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Research #3

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

In the book, Foer adds pieces of photography and when he demonstrates the silence leaves pages blank. Foer says he does this because he writes about “the miscommunication between characters and their inability to communicate deep emotions”. 

I thought the image above represents this novel with the Twin Towers and all of the writing within and around the towers. When I came across this image, I remembered looking at circled words back in the book on pages 208-216. I noticed that each circled word had a message that wanted to be shared. On page 216, the phrases “I’m so afraid of losing something I love that I refuse to love anything”, “impossible possible”, “And here I am, instead fo there”, and “how hard I try” each of these connected me right back to how Oskar deals with relationships. Oskar is afraid of losing his dad and he refuses to show love and affection to anyone else. His father meant everything to him and losing him was the death of him. “impossible possible”, this connects me to the Oskar exploring New York to find the missing lock to the key. The message being sent with this phrase is that nothing is impossible and if it seems that way, then make is possible. Do what you can in order to get the outcome you want. 

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Research #2

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Based on how Foer gets his ideas about what to write, I found out that he tends to find an importance to the places he’s lived or going to live. He states, “It was as inevitable that I would write about Washington as that I would move to New York. It felt good to me. I felt at home with it as a setting.” After reading this, I thought more about Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close since the setting was in New York. Having the main character, Oskar, a young nine year old boy, allows me to believe that Foer enjoys writing about his youth and his roots. When he writes about his youth, it allows him to explore different aspects and dive deeper into larger issues, like the 9/11 attack and the Dresden bombing. This book addresses the way people try to deal with their problems and try to make peace with non-negotiable tragedies to heal themselves.

I decided to review an interview about Jonathan Foer because I wanted to see how his writing style connects to his books and the meaning behind what he decides to write about. I came across a quote from his editor Eric Chinski that says, “Writing for him became a way to communicate other things, wrestling with emotional questions - and, in this book, political questions and family questions - not writing for writing’s sake.” The connection that I made from this in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was the emotions that the characters were experiencing during different parts of the novel, and the emotions that I was feeling during the reading. I found it very easy to attach onto the characters especially through their emotional times when losing a loved one.

Interview: Interview: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/jonathan-safran-foer-interview-the-meaning-of-the-book-is-not-something-that-is-mine-a7231901.html

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Research #1

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The book and movie “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” involves a young boy whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. I recently watched the movie and tried to find comparisons to the book. In the book, Oskar’s life revolves around the streets of New York City on a scavenger hunt. The part that gets confusing is when the book intertwines Oskar’s narrative with the story of his grandparent’s life on how they got through the Dresden bombing in World War II.

In the movie, a young boy Oskar (THomas Horn) loses his father (Tom Hanks) during the 9/11 terrorist attack. In the aftermath, Oskar finds a key that was left behind by his father, which he thinks is a resource that will give him answers to his father. He explores New York City, looking for answers, and finds help from an old man who doesn’t speak and lives with Oskar’s grandma.

Oskar’s objective in the book he tries to find meaning with the mysterious key he finds in his dad’s closet. And in the movie, Oskar’s aim is to find the lock that fits the key and to emotionally be able to accept his father’s death. Another difference I found between the book and the movie was the role of the main characters. The grandparents are the supporters in the book and in the movie the Renter (old man) and Oskar’s mother are his supporters. Another thing that I found interesting was the connection of the most meaningful scene. In the book, I thought that the best scene was when Oskar is standing on top of the Empire State Building thinking about how his father died. I think this scene is important because it captures Oskar’s psychological thoughts and shows his personality. While watching the movie, I noticed that the most dramatic scene was when Oskar told his mother that he wishes she should have died instead of his father, and she agreed. I think this moment is very touching considering the mother and son relationship and the loss that they both went through. With Oskar being so young I don’t think he realizes what he said to her and the meaning that came out of it. Being a mother and hearing this from your own child leaves you thinking… Did I raise them good enough?”

Overall, I really enjoyed bothe the movie and the book but I feel like the book is better. However, I liked watching the movie so you can visually see what is happening and the characters' expressions during different emotions. I wasn’t shocked about the differences because they were both very similar in ways so I was able to stay on track with the book while watching the movie. I enjoyed the minor changes that were made because it makes you look at it from a different perspective and then you can determine which character plays the role the best.

Movie Trailer:  PreviewPreview2:29Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) Trailer HD - Tom …

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Reading Post #6

“I don’t believe in God, but I believe that things are extremely complicated, and her looking over me was as complicated as anything ever could be. But it was also incredibly simple. In my only life, she was my mom, and I was her son.”

In this passage, my understanding of what the importance was about the key has switched in a different direction. I was thinking this whole time that Oskar was on this journey to look for the lock that matches the key, but it was really about making peace with his father and remembering the memories with him. Oskar learned to accept his father’s death which had a major impact on his life as a young boy. This whole journey led Oskar to become a more responsible young adult that now has knowledge of exploring the real world alone. He learned that his father influenced his life tremendously.

When coming across the meaning of the lock, I think it was meant to have Oskar face more difficult problems in life to become strong. His mom continued to remind Oskar of his father which put more pressure on Oskar. I think the search for the lock was not only to make peace with his father but to get away from his mother in a way to make peace or himself. This quote has Oskar realizing the goal his father wanted for him, which was to accept life in two ways; emotionally and scientifically. This message of this novel is about coming to an understanding that there is not an easy way out to anything in life. You have to work for what you want and believe in yourself and focus on what you want to accomplish instead of what’s holding you back. Personally, I found a connection to this message dealing with my family. My parents always tell me to never settle for anything less in life, always strive for things that make a positive outcome for yourself. Analyzing Oskar’s character and his relationship with his mom, I think he is the same way. After coming to realization, he felt more comfortable and found the love for his mother that was lost.

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Reading Post #5

This passage is about Grandma’s letter that she wrote to Oskar about wanting him to accept life more, and to change his attitude towards others. She wants him to find his love for others and for himself. In this passage, she explains how she was able to get over her depression stage in life. When she was with her husband she felt empty and she allowed herself to do things without following the rules and guidelines she set. Even though it was hard going through depression and feeling distant from others, she tried to let the pain go away and focus on the positive things that brought happiness. She wants Oskar to live for something special, not just live everyday the same. Allowing yourself to overcome depression lets you focus less on your internal self and more on the outer part of you. Here she tells Oskar that something good is going to come out of all of this. Deeper into the novel, Oskar learns more about himself and what he has to offer to the world.

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Reading Post #4

Foer makes it very clear that Oskar is having major issues dealing with his father’s death, and having a hard time coping with it. It’s been a year and he still can’t seem to live his life right. Oskar thinks about his father every day and is unable to sleep because of the continuous thoughts. Oskar’s mother suggests that he sees a psychiatrist, Dr, Fein, so Oskar can explain what he is feeling and his worries he has. During the sessions with Dr. Fein, Oskar feels that they are pointless because he thinks that it is normal to be depressed and feel sad after losing someone special in your life. Oskar then starts to argue about people being depressed after a loss should not have to get help.

I found this scene to be very informative because it reveals a lot about Oskar and his personality. This specific scene shows how much Oskar has opened up about his difficulties dealing with his father’s death. It also shows how his personality affects himself and others around him. His humor, sarcasm, and intelligence are expressed throughout this entire scene. Oskar’s character is a hard one to connect with and since this scene covers a lot about him, readers are able to actually see who he is as a person. This scene also leads readers up to learning about the trueness of Oskar and what he is capable of as a young boy. We are able to feel what he is going through and what he is thinking, and this is why I think this section of the novel is the most important.

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Reading Post #3

In this section, Oskar finds himself going through his father’s closet, admiring all of his dad’s old stuff. I think this is the reason why he can’t sleep at night because Oskar keeps reminding himself of his father more and more each day. Oskar starts to notice the things in his dad’s closet that he had never realized were in there before, such as the tuxedo on the chair, the blue vase on the shelf, his slippers, and his old white t-shirts. Oskar tries to get the vase down off of the shelf and breaks it, he then finds an envelope with the word “Black” written on it. When Oskar opens the envelope, he finds a key and he thinks that it is connected to his father in some way.

This scene is important because it sets the message and pathway for the rest of the book. Finding the key, Oskar becomes determined to find the lock that matches it and he tries all the locks in his house but none seem to fit. He then comes up with an idea in relation to the work “Black” written on the envelope. He goes out to find every person in New York City with the last name Black and asks them if they know his father. This scene leads up to Oskar’s long journey to find the meaning behind the key and figure out why it was left in his dad’s closet.

This scene also shows a lot about Oskar’s character. It shows his struggles to find the key, dealing with his father’s death and having to deal with his mother. Foer wants the readers to feel what Oskar is feeling during the time of his loss and how confused and lonely he is without having any other siblings to talk to. He is a very determined young boy who will do anything to figure out what the key is for. The rest of the book continues on the path of Oskar dealing with struggles, and his experiences in New York alone trying to discover out not only himself but trying to connect with his father

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Reading Post #2

The beginning of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close takes place in New York City where a young boy Oskar is trying to deal with depression and figure out his father’s death on September 11. In the first chapter there is a childish tone that is set based off of the main character, Oskar. There are times throughout the book when the tone switches to happy and more enthusiastic, and then towards the end when it changes to a more suspenseful tone.

In the passage above , I noticed that Oskar is acting like a little kid with all of the questions and thoughts that are rolling through his head. With Oskar being nine years old I think that he would have a more mature tone especially being an only child and having to do things independently. This childish tone stays till about the middle of the book when Oskar becomes more suspicious and his mind starts to think about real life.

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Reading Post #1

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by: Jonathan Foer

The novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer is based on a nine year old boy named Oskar, who lost his dad during the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Oskar is an only child who has so many unanswered questions about his father’s death that he is trying to figure out. Oskar is convinced that his father left a message for him in the city somewhere. During Oskar’s time spent at home, he finds a key in his father’s closet and tries to figure out the lock it fits with. Throughout the novel, there seems to be a separated relationship between Oskar and his mother once his father dies, so Oskar takes on the journey by himself that leads him to a better understanding of how the real world is and how to work around the struggles of being an independent young boy.

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Research Project #1: Book Choice

I decided to read the book called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. This book tells a story about a young boy who lost his father in the World Trade Center attack. I had a difficult time trying to find a book that was going to interest me enough to be spent a lot of time on. I had multiple books in mind that shared similar stories but were different in a way.

The process of finding a book was pretty easy but it was time consuming because I tend to be very picky when it comes to books. I looked up “AP level fiction books” and a huge list from a whole bunch of websites came up. I clicked on Goodreads because it’s the most common, and I scrolled through trying to find a title that interested me. Once I found a title, I researched the story line to see if it was good enough. I look at Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving and Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I think having an idea about what topic you want to read is very important when searching for a book, and it is much easier also. I wanted a book that was about 9/11 or similar to that because I have always been so curious and interested in that event. Once I found out that Jonathan Safran Foer wrote Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I searched his name up for other fiction books that are popular to read. I am very happy with the book I chose and I think doing further research will be interesting based on the topic.

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POETRY BLOG # 5

For my 5th Poetry Post I decided to post the poem #mania. Just from reading the first sentence I wanted to know who he was talking about. “We’re not on speaking terms”, who is the we? After that I noticed his use of literary techniques (personification and imagery), which is something I’ve noticed he does heavily in all of his other poems. Something else I noticed is his use of triple spaces in between words and I’ve noticed that’s consistent in a lot of his poems. That makes me wonder if there is an actual reason as to why he does that. This poem like his others seem to be structured in very unique ways, and I also wonder if there is a specific reason as to why he does that as well? I also find the title of this poem very interesting as mania is also known as the manic syndrome. Mania seems like a common theme in all of his poems, and with all of his poems sharing a similar theme that leads me to believe that throughout Sam Sax’s whole book, there is one single underlying theme.

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After reading your posts about Sam Sax, I noticed that you tend to find connections from his other poems and relate them to each other and I think that’s really smart. Finding the little things that he uses in each poem helps find an overall meaning, possibly on how his life is or what he went through growing up.

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Poetry Blog 2

The poem I chose for my second Poetry blog is Postdiagnosis by Sam Sax. This poem interested me with the way it was written. All of Sam Sax’s poem’s are written in a very unique way, and it make’s me wonder if they’re written in that way for a reason? A certain quote that stood out to me was near the end of the poem. It states “the drowning dogs painted for the gods to rage & riot & rot the vacant parking lot knives do what some cannot.” This instantly stood out to me because of the rhyming theme this whole chunk has. On top of the rhyming chunk it also sprinkled alliteration throughout. Something I have seen in his other poems are that weird double/triple space randomly in the poem. I still am unsure of why he does that, and the fact that this poem has it makes me think that there is a deeper meaning to that extra space.

I didn’t originally pick this up when first reading it, but a friend was reading it with me, and she noticed that you can read the poem in two different ways. It seems as if it doesn’t matter what way you read the poem (down the column, or across the page) because either way still seems to make sense. There was a section in the poem that references some sort of religion and faith, which makes sense to me considering Sam Sax is Jewish. One part that also confuses me is the “reason” and “unreasoning” part of the poem. The “reason” section doesn’t seem to have any rhyming to it whatsoever, but the “unreasoning” part does.

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I find it interesting also they way the poem is written. I wonder why he decided to do it this way? It’s almost as if he’s just labeling/listing things and trying to make the audience figure out the meaning behind it and the tone he’s trying to set. I noticed that the left side is more “happy” and the right side has more negative things to say. Interesting poem!!

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Poetry Blog #6

Witness” by Sarah Kay

This particular poem really spoke to me with the meaning of self insecurity and the background of other people's lives. Sarah Kay sets the scene in a bathroom stall with walls covered in graffiti. People tend to do graffiti when they want to express themselves through art because you can add color which sets the mood and draw figures to help others understand what’s going on in your head. She sits in the bathroom stall where thousands of people have been and her mind is scattered in so many other people's lives. I find it extremely depressing that drawing graffiti is the only way for some people to ask for help because they are too scared to talk to someone. The line “I am here to witness your toilet paper autobiography” is a very interesting way to pretty much say “the story of my life.” Sarah creates so much imagery within this piece because I remember watching some movies where people cry in the stalls and write all the doors because they are mad at someone. I am a little confused with the line “That couple from minnesota in Times Square at Christmas, The bottom left-hand corner.” I wonder if she wishes to be like them because she sees her life as blurry and unclear compared to others.

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Poetry Blog #5

“The Type” by Sarah Kay

This poem really taking control of personal appearance and identity. Sarah Kay begins by connecting the meaning to today’s society when she talks about how to be a woman. She starts the poem by discussing how women can grow up to be looked at, touched, held, and loved. THe rhythm of her poem keeps the audience on the edge waiting. Her words are found to be more insightful rather than predictable. She continuously has this conversation about how men view women and how women are changing how they look just to please the eyes of someone else. I agree that women are doing this because I tend to see it on a daily basis, but I disagree with the women who think its a good idea. No one she feel the need to change their identity to get loved by a guy. Women should be viewed as the real human they are instead of molding themselves into what men want. In the 2nd stanza Sarah uses the words “hands”, “windows”, and “mirrors” to provide a more general idea of how women see themselves. She uses “hands” to represent building/molding into a new person, “windows” to show an unclear passage to what people think she really is, and “mirrors” to actually show a reflection of what she’s not instead of looking at who she is. Towards the end of the poem, I noticed that Sarah uses transitions from what others do to how we act. She uses the ocean and puddles as a metaphor.

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Poetry Blog # 4

For my 4th poetry blog I decided to chose the poem “Theia Mania”. The title immediately interested me since I wasn’t sure what that meant. When I looked it up I found out it meant loss of self and sanity, which I immediately connected to every other poem he’s written. It seems throughout this book, Sam Sax’s main theme is the loss of himself and his sanity. And that theme escalades and increases as the book goes on, so it makes sense how this poem is titled, where it is placed in the book, and how it is written!

At first glance the word Plato caught my eye since we talked so much about Plato in AP Lang. I’m not exactly sure what the reasoning is for including Plato in this poem, but I saw that connection and was interested by it. Knowing that Sam Sax is a man of religion, when I saw another sentence in there that included religion, I immediately thought that would be an important sentence. The sentence that interests me the most is “love at first sight is only possible if the government hasn’t first taken your eyes”. When looking at that sentence I thought I could relate that to the title of the poem. Since the title of the poem is about losing yourself and your sanity, the government “taking your eyes” is almost the same thing as losing yourself. (236)

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I like how you found a connection with Plato and the knowledge you had before reading this poem. This poem seems hard to connect to personally but is very interesting with the word choice. The sentence that you liked, “love at first sight is only possible if the government hasn’t first taken your eyes”, I agree with you that it could possibly connect back to the title. I wonder what language the title is in?

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Poetry Blog #4

“Postcards” by Sarah Kay sets the tone for people who are dealing with long distance relationships. I thought this was a good poem to reflect on since we are going off to college and leaving our loved ones, family and friends. It covers the majority of the feelings that you would go through during a hard time of leaving someone that meant a lot to you and it also shows the reactions of the one leaving.

In the first section, Sarah mentions a postage stamp which is used when you are sending someone a letter from far away. She also talks about how easy it is to fall in love with someone whether its long distance or short. I connect to this section because I’ve met so many new friends this year from different schools and knowing that I am going away to college is going to be so difficult.

In the fifth section, it Sarah explains the idea of no matter how much you talk to someone that is far away, it will never be the same as talking to them in person. It is a lot different to write letters and try to express your feelings rather than talking and feeling the emotion with their words. Also, many people who come home to visit family or friends find it hard to engage in conversations because they’ve missed so much. This is what I am worried about when I go away. I am afraid of coming home and no one acknowledges me or doesn’t know what to talk about.

Finally, the eighth section is the last one that connected to me because it sets the idea about knowing how and when a relationship with fail. Personally knowing when you are going to lose someone is the hardest thing, especially when the other person doesn’t care or notice. Sarah’s message in the section really stands out to me, mistakes get the worst of us but we just have to look past and leave them behind.

Overall, Sarah releases a very strong message about long distance relationships. It is very easy to connect with her words, especially in this poem because so many young people are dealing with this problem right now.

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Cheat Poet

I’ve been talking to Lauren and reading some of her poet’s poems, and I’m intrigued by Sarah Kay. As I’ve stated before I originally looked at Sarah Kay and I really liked her poems a lot. I chose to cheat with Lauren’s poet because I loved how she writes about very personal topics, and those topics it seems as if anyone could relate to them.

This is a poem that Lauren annotated. From reading this poem it makes me think this poem is told in the mother’s perspective. I really like the whole basis of this poem, as I like all her other poems as well. I agree with what you put in the first stanza with it being a guide. But I also slightly disagree as it’s most likely not an exact guide. I believe the mother is just stating that she wants her kid to be able to come to her with anything and that no matter what she’ll always support and care for them. I also really love that this poem is about the mom talking about life lessons she is going to tell her kids. Overall I just really like the whole message being given in this poem!!

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Now that you say that this poem could be written in the mother’s perspective makes more sense now. Reading it a second time after reading your comments, I am able to connect both of our thoughts to create a more meaningful idea about what the poem is about. The message of this poem is very strong and I think more people need to think about about what their parents have done for them over the years and why they are where they are today.