Jared's Lit Blog

[nitsirkeellehcim]

Thanksgiving happened last Thursday, mine went really well. There was turkey, ham, and lots of other sides. I ate a lot, and it made me think of how glad I am that I am not starving and don’t have to eat other human beings in order to survive. I have always been really disturbed by cannibalism....

[jaredturnerblog]

The fact those people are out ding what they were doing is horrible and that kind of stuff gets to me too. It is scary to think about. I do think we would be surprised what we would be capable of during a survival situation, though I hope I would never stoop that low and consume another person. Survival is a primal instinct and if memory serves me right it came out during a stranded soccer teams brush with starvation after they crashed in a plane while traveling. Its a scary thought but its a fact of life and is happening out there.

PS dont ever watch the series Hannibal, a little freaky to say the least.

[jaredturnerblog]

What about Prepping for Disaster?

After reading the road and thinking about natural disaster it has got me thinking a little more about preparing for things to go wrong. Did you know that most experts agree that in a disaster situation one person needs one gallon of water per day to survive? That does not include any self cleaning or cooking or if you are exerting a lot of energy accomplishing a task. So for a family of 4 to survive two weeks at a minimum you would need 56 gallons of water at a bare minimum. Add cooking, animals you may have and sanitary functions you need about 2.5 gallons per person per day. Thats 140 gallons to last 2 weeks. Think about food and shelter, to stay healthy and warm, rain gear to stay dry, good shoes because any soldier can tell you that is vital to survival, its a lot to prepare for. Please get a basic supply of food and water to last at least 3 days per FEMA because as much as you may not want to admit it  help is not always going to come. Here is a link for further information. 

http://www.ready.gov/basic-disaster-supplies-kit

[gramsey0507]

I learned a lot about contemporary and postmodern literature in this class. It has definitely opened my mind up to other styles of literature and writing. I loved the way many of the authors made the style of writing itself an art form and how they could tell you so much with so little. I thought...

[jaredturnerblog]

I too learned a lot of things about modern day writing styles. All was things I have seen in the past but did not know what it was i was looking at. Now i am able to put a name on it. By simply knowing the style of a peice of work we were able to have such a greater understanding of what was happening in a novel, short story or even a piece of artwork. It is one of those things that will  constantly be in my subconscious from here on out. 

[its-ashree]

I enjoyed this class a lot. It was a lot of fun. From reading short stories some of us didn’t seem to like or reading books with plot lines that seem to be good, okay, confusing or disliked in our own general opinion. Our class discussions we’re quite interesting; listening and understanding...

[jaredturnerblog]

I enjoyed the class thoroughly and like you most enjoyed the awesome class discussions we had in class. All the different people brought together from different backgrounds make for some interesting discussions. People read and interpret things differently based on where they are from, their interest and personal experiences. These different views allowed us to view other was people see things and perhaps how a section of story or perhaps a entire book was meant to be understood.

[jaredturnerblog]

Final thoughts on Cont. Lit.

This class was right about what i thought it would be. Books were all decent with the exception of "Visit from the good squad" but that's just my opinion. The discussion we had in class about the books were good, and assisted in understanding what i was reading better. All the classmates in there are awesome and we had some good points of view as we did group work together. I have to say this tumblr work is my least favorite. Life is moving and getting on here to post about things that are happening in class is totally forgotten about after the first few weeks. This is the one thing I would change about the course. Allow the students to opt out and do another paper instead if they choose. Thats what I would have done because of my dislike of social media sites. Overall the class was good and I thank you for allowing us to have it with you.

[jaredturnerblog]

The Road!

This was my kind of book! I don't know what it was about it but it caught my attention and kept it. This is perhaps my favorite novel oft he semester. Its a struggle and whats not to like about a story with a struggle? All the descriptive language made me feel as if i was right in the middle of the situation. I was traveling right beside the father and son all the way south. The story also made me thing a bit about what i would be doing in a situation like what they were in, I would like to think the plans and supplies at hand would be enough to stay alive but who knows. Their situation was really tough and they had been in it for years, and had done a good job getting that far. 

[jaredturnerblog]

The Goon Squad

A Visit From the Goon Squad. What do i say about this abomination of a book? Not a good read in my opinion and not any topics that interest me. It was a very confusing cluster of a book and names, places and events were routinely mixed up and crossed. A diagram online was the only thing that really helped me get a grasp on all the connections. From working in groups on this book it seems that I am not the only person who had trouble with this read. Sparknotes and plot diagrams have been everyone's friend with this one!

[jaredturnerblog]

Extremely Loud

This book was more interesting than i thought it was going to be. It was like looking at different paths to life through the people Oskar has visited. New York is a cultural melting pot and it shows in this book. All the individual stories the people he visited added so much to the book. The one thing I disliked about the book the ending, so much build up to discover the key had nothing to do with Oskar's father. The Movie stayed relatively parallel to the story line but there were some differences and ithink it took away from the story a bit. I imagine his fathers name on the new memorial at ground zero, as it is such a fantastic memorial in their memory.

[jaredturnerblog]

After being told one of our assigned readings for last week was a comic complete with word bubbles and sketches, i was expecting a superhero piece or maybe a comedy comic like something I would find in the "Sunday Comics." I have to say I was unpleasantly surprised at the comic. I found it un-entertaining and difficult to comprehend what was happening and why. Part of that is probably because its a book of excerpts and this was a small portion of a larger comic. Lastly I had to turn around and read the part again because when I finished, I stopped with a blank face thinking "what did I just read?" This piece might have meaning under the surface and some people might find it entertaining but I for one did not. Would love to hear y'all's thoughts on it.

[jeff-madison-blog]

After finishing “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien I can say that I really enjoyed the story and the way that O’Brien writes. His writing style makes it easy for the reader to feel connected and like they are right there walking along beside the soldiers, going through their daily struggles....

[jaredturnerblog]

I totally agree with what you have said, it was all easy to follow and honest, good stories. I had trouble at times deciding if it was fiction or non-fiction on the way i looked at the writing. I have to say, for me, it was hard following along at times, all the repetition of things that were happening or thoughts going through someones head, it was just a little much to stay engaged at times. It did, however, describe the scenes well and at one point specifically when O'Brian was wounded I felt like i was there right beside him. Story turned out great and entertained all the way till the end.

[jaredturnerblog]

The Things They Carried turned out to be a very interesting book. One that i would have liked reading on my own but one that I also would probably not have ran across either. Of all the stories told the chapter about Mary Ann still stands out the most for me. Some might disagree and say some others stand out because of some hidden meanings and symbolism but I have a hard time seeing those things in reading. That chapter was so literal and some symbolism was up in your face obvious. The stories Made me wonder "if it was true" which as we all no is a attribute to a good believable war story like we were told in the book. I believe Prof. Clark said that the author sometimes comes to GCSC and FSU-PC to speak and I think I will make it a point to go see him next time he visits. I only hope the next reading will be as pleasant and enjoyable as this last one.

[starespera]

“The Things They Carried” was raw, but beautifully written. I could almost taste the words, and the characters come out alive. I didn’t only make connections with the characters, but I also realized that each character carried different aspects of life.

Brief:

The first word I thought of after being introduced to Ted Lavender was the word “brief.” When Lavender was shot point blank after doing such a mundane activity, it reminded me of how life can be taken away from us so quickly. Just like “how the poor guy just dropped like so much concrete…like cement” (pg. 6) life is just as abrupt. It’s merely a mist.

Reality vs. Fantasy:

Martha was like a breath of morning air. She was the ghost that Jimmy carried. She was the poet, the sound you hear when you listen to a seashell.  She symbolized fantasy, for the fact that even though Jimmy knew in his heart that she will never love him, he still clung to her.

Mary Anne on the other hand was a dynamic character. She went from being the all-time innocent American girl to a killing machine. This portrayed realism; it’s hard and cold. No matter how much we try to feed life with fantasies, reality always creeps back in.

 Hope:

“The butterfly was making it way along the young man’s forehead……..The corpse lay almost entirely in shade. There were gnats at the mouth….The butterfly was gone” (pg. 120, 123)

Despite all the horrid things, we somehow see a glimpse of hope. The butterfly portrays this sense of comfort.

Just like how Kiowa was relieved to be alive, we come to realize that   no matter how much we try to beautify death, life is always beautiful. 

[jaredturnerblog]

Your photos caught my eye and lead me to read your breakdown on the story thus far. I tend to not look at the characters and tie them to some sort of theme or purpose and just take them for what they are. Your examples has opened the window for a new understanding of the character dynamic and some possible points the author is trying to convey. The photos seem like they could be accounts right out of the book. I am glad that you shared the symbolic gestures with your post, otherwise it would have gone mostly unnoticed by me.

[jaredturnerblog]

Talking in class today about the types of books people like to read and why got me thinking about the types of books I like. I'm not a avid reader and sure don't like to read science textbooks but I do have the occasional read. Looking back at the books I have voluntarily read I notice a obvious pattern, all autobiographies. The Kennedy Detail written by Gerald Blaine about his time as a Secret Service agent for JFK, The Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell about his Naval service and Last and certainly not least, American Sniper written by Chris Kyle, about what it meant to him to serve his country. It is this book that has had the largest effect on me of any others. The Story's he shares in his book shows what a humble person he was even after having what some call the most successful career in US Naval history. The effect was drove home even more when the news of his tragic death was announced only a short period after I finished the book. 

Seems the common factor in the books I am attracted to are true stories of selfless service to ones country. Learning about these great individuals through their own books only makes me want to grow as a individual. I suppose that is the reason I enjoy reading them.