Maps to Anywhere Second Half Response

This half of Maps To Anywhere was arguably more effective in conveying Bernard Cooper emotions surrounding his life events.  It was interesting to see how he progressed through the essay compilation and how he associated various concepts with his life events.  From personal experience, Cooper is better able to portray a message through emotion and various imagery.  Cooper continues to prove the power of this medium through essays like "Leaving" and "Bringing Down the House".  Cooper is better able to display his emotions surrounding certain topics and concepts due to his life experience with them.

In "Leaving", Cooper tells of the "typical" American family on an infographic.  He describes the father, mother, and specifically, the 2.5 kids.  I see this as perhaps a commentary on the lifestyle that we glorify that is so inherently damaging at the same time.  The ".5" child is perhaps the child we ignore so that the rest of the family on the surface can survive without bother or difficulty.  We ignore the suffering statistic so that the rest of the world can feel okay about themselves as a result of not thinking about world issues.  We have this conceived image of society that fits our schemas, and when they don't fit, we simply reject them.  I enjoyed this essay because even though it said very little, the concept spoke volumes.

The essay, "Futurism" caught my eye as well, as it spoke of the damaging world view that is constantly changing with technology.  We pass the landmarks by so quickly on the highway because we do not have to appreciate the natural earth, and instead we glorify man-made structures.  Perhaps this essay is not a commentary on technology that revolutionizes society as a whole, but the technology that streamlines daily life that makes the aesthetic beauty of the world irrelevant.  This essay was interesting because it effectively summarized the plight in which society is the ignorant victim, as we support technology that makes our lives easier as opposed to the technology that helps others or fixes problems.  We seek to make life go faster without appreciating what makes it important.

Maps to Anywhere First Half Response

These essays, though seemingly convoluted, provide concise and articulate descriptions of events that prove to be much more than stories.  This compilation reveals the purpose of an essay, which is not only to retell an event, but also provide commentary and intertwine personal meaning.  In this compilation we get insight on aspects and various points in Bernard Cooper's life.  Though no theme ties the works together indefinitely, the various essays include different points about the beginning topic within the few pages in which the work resides.  These writings are very diverse and recounts Cooper's lessons and important stages in his youth and throughout his life.

In the beginning of the compilation, he talks about the central theme of names, be they the aesthetic of the word itself, or the identity that surrounds it.  In daily life, we attribute a collection of sounds and symbols to objects, animals, and more importantly, people.  Cooper relates the importance of one's name to one's demeanor or identity, conveying the importance, or lack thereof naming in accordance with identity.  Cooper tells us of a book that his mother used to name him, listing off personality traits of a "Bernard" "Far from the bearish obstinance and earthiness it said to imply, it held for me connotations of myopia, introversion, and bookishness that my destiny has borne out (Cooper, 4)."  The author states that one might instead choose their own combination of symbols and sounds to name their child as opposed to choosing a list from a book to name your spawn.  

In the story, "How to Draw", Cooper recounts the art of his late brother, and how Cooper views his works.  Cooper starts out by saying that he often enjoys amateur art more than that of professionals, which could occur a number of different reasons.  In his brother's case, Cooper might enjoy the art because of a nostalgic or emotional attachment to the works not only because it was done by his brother, but also because they serve to be a window into his brother's mind.  It is difficult to perceive what an artist might be going through in daily life through a work of art that means nothing, but when someone is in pain or is in a dire situation, one's art may speak more and convey more emotion.  Cooper's brother's art was not only a window to his emotions, but also serve as snapshots, as they might prove to show changing thoughts throughout his condition at various points in time. 

Essay Packet #1 Response

As opposed to all other works of writing we were exposed to this year, the essay format is perhaps the most straightforward, given that deeper meanings and messages are outright described.  These works are indeed more lacking in poetic and concrete language than the poems and short stories, however this is not what makes this an essay compilation.  The essays are brief synopses of thoughts from the authors point of view, and while they may include somewhat of a story, this is likely not the main point in which the writer is attempting to convey.  These essays often came in a first-person point of view, and usually include a personal experience from the author, giving the work a more personal attachment.  The essays are straightforward, but this medium of writing can be very diverse as well, despite their usual use throughout the literary world.

The first essay that came to mind in this compilation was Red: An Invocation, as the instance in which the personal story was told was a very brief, yet it included a great deal of description about the sighting.  The story itself.  The essay dealt with the aesthetic beauty of the fox and the captivation that followed the sighting of the animals.  Red: An Invocation, is likely speaking to the emotion that is invoked upon seeing the animals and their respective attributes that captivated the author in this way.  This essay proved the diverse nature of the essay, and what an essay entails; the story was indeed short, yet it provided this plethora of sensory information and emotion.

The Mint Snowball was perhaps my favorite essay within the compilation, as the beginning are polar opposites in their tones and descriptions.  At first, the author seeks to regale the audience with feelings of nostalgia as she tells of the drug store and all of the sensory information associated with this place.  Later on, however it is revealed that the recipe for their famous "Mint Snowball" syrup was sold, and later the Mint Snowball altogether, which effectively transitions the tale into a more somber tone.  The author then relates the loss of their Mint Snowball to another emotion, as the meaning of the senses relating to this flavor now invoke sadness and other negative emotions.  In a way, this story establishes the boundaries by which an essay can go, as one thinks of essays as purely expository, they can also be poetic and invoke emotion within the audience to a great extent.

Fiction Packet #3 Response

I found the contents of this packet to be the most enjoyable out of the readings this year.  One of the more interesting stories was The Fifth Story by Clarice Lispector, as they all followed the same narrative, however they were given a different direction.  They all had the same style of writing, yet gave different perspectives on the same mundane situation.  Each time the story was told, the writer added new information or insight on the situation of killing cockroaches inside the apartment, however the final story simply gives a one statement summary of the situation "I was complaining about the Cockroaches", which is essentially the literal plot of the story line.

August 25th 1983 by Jorge Luis Borges was a very interesting tale as well, as it conveyed a normally impossible event that may or may not have been a dream.  It not only questioned the validity of Borges' reality, but also told of Borges' potential future and what he think it will hold.  Borges' "future self" tells him about his writing feats in the years to come, however Borges is skeptical, thinking that he will not change so much.  The work demonstrated the path of time and how it does not move to your will; Borges' future self did not turn out as he had intended.  The story begs the question: Will Borges' life change now that he knows he will kill himself (assuming Borges isn't simply dreaming)?

These stories demonstrated a trite and effective method of storytelling that utilized elements of a clear and effective plot.  Apart from the beginning stories by Peter Markos, each story had a clear-cut narrative and linear plot line.  The beginning stories were indeed abstract, yet their styles were unique and vague in their storytelling.  They sought to describe a concept in an ambiguous and meaningful manner, evoking thought within the audience.  The stories used the bare structure of a story, utilizing nameless characters and vague descriptions of the actions.

The Black Automaton and Unexplained Presence

The Black Automaton was almost poetic in its structure, yet were not held together in any sort of specific scheme.  Kearney used plenty of sensory and concrete language to evoke emotions possibly relating to black struggle and problems associated with this society and black people.  I enjoyed the erratic scheme of this collection of poems, and they were very effective in conveying each of their messages.  Though they were trite in length, they were powerful in that each poem had a different theme, idea, and layout.  The poems that caught my eye the most were "From Voltron", and "Tallahatchie Lullaby, Baby", due to their unique layouts.  "Tallahatchie Lullaby", Baby interested me with its use of rhyming as well as alliteration, while "From Voltron" used an odd and erratic layout that was aesthetically pleasing.

Unexplained Presence used a short story style of narrative in its collection, yet was very descriptive in nature and very powerful as well.  This collection also deals with the strife of black people and deals with the black character as a whole in each story.  The description at the beginning that served as an intro stated that: "Black figures in Eurocentric literature, film, and visual art are rarely presented without being given a distinct, racialized function (Bryant 1)".  This is shown throughout each story, as the African American protagonists are all distinctly racialized in their language, habits as well as their issues.  This collection of stories effectively conveys the role of African Americans in all types of media and explores their role in storytelling and how adding race can affect the narrative.

I enjoyed both of these collections of poems and short stories due to their messages and their styles of narrative and structure.  I enjoyed The Black Automaton the most because I was captivated by the use of language and the aesthetic beauty that was associated with it.  It proved the effectiveness of the African American style of writing, and while it was somewhat confusing, the message throughout the collection was consistent.

Juice by Renee Gladman

These stories are interesting in its narrative direction, in that you must decide what is occurring in each story.  Each instance seems to follow a different person entirely, and they are seemingly unrelated.  They seem to follow a direct "stream of consciousness" style of narrative, and the events seem to attempt to sum up the underlying feelings and actions relating to the loneliness of the narrator.  There is no real rhyme or reason to the narrator's method of storytelling, however it all seems to flow together within each instance in an archaic and stylized manner.  The stories are intentionally vague, and in that the story becomes more mysterious and subtle, making it more interesting to the reader.

Apart from the loneliness described at the beginning, another theme I happened upon was not being able to fit in.  "People tend to have faith that the juice they drink in the morning is the same juice they have always drunk.  And the apples take their shape naturally.  The guy, whose name escapes me now, taught me to look  upon others' concerns as mine to make at home [...] When my friends came by- they liked to suddenly show up with all kinds of breads in their hands, thinking they knew what I needed and planned to force in on me - I had to tell them I was busy with my juice"(Gladman 22).  This might mean that the narrator was comfortable with his/her own ways (her juice) and did not want to adopt other people's ideals, thus making her lonely though they are surrounded by others.  In the beginning of the story, the narrator outlines being lonely because no one else is around.  The narrator states that the town "... is still vibrant though I have not seen anyone in years.  I am not in jail - they have just gone"(Gladman 10).  The narrator appears to be in denial about the town even returning, saying that the narrator is not imprisoned, yet she is all alone in this desolate town that the narrator considers "vibrant".  However, he seems to see the desolation as positive and he might be making the best out of a bad situation.

I enjoyed this novella for its style and method of story progression; it acts more as a collection of short stories than a cohesive story altogether because of the different instances that each chapter presents.  The author leaves many details up to the reader, such as the gender of the protagonist as well as the situation they are in.  This makes the reader wish to keep going, as if they are hungry for more details about the story, though they will be usually be meager and vague intentionally.  The author goes off of her own thoughts in a non-linear fashion, as if the book were inside the protagonist's direct thoughts.  At first, the story does not even make it clear whether the each division is together, or whether they are separate stories of their own.  Once one continues, however, the divisions imply that there is no correlation between the novels, thus demonstrating the slow feeding of information that this novella follows.

More Fiction Packet #2

My first impression of the story, "People in Hell Just Want a Drink of Water" in the second fiction packet was that it dealt in a great deal of exposition and plenty of build up.  This story was interesting, because it consisted of a large amount of concrete details and specific imagery.  The poetic language was very effective in conveying the story to the reader and was very aesthetically pleasing.  The story effectively paints a picture of the setting and what is occurring between characters, even though not much happens at the beginning of the tale.

This story was thoroughly entertaining, as it powerfully illustrated hardships in the west between various families in the early 20th century.  One of the more interesting aspects of the story is how the author is able to fluidly switch from one family's perspective to another.  The sensory language within the story definitely pulls you in at the beginning, as the language is harsh and emotionally charged.  At first, it is unclear where the setting truly takes place, as it uses modern places and attributes to describe the setting: "Fences, cattle, roads, refineries, mines, gravel pits, traffic lights, graffiti’d celebration of athletic victory on bridge overpass, crust of blood on the Wal-Mart loading dock, the sun-faded wreaths of plastic flowers marking death on the highway are ephemeral."  It appears, though, that this text serves as some sort of intro or foreword, acting as some sort of message before the actual story.  The transition is confusing, however the rest of the story seems to follow uniformity following the Dunmires and the Tinsleys.  

What occurs within the story is also very emotionally-charged, given the obstacles placed in front of either family during the harsh seasons in the west.  This story is interesting because it brings to light many brutal and grating issues they face and the decisions they face.  I was notably shaken by the actions of the Tinsleys, such as when Mrs. Tinsley throws her child in the water, thus committing murder.  I enjoyed this story a great deal, as it emulated the effectiveness of a brief tale as opposed to an extensively long one.

Fiction Packet #2

This packet proved to be a nice contrast to the other fiction packet, because that the stories are much longer and are still effective and interesting.  I particularly enjoyed the Brian Evensan piece titled "Internal", as it proved that the sole purpose of a short story of that length is optimal for story telling over message conveyance.  This particular packet contradicted the first one in length, which allowed for more of a narrative to develop as opposed to small instances.  This allowed for there to be multiple parts within the story that acted as chapters in order to fluidly display the plot line.  I derived from this that shorter of pieces of writing act as a certain type of "poetry" in that it displays more sensory details and utilizes language in certain ways for an aesthetically pleasing effect.

I feel it is more appropriate in these types of stories to analyze the plot as opposed to writing style and conventions relating to language.  The story, "Internal" from Contagion by Brian Evensan was suspenseful and interesting.  The story revolves around an unnamed intern working under a Doctor Rauch and later a Doctor Kagen, who is told without explanation to observe the respective brothers of each doctor.  I particularly enjoyed the ambiguous ending, as I was lead to believe that the people in the apartment complex are all psychotic in some way, observing each other for some sort of sick sociology experiment.  The environment that the intern was immersed in changed the way the intern reacted to outside stimuli, becoming paranoid and wary of other's intentions.  At first, the intern came into the complex entirely sane, yet the intern dared not question Dr. Rauch.  The intern became relatively insane watching the Doctors' respective brothers, as the intern was quite paranoid of being watched and observed like the others.

The stories held more of a story line, more character development, and more of a rising action leading to the climax.  The most interesting aspect of the story I mentioned was the ability to hold suspense and lead to a longer narrative as opposed to a short synopsis of one particular instance.  These stories prove what a short story can be when they emphasize plot and character development.

Fiction Packet #1 Post

The written word takes on many forms, be it a poem, a short story, an essay, or a novel, however, one medium seems to be quite popular with many authors in fiction, namely, short stories.  The short story is a very different style of writing from a poem indeed, as in a poem, all words are deliberate and they play with the conventions of writing in order to convey meaning and purpose.  While a poem can tell a story, that is not its main purpose, as a short story is arguably the most direct form of story telling and as a result, is quite straightforward and simple to follow, as it arcs in regular story fashion, (exposition, rising action, climax and denouement).  I enjoyed the short stories very much, as they effectively told their stories and conveyed their meaning.

The stories that caught my eye particularly were the Mystery Stories by Sharon Krinsky, as her style was unique and ultimately proved that a story does not have to be lengthy to be interesting.  In these stories, she essentially deconstructs stories that would normally consist of lots of details and adjectives, but instead includes bare summaries of stories.  She most likely does this to leave the details and meaning up to the reader, as she only describes a brief plot line of a single occurrence.  "I go to a restaurant that's like a nightclub in a 40's movie.  At my table are three white plates filled with strawberries.  No one else is there.  I am afraid I will have to pay for their dinners when they come back".  Krinsky truly captures a short story by making the shortest story possible while still providing a plot; she does not add descriptive or concrete details, so she allows the reader to figure out what she is saying.  She does this all while providing an absurd or convoluted meaning in order to force the reader to solve what she is attempting to say, if anything at all.

These stories were very unique and interesting, and ultimately set a standard for what a short story should strive to emulate.  A short story tells of a brief instance that occurs over a short period of time, instead of creating character development and building up the story for a long period of time.  That being said, a short story can be any length as long as it does not border on being the size of a novel or novella.  The short story can have many different instances, as long as it wraps it up or proves its point in a brief manner.

City Eclogue Response

While Ed Robertson's style of poetry is sometimes obfuscated and difficult to understand, it is clear that the common themes between them (whether or not they relate to each other directly) are the industrial side of a city and its following attributes.  This is understandable, as it is shown many times that Ed Robertson grew up in Pittsburgh and as a result, it makes sense that he would give some insight on the various aspects of an urban city and the results of industrial colonization.  The method of which Robertson chooses is difficult not because of the content, but rather the format, as at first glance, one becomes confused because of the large spaces between certain lines, use, misuse, or lack of punctuation, and the stanza formats.  This shows that rules are meant to be broken, and that poems can emphasize or disregard certain conventions to poetry entirely, while still creating something insightful and meaningful.  The method of metaphors and imagery are very effective in conveying various aspects of an urban city.

It is unclear to me whether or not there is a direct narrative between the poems, however there is a common theme: living in a city and the various aspects and hang-ups that come with this.  Though this is apparent, other themes are explored as well, be they segregation, urban colonization, or even returning to nature.  It explores segregation specifically in numerous ways, utilizing racial slurs and blatant racism to emphasize a point about this issue, such as in poem 9 of "Beauty's Standing".  It effectively conveys the "return to nature" aspect of many poems, alluding to aspects of nature by comparing them to industrial structures.

Ultimately, City Eclogue serves its purpose in describing a move to a big industrial city as an African American.  I particularly enjoyed the poem on page 112, titled "Psalm", as it really paints a picture of bloodshed at the time, and blaming God for these misdeeds.  The interpretation is relatively vague, yet I interpret this poem as killing as a result of social issues, particularly racism and segregation.  "... buildings jumped and lives fell over and shattered, the blood wine and glass all over the ground of any social fabric spread between people    certain dishes of issue   dropped abruptly and concluded" was a quote from this work that stood out to me, as it eloquently described the blood shed sparked by social injustice and prejudice.  Ed Robertson effectively conveyed various issues in a biting and powerful manner, while toppling various poetry and writing conventions in the process.

Shakespeare's 118 Sonnet

So, this sonnet (and pretty much all of Shakespeare's other sonnets) underlines an aspect of love.  For a while, I wasn't sure which one it was, but then I realized the parallels he drew to appetite and disease.  It seems that he is saying that his love has reached a period after marriage where his eyes tend to wander onto other women.  It seems that his love is not as strong as it once was, and as a result, he says he must spice up his love by seeing other women.  This poem effectively displays the conflict of lust versus love as Shakespeare maintains an apologetic tone throughout the work for his thoughts or actions.

He equates this problem to sickness, and how he must partake of preventative medicine in order for these actions to not take place in the future.  He states that he wanted to change his healthy lifestyle with his lover to one that is more sickly in that he wished to cheat on his lover.  He wanted to make his life more difficult by over complicating it with a lover's strife and to spice up his taste for women.  It is difficult to ascertain the motives behind his actions, however he seems to be apologetic in his actions and wishes to return to "health" in that he wishes to return to his faithfulness to his lover.

The initial ideal behind this poem proves to be problematic, as his love is no longer unwavering for his spouse, but he seems to solve this by saying that he won't be unfaithful in the future.  He states that he effectively "purges" himself of future desires and lustful actions.  Though the language itself was difficult, as it was not modern, through closer inspection this poem conveys its meaning through its imagery. Ultimately, this writing conveys his lust and past desire, but also his current remorse for his actions and his wish to purge these actions from ever happening in the future.

This sonnet contradicts Shakespeare's previous declarations about love in his previous sonnets, as in a previous sonnet in the packet, he claims that love is unwavering.  He is a hypocrite here because in this sonnet his love does indeed waver as he apologetically states his desire for others within a relationship.  Perhaps he is stating that at a certain point in a relationship, your eyes tend to wander towards other women, effectively ruining the healthy relationship that you already had.  Regardless of the sentiment given in this sonnet, Shakespeare remains a hypocrite when juxtaposing his previous works to this one.

Intro Post

My name's Trevor Leu.

I'm a freshman at EMU who is majoring in Psychology.

I once lived in South Lyon but now commute from Canton.

This is my blog for Creative Writing 201, where I will post stuff relating to that.

This one time, I did 15 chin-ups.