed such issues?

2.) Are there any specific authors that inspired you to become a writer?

3.) Any new projects coming up soon?