Jason's Blogisphere

It's for my Contemporary literature class, For now?

[soniapham21-blog-deactivated201]

Pure Language

In this chapter, I felt like everything had come full circle in a sense. All the details finally came together in their own way. All the little details finally made sense. The intricacies of the story finally blended together.

However, there was just a small part of the chapter...

[jmbeezley-blog]

I also enjoyed how the author brought all the characters full circle.  The author even finished the book with Alex who I would have thought was a secondary sort of character.  The part about Lulu I think I interpeted a little different:  I figured instead of the tattos, piercings and such still being cool it was the clean ones who were the "cool ones" in the future, I think.  I'm not sure when this book was written so I'm not so sure that the author predicted that texting was going to be as widely used as it is today.

[jmbeezley-blog]

4-5-13

Blog  4/5/13

            This was a very interesting read especially these last couple of chapters.  I thought it was sort of ironic that Sasha married Drew.  In the beginning when Sasha went out with Alex I wasn’t sure that we would hear anything more from them.  The author did such a good job the way she used the elements of fiction to develop each chapter, as if each chapter was its own story instead of being part of the novel.  I thought the author also did a very good job of finally filling us in on the rest of the story for each character.  To me the “A” part of the book sort of introduces each character and the “B” part seems to tell us the rest of the story.  This book was pretty good just a lot of folks to keep up with.

[jmbeezley-blog]

Generation X ?????

3/31/12

            So here we go with Egan’s “A Visit from the Goon Squad”. This book is somewhat of a dejavue of a few people I grew up with. The Goon Squad could be any group from any high school in the US in the 1980’s.  This is the story of Generation X, which happen to include people born in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  Most Gen X’s can remember Atari, Starsky and Hutch, and most have at least experimented with drugs.  Egan’s PO-MO style is almost overwhelming as most of the PO-MO books we have read so far are.  The Goon Squad is a bit confusing trying to figure out whose point of view the story is being told, because it changes every chapter.    

[taylorrhastings-deactivated2013]

While reading Chapter Ten from A Visit From The Goon Squad, I felt sympathy for Rob. We learn while reading this chapter that Rob had once tried to kill himself. We also learn that he cares a lot for Sasha and was hurt by her dating Drew. I felt bad for him because some of the characters in the...

[jmbeezley-blog]

I totally agree with you, Rob is in sad shape, it Probally has something to do with his childhood.  I have known people like this and most of the time life is miserablefor them and that's why they do so many drugs and try different ways to feel anything but misery.  These are people who need lots of love and attention usually more than is humanly possible, therefore, they can never be completely satified.  These poor unsatisfied people, like Rob, feel life is to miserable to continue and just long for the rest that only death brings.

[howsthisforahobby-blog]

Realizing that I only read a portion of Douglas Coupland’s work, I will say it was an amusing and playful story about urban life. I think it’s more revealing of how the author sees the world than anything. He is describing many typical urban attitudes.

The people and the setting of...

[jmbeezley-blog]

Wow that was really good! I can't seem to get any of that, but good job.  I didnt really like this piece but I think the urban attitude thing is definitely defendable.

[jmbeezley-blog]

3/20/2013

Blog 9  3/20/13

These latest readings from the PAF are not good in my opinion.  Kathy Acker’s “From Great Expectation” was like a bad trip and I found it to be a difficult read. I have never read “Great Expectations” but if it is anything like this I can’t believe it would be considered a classic.  Then there is “Generation X” by Douglas Coupland which I found to be almost enjoyable after Kathy Acker's childhood.  “Gen X” was a much easier read but not necessarily good.  Coupland’s story is well written and I’m sure he’s very postmodern but this story is stupid, the whole idea seems like a child’s story gone awry.  I hope the goon squad book isn’t like these. 

[kellylasko-blog]

One says halfway done, but I say we are all almost there. The end is in our eye’s view. Here we are mid-terms are over and spring break is here. Let me just say to all of you who will go out and join all of the spring breakers, please be careful and stay safe. I heard on the news that we have...

[jmbeezley-blog]

That is good advice for the ones really Spring Breakin it BE CAREFUL!  I to have enjoyed most of the readings and discussions, in class.  I wish I would have had time to study more too.  I worked on my essay earily but didnt finish earily. Hope everyone does well on the Mid term.

[jmbeezley-blog]

No Book Blog

Blog 9

We just finished the midterm exam and are headed into the final stretch of this semester.  I think I did pretty well on the exam but am anxious to get my grade on the exam as well as the essay.  I have enjoyed this class so far; however I wish they had an online version.  Attending this class every time it meets has been quite a challenge for me; because I have to work fulltime, so make sure to get your schooling completed before you have kids and a mortgage.  I have enjoyed the reading for the most part even with some of the most postmodern stuff; I prefer sci fi but really haven’t read a book other than the Bible and text book in many many years.  I think the last book I read for enjoyment was a Robert Heinlein book 20 plus years ago.

[taylorrhastings-deactivated2013]

Throughout reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I have been curious to figure out whom the mysterious renter is that is living in Grandma’s apartment. At first I thought, he might not be real. Could it have been something that Grandma made up to keep her company? But another guess was...

[jmbeezley-blog]

I was very curious about the renter as well.  I wasn’t sure if grandma just made him up or if maybe she had a boyfriend that she wanted to keep secret.  I never would have guessed it was the grandfather. I really didn’t think we’d ever see him again, and I never would have thought grandma would of even let him come back.  Grandma and grandfather could have a novel written just about their disfunctionality.  I was sort of glad Oskar would hav him around now that his dad was gone, but I feel alot like grandma it was HER grandson from HER son.  The grandfather lost all his rights to be a part of the family when he left.  

[jmbeezley-blog]

Poor Oskar Post 6

 Poor Oskar, Poor Oskar still hasn't gotten any closure, no relief for his inventing.  I can relate to Oskar in this manner, the ideas,  the inventions, a better way to this or that, the continuous flow of our minds that won't give way to sleep, work or pleasure.  We try to cope by incorporating our ideas in our work and act like it gives us some pleasure, but with no relief.  As we lay in bed hoping for dreams rather than the endless flow of the mind, the never restful, always active ebb n flow keeps us from sleep once again. Oh what we would give to just lay down and go to sleep, restful, peaceful sleep.  Make it stop, just relief long enough for a nap. Poor Oskar still hasn't gotten any relief for his invention of how his Dad died.

[jmbeezley-blog]

"What The" post 5

So this book “Extreme Loud and Incredibly close “By Foer is quite interesting.  I haven’t seen the movie but so far the book is very intriguing.  The order the book lends itself to postmodern literature in my opinion.  This story is sad in the sense that Oskar loses his dad in 9/11 attacks.  On the bright side it was very touching to me the way Foer describes Oskar and his dad’s relationship, the way his dad would lay with him until he fell asleep and the things they talked about as he went to sleep.  It reminded me how my son used to do when he was younger, and he always kept talking so he wouldn’t have to go to sleep.  Now that he is older and not as interested in talking to me as much, I wish I had let him talk more rather than making him go to sleep.  So far this book has really made me explore how unbelievably overwhelmed I would be if I lost my son, I can’t even imagine, so if Oskar acts a little weird I think it’s understandable.  I am very distressed about the bruising.

Post 5

[kurtbarger-deactivated20130701]

Post #4

Im not sure how well this pertains to our readings but I figured I could tie it into the novel “The Things They Carried.” I believe that this novel was a short story describing certain people’s lifes and the hard times they went through and what they had to do to overcome their hard times. I had to give a speech today for GCSC because I had won a scholarship and this is a short segment of my life and some things I had to over come. Hope everybody can see how I tied my speech in with the story. Here is my speech: Hi everyone my name is Kurt Barger and I would like to start off by thanking the Gulfcoast State College Foundation Benefactors for making this scholarship possible. The scholarship will be of great use as I will be attending the University of Florida to pursue a medical degree in orthopedic surgery. I wasn’t always such a dedicated and goal oriented individual so I would like to share a brief story with you on how I became such a dedicated individual. My freshmen year I was attending Mosley Highschool and I decided that I wanted to try out for the Mosley Highschool basketball team. As days of practice went by I was pretty sure that I would make the team, come to find out I didn’t. I was really hurt by this so on the ride home I asked my dad what I should do to get better and he said I should call the coach and ask him why I didn’t make the team. I called the coach that night and he told me the reason I didn’t make the team was because my fundamentals were not well established. He could see how downed I was by the situation so he offered me a manager position. I told him I would have to think about it because I wasn’t sure if that’s how I wanted to be involved with the team. The next morning I decided I would take the position as manager. For the first couple of days I was made fun of with belittling remarks such as water boy and so on. To get better I would buy videos and film myself to make sure I was doing everything to perfection. As time went by coach saw my continued success and gave me a jersey so that I would be able to play in the games. My hard work didn’t stop there however. The next 3 years I was offensive player of the year, MVP my senior year, and had numerous college basketball offers. In addition to that, I had the highest GPA on the basketball team all 4 years, I was a national merit semifinalist, and graduated Mosley Highschool with a 4.5 GPA. At the end of my senior year I also interned with a local doctor, doctor Steven Malik at southern orthopedics. I would even go into surgery with him and that is when I decided I wanted to be a orthopedic surgeon. When It was all said and done I decided to choose Gulfcoast State College for its academics and basketball program. The take home message that I would like everybody to get from this is, it doenst matter how many times you’ve been knocked down, it only matters how many times you stand back up and I believe that everybody in this room and everybody in the world has the ability to achieve their dreams as long as they are a dedicated and focused individual. Thank you

[jmbeezley-blog]

Kurt, I don't know how that fits with the readings but a very good story.  It's a good thing to see a young man like you with big goals and I'll pray you can stick with it and become that surgeon.  The most impressive part of the story was how you humbled yourself and took the manager job even though you knew you would get made fun of.  I also am glad to hear you go to your dad for good advice I know I have told my son the same thing a couple of time and it was hard for him as well.  I'm sure your parents and coach's are proud.  Reblog 4

[onceuponanovel-blog]

Friday, February, 15, 2013

Hello Oskar!

How are you doing? Are you having a good life? Have you invented anything fun and cool lately? Something to change the way the world runs maybe? Have you gone on any adventures, losing yourself and finding yourself again better than ever in the processes? My life is going alright. I’ve been going to college and in one short year will be going off to college away from home. I’ve got two amazing cats though to keep me company. How’s Buckminster doing? Your Mom? Your Grandma?

You know it’ll be 12 years this year. You know since 9-11… It does not seem like it has been that long to be honest. I won’t even try to imagine how you must feel now or ever. I’ve never lost some one so close to me before and I won’t imagine it. They say that the things that were happening during a tragic event are the things that people remember the most.

 I still remember where I was when the planes flew in to the trade centers. I was in fourth grade at Shady Grove Elementary in Keller, Texas. I was definitely too young to really understand the situation. I just knew something bad happened. The teachers were all aghast and we got little fliers to give to our parents that said something about the incident. I however cannot recall if we got sent home early that day.

 How are you feeling about it now? Are you still coping? I hope everything went alright with that key you told me about previously. I hope it helped give you some closure.

 It’s funny how different people cope with difficult situations. You know? How you invent things and the self-harm or how your mother tries to move on with her life. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but, when something bad happens to me depending on the severity of the issue I just smile and laugh. It’s really out of nervousness. I never really laugh at a bad situation but somehow it just makes it feel better. Like a ‘well we have got to make this situation brighter somehow’ kind of feeling. That’s no to say I don’t throw tantrums or cry either. I wonder if anyone else has a quirky coping method.

Well I think I’ve run this letter a little long. I’m sure you’re bored of it by now so I’ll cut it off here. Thank you for sharing. Hope life goes great from now on for you~!

Sincerely, Your Friend,

Destiny

P.S.

I have enclosed photos of my two cats Prudence and Jaguar and also. My awful crooked smile burn it if you will. J

———————

[so I wanted to try something different. I thought writing a letter to the characters for this book would be fitting.  I hope it works. ]

[jmbeezley-blog]

Wow! I thought this was very cool.  You did a good job asking the right questions.  Your choice of questions was most interesting, it was almost like a mix of what his dad, grandma and grandpa would ask.  I really thought this was the most interesting form of a post so far, wish i would have thought of it.  

[jmbeezley-blog]

Blog 4

Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason a folky sort of story which develops rather naturally, to me.  I'm not really sure how this selection is peculiar in any way, it was a easy read. I was initially caught off guard when Norma Jean said she wanted to leave, I thought she was having a hard time like people tend to do from time to time. But after reading Shiloh through an looking back I should have seen it coming.  Of all the selections we read this time I thought  Shiloh was the most enjoyable and the easiest read of them all. 

[jmbeezley-blog]

This is another trailer from 1986 about the Vietnam War.  It has been along time since Ive seen this movie, and I have seen it a couple of times.  I couldn't help but think how similar these character's were to some of Tim O'Brien's.  I would bet everyone that was in Nam has seen or been apart of a scene where they were trying to help a buddy and couldn't save them and they died. The soldiers also experienced the loss of their innocence, similar to the story with Mary Anne. A lot of O'Brien's stories in this book seemed to relate back to the loss of innocence. The stories with Linda sort of caught me off guard, however that just proves my theory that all these stories are therapy. When the guys told their stories to O'Brien ,or whoever,  as well as when O'Brien tells his stories, their stories, all the stories are their therapy, the way they cope is by telling their stories.  The stories somehow slowly release the pain and hopefully the memories,  the more they tell the stories, whether exactly true or not, the more they can deal with what's left.  I truly enjoyed this book and wish more Vietnam Vets could have found a therapy like telling stories.

[cassie-nagel]

In the chapter, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, Rat Kiley tells a story about a girl names Mary Ann who comes to camp with her boyfriend, Fossie earlier in the war. This was by far my favorite chapter in the entire book. O’Brien writes this chapter as he hears Rat describing it. Rat swears the...

[jmbeezley-blog]

This was my favorite chapter as well.  Just imagine for a moment somebody shipping their girlfriend to Veit Nam, holy smokes.  You are exactly right about losing her innocence, just like the boys who also lost there innocence.  I did find it most interesting how she went sooo far off the deep end.  Everyone thought the "Greenies" were on the edge and this young girl comes along and blows everyone's mind.  O'Brien describes how she quit even carrying her weapon, just a knife and her bare feet, and then the necklace of tongues.    

[jmbeezley-blog]

One more trailer from Full Metal jacket.