The main tool the author uses to draw the reader in is humour. I’m Down does have it’s heavy issues and heartbreaking moments but overall, it is a comical book. The way in which events are described make it easy understand and laugh at. The language that is used also helps to communicate that Wolff is from the “Hood”. As such, her father enjoys games of dominos which he cheats at. This passage is about one of her fathers friends calling him out on his cheating.
“Eldridge stood up and shook his finger, shouting, ‘Oh no, John! No way… Lil’ girl Wolff, you saw that shit! You had to-you’s right there… Even your girl saw it! Shame on you!’. My dad retorted, ‘Eldridge! You trippin!”.
The kind of language and slang make the scene more detailed and makes it easier to feel what it must have been like. This next passage describes what happens when Eldridge asks her if she saw her father cheat. He reminds her that Jesus is watching. It contains a fantastic humourous line.
“He lowered himself so he was looking into my eyes and said, ‘Jesus is watching.’ Dad glared at me across the table-he might as well have been sitting there actually opening a can of whoop-ass. It was Jesus or a can of whoop-ass… ‘I didn’t see anything’ I said. ‘See,’ my dad said to Eldridge. ‘You got nothing.’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘Mishna, why don’t you come up here, play this round.’ ‘Play dominos with you guys?’ I asked. ‘Well, you know how,’ he said, and pulled up a chair next to him, which was the coolest thing that had ever happened to me.”
The last part plays into the theme of her trying to please and be accepted by her dad. She wants to be “down” which is what the book is about.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I’m Down (Memoir) Blog 2
Although the following paragraph may seem awful and cruel, its also funny because you can imagine Wolff’s innocence. The reason it works is because she’s good about her mistakes and takes them lightly and as learning experiences.
In the pages leading up to this passage, her father told her to go play with the neighbourhood kids while he finished his game of dominos. Mishna see’s a group of kids and asks if she can play with them. The leader of the group, “Nay-Nay” says that their playing with Barbie’s. Mishna doesn’t know what a Barbie is but runs to her house and grabs her favourite doll, Tommy the turtle.
“The neighbourhood kids were all standing in front of Latifa’s house fully into some sort of Barbie orgy. Hot, wild, Barbie-on-Barbie action, complete with sound effects like, ‘uh, uh, uh.’ And besides discovering lesbianism, I found that what I was holding could not have been further from a Barbie. ‘What’s that, whitey?’ Nay-Nay asked, point to my doll.
‘Tommy,’ I said. ‘He’s a turtle.’
‘You thought you could bring your broke-ass turtle down here to play Barbies?’
I shrugged.
And with that, Nay-Nay began cackling in a way that quickly caught on with the rest of the group. I just stood on the corner holding Tommy the Turtle as five black girls holding plastic white women laughed at my stupidity. I was desperate and argued, ‘Mine’s a Barbie doll, too… Its just a different kind of Barbie!’
To which Latifa, a girl a year older than me, exclaimed, ‘That ain’t no Barbie doll! That’s something out of the Good-will goodie box!’”
From an early age, Mishna learns that she has to stay on her feet and that other kids will take a shot if they get a chance. This idea is repeated throughout the book with many events and problems happening because she talked without thinking. This passage also makes reference to her family’s poverty which is paralleled in later chapters.
In the pages leading up to this passage, her father told her to go play with the neighbourhood kids while he finished his game of dominos. Mishna see’s a group of kids and asks if she can play with them. The leader of the group, “Nay-Nay” says that their playing with Barbie’s. Mishna doesn’t know what a Barbie is but runs to her house and grabs her favourite doll, Tommy the turtle.
“The neighbourhood kids were all standing in front of Latifa’s house fully into some sort of Barbie orgy. Hot, wild, Barbie-on-Barbie action, complete with sound effects like, ‘uh, uh, uh.’ And besides discovering lesbianism, I found that what I was holding could not have been further from a Barbie. ‘What’s that, whitey?’ Nay-Nay asked, point to my doll.
‘Tommy,’ I said. ‘He’s a turtle.’
‘You thought you could bring your broke-ass turtle down here to play Barbies?’
I shrugged.
And with that, Nay-Nay began cackling in a way that quickly caught on with the rest of the group. I just stood on the corner holding Tommy the Turtle as five black girls holding plastic white women laughed at my stupidity. I was desperate and argued, ‘Mine’s a Barbie doll, too… Its just a different kind of Barbie!’
To which Latifa, a girl a year older than me, exclaimed, ‘That ain’t no Barbie doll! That’s something out of the Good-will goodie box!’”
From an early age, Mishna learns that she has to stay on her feet and that other kids will take a shot if they get a chance. This idea is repeated throughout the book with many events and problems happening because she talked without thinking. This passage also makes reference to her family’s poverty which is paralleled in later chapters.
I’m Down (Memoir) Blog 1
I’m Down by Mishna Wolff is a comical memoir of white girl living in an all black neighbourhood. Humor is a major tool used by Wolff to keep the reader interested as well as interesting storyline.
“I AM WHITE. My parents, both white. My sister had the same mother and father as me-all of us completely white… However, my dad, John Wolff, or as the guys in the neighbourhood called him, ‘Wolfy’, truly believed he was a black man. He strutted around with a short perm, a Cosby-esqe sweater, gold chains, and a Kangol,-telling jokes like Redd Foxx, and giving advice like Jesse Jackson. He walked like a black man, and he played sports like a black man. You couldn’t tell my father he was white. Believe me, I tried. It wasn’t an identity crisis; it’s who he was. He was from ‘the neighbourhood’-our neighbourhood.
There is a certain amount of tension that’s created throughout the novel, just because of the Wolff’s situation of being the only whites in an all black neighbourhood. It makes for a good story because its usually the opposite, one token black family in an all white neighbourhood. Normally, it would be a heavy issue but Wolff manages to make it funny and humourous.
“That was before school busing programs, when middle-class white people started moving out of the cities and into the suburbs, because, ‘you know’. My grandparents were too cheap to be racist. You don’t sell when the market is down. And as the neighbourhood got blacker-so did my dad. He was in high school when he started to help the Black Panthers with the breakfast program. He played sports and he made his friends. They were the brothers and he was cool.”
“I AM WHITE. My parents, both white. My sister had the same mother and father as me-all of us completely white… However, my dad, John Wolff, or as the guys in the neighbourhood called him, ‘Wolfy’, truly believed he was a black man. He strutted around with a short perm, a Cosby-esqe sweater, gold chains, and a Kangol,-telling jokes like Redd Foxx, and giving advice like Jesse Jackson. He walked like a black man, and he played sports like a black man. You couldn’t tell my father he was white. Believe me, I tried. It wasn’t an identity crisis; it’s who he was. He was from ‘the neighbourhood’-our neighbourhood.
There is a certain amount of tension that’s created throughout the novel, just because of the Wolff’s situation of being the only whites in an all black neighbourhood. It makes for a good story because its usually the opposite, one token black family in an all white neighbourhood. Normally, it would be a heavy issue but Wolff manages to make it funny and humourous.
“That was before school busing programs, when middle-class white people started moving out of the cities and into the suburbs, because, ‘you know’. My grandparents were too cheap to be racist. You don’t sell when the market is down. And as the neighbourhood got blacker-so did my dad. He was in high school when he started to help the Black Panthers with the breakfast program. He played sports and he made his friends. They were the brothers and he was cool.”
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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.”
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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.
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