The Ramblings

[tha-l-word]

I would have definitely chosen the route the mother took. I mean, at first I would like go and explore what I can. However, I would rather live than survive. I already have those thoughts (I think most people do) but could you imagine how much stronger those thoughts would grow if in this...

[snookems1007]

I would have chosen the same route because why live through such a dark lifeless world where there is little hope of survival, where you are just prolonging the inevitable. Although suicide is not the answer in this case it is. Although she thinks that all three of them should commit suicide because the world is so dark and hopeless, she is not going to force it. Also, if she continues to live that is just one more mouth to feed, and she is in a way taking up some of the vital resources from her husband and child. Why do that if you have no will to survive anyhow. 

[tha-l-word]

Chapter 7: X’s & O’s was a very interesting chapter. After seeing how Bennie has changed since the Flaming Dildos band split up said a lot about Bennie. Same goes for Scotty. This difference I think is an extremely important aspect in the book as a whole. Although, Scotty feel’s that they are very...

[snookems1007]

This chapter was interesting how only a few life choices can make such an impact on people. Also, how morals can make a difference on one's life, this is very closely related to real life because in this society you almost have to "lie your way to the top". It's like the saying "the nice guy always finishes last". Although it may not be as much of a difference, the general idea is the same.

[tha-l-word]

Okay, so I don’t know about you (but I’m feelin 22) but I thought it was a little odd that Bennie let his child have some of the Gold Flakes or “medicine.” I understand that he can’t explain the reason why the child shouldn’t take the ‘medicine.’ It’s still odd though. However, I think this plays...

[snookems1007]

I agree with this.It is odd that he gives his child medicine that he himself uses for his libido, in a way is he trying to prevent his child from having the same issues as he does or is he just needing to have a connection with his child so badly that he gives him what ever he wants, even if that means tainting his innocence. In Bennies son wanting to have the gold flakes also an I want to do what ever my father does thing, or a general curiosity thing. This book can go so many different ways with the meaning.  

[snookems1007]

Section 5 The Road Pages 108~135~ April 25th

In this section the boy is worried talking about cannibalism and is hoping that they would never have to resort to that. This is where "carrying the fire" is introduced. Carrying the fire is the will to survive but the will to survive in a somewhat moral way, like not being cannibals. This is also the section where they find the bunker filled with food. Which is a sign of great hope which is a nice sign after the carrying the fire scene. This is a sign that they might survive an thrive. They find a new working shopping cart after cleaning up and they fill it with food, the future for them looks much more bright. 

[snookems1007]

Section 4 The Road Pages 83~107~April 18th

The boy and father find their cart, but when they do they can not take it through the snow. This is symbolic because it is like no matter how hard they try in this post-apocalyptic world, they are always going to be one step behind, this is also where hope is lost. The snow makes it very difficult to travel and makes them move slowly, the snow is symbolic of the obstacles they face and how they may be just slowly creeping to their eminent death. Although the son really questions whether they should/will live they preserve and make it through in the end, which restores some of the hope and kind of symbolizes life's everyday obstacles and how impossible they may seem to get over, but how with hard work any of life's obstacles can be conquered. 

[snookems1007]

Section Three Pages 60~82 The Road~ April 11th

In this section the father kills a man to save his son. The father and son find the campsite of those that had stolen all of their belongings and find that they are cannibals, and that hardly any of their belongings remain. Afterwards the father feels bad for what he had to do but explains to his son why. This is a pivotal point because the son sees that you have to do what you have to do to survive against bad people. Also, it is symbolic when the guy asks the father if he is a doctor and the father responds tht he isn't anything. He went from saving people to killing people (bad people tying to harm them) for survival. 

[snookems1007]

Section 2 The Road Pages 25~59 The Road~April 4th

The story describes what happens in the post-apocalyptic time, but it does not explain why, while some people find this to be unimportant I want to know all of the why's and how's. The father makes the son hot cocoa but only makes hot water for himself, and the son doesn't like that because his father had promised his son that he would not do things like that and the son says that if he can't keep little promises how is he going to keep big more meaningful promises. The son is forced to be more mature for his age because of the world that he is forced to live in. This in a way is foreshadowing that the father is going to make a big promise that he may or may not be able to keep. The hot cocoa could symbolize that he wants his son to have better than him, that his sons survival is more important to his own survival, but he is going to take care of his son as well as he can while teaching his son life lessons for as long as he can.

[snookems1007]

Section One Pages 1~24 The Road~ March 28th

The Road starts out incredibly dark and is full of hopelessness. For example, when the father looks through the binoculars for signs of life but finds none. It is  cold and baron place.  Also, the mainly travel at dawn because they are too visible at the day time from the road with all of the stuff that they have i.e. their shopping cart. This in a way shows darkness, but also symbolizes the mentality of the people being that in a way it is saying that they can trust no one because the environment has made them savages. When the son asks his father if they were going to die the father says that they would but not right then, which shows that the father actually has some hope. 

[snookems1007]

Good-Bye My Love, A Visit from the Goon Squad~March 14th

In this chapter Ted Hollander is traveling to Naples to look for his niece but he spends more time looking at art then looking for Sasha. He seems to shut everyone out of his life to focus on what is important to him. When he finally does find her and meet up with her, he sees her suicide scars and it seems to bring him back to reality and the darkness of society and he seems to break free from his illusion and reintegrates himself with reality and his family. Why does Sasha steal Ted's wallet it is not for the money maybe she feels the need to steal from a man that she feels has stolen from her on an intimate level; maybe he is just a kleptomaniac and it bears no great significance.  

[snookems1007]

X's and O's, A Visit from the Goon Squad~March 7th

When Scotty gives Bennie the fish it is very symbolic. While Bennie is a successful business man, Scotty is basically homeless and he is giving Scotty his basically his best. He is giving him his pride and in a way expressing that Bennie really is not much better than him and that if bennie had followed a different path they could have ended up in the same career path or in the same amount of turmoil. If they had made the same moral decisions they could have had the same future. They were in the same band together and while Scotty is the washed up musician type while Bennie is a successful business man.

[snookems1007]

Power Point Chapter A Visit from the Goon Squad Feb 28th

The power point in A Visit from the Goon Squad is mainly the ramblings of a preteen but it has so much symbolism. For example the sea saw type slide showed the imbalance of things in her life and how some thoughts and actions weighed more that others, which is why the sea saw in unbalanced. Also, the pyramid slide with the upside down triangle, the quote in the middle seems to be tying everything else in that slide together, about Lincoln. The Slide “Now Just the Pauses” symbolizes how much she dislikes her brothers music and how she would rather him be quiet and not play, the empty box in that slide symbolizes silence. In the slide “Mom's Reasons for Not talking About That Time” there is an almost funnel like thing with balls slightly too big to pass through. This could symbolize all of the problems that are being pent up f not being spoken of, and they are just piling up unable to escapes, full to the top. The slide “Mom's Art” is messy and could symbolize how her mom thinks and what she thinks is art is just one big mess to everyone else, that there is no order.  

[letssparkleslove]

I have to say this book was very confusing, by the way it jumps around so much. I was impressed with chapter 12 power points. It was really interesting how the girl told her story about the family by using the power point presentation. Now chapter 13 i did not like at all. It had no ending or...

[snookems1007]

I completely agree with you. The only thing that I absolutely completely understood was the power point. It was very interesting, yet simple and I could actually find countless forms of symbolism. For me, just finding symbolism in plain text is dull and difficult but finding symbolism in pictures or a power point in this case is simple. Chapter 13 was really odd, it felt like they were all just high rambling on, with no completely clear point, or end. I also found chapter 13 to be somewhat dull. 

[nichole-haire]

I will just start and say that this is the only book that I was 100% interested in reading in this course. I cracked it open and as I knew already, the vocabulary used in the book is somewhat challenging, which means I sat with my dictionary app opened on my phone. I love a book that us

There is also a lot of man Vs. self with all of the suicides or talk of suicides. The rest sound interesting and I have not thought in those terms. This book is slow to start, but after about 30 minutesof reading it leaves the reader wanting to know what's next. I agree with the statement about the hard vocabulary and I did the exact same thing. Although, somewhat annoying having to look up a word every few pages or so, I found it quite nice to learn new words and find that I do hear some of them in every day life, in conversations, on TV, ect.., I just choose to subconsciously ignore them.

[snookems1007]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Feb 21st

I can most definitely see how this book is Postmodern. It has a different was of writing, a different kind of point of view. Although this book is kind of jumpy, I understand it for the most part. I find it full of very odd symbolism, like comparing a band to a bug. It is very rare for a book to be written for the most part, in the view of an autistic person, it is odd for sure yet interesting. Thus far it has had funny moments as well as sad moments. He comes up with little projects to distract himself from the pain he feels in his life, in my opinion. Like when he found out his father had died in the 911 attack. 

[mikmc12-deactivated20150303]

Shiloh

Well in class we were instructed to write about Shiloh. Which was definitely a great example of post modernism. This whole story was showing gender roles reversed. Just as Ms.Clark briefly touched on in class I do think that this story was to question gender roles. Many people in class…

[sheacox]

I also think his injury should be considered. The fact as to why he is not working should get him some sympathy and I don’t think Norma Jean really cares. She wants things to be the way they were previously. Leroy wants to build her a house but how is that even possible with his injured leg. She should want to care for her husband that has worked for her all those years but now is not able to because of an accident. She is emotionally detached from him probably because he was always gone on the road. Reblog #21514

[snookems1007]

I agree to a point. I understand that he had an injury and was unable to do that he was used to but that doesn't mean that he should just lay on the couch and smoke pot. He should still be making an effort for the family instead of leaving it all to his wife. When he was on the road she took care of all of the household things, why doesn't he? There is a certain point where I could see people feeling bad for him, but at the same time, he needs to stop wallowing in self pity and do something with his life and wife. 

[snookems1007]

Shiloh Feb 14th

I found Shiloh to be extremely interesting. I liked it although it really didn't have a happy ending, It reminded me of a lot of military families because a lot of them have a missing husband or wife for long periods of time, and they just don't know how to adjust to "normal" life. Although this to me is somewhat a gender role switch, I can see how it can be seen lately. I mean, he isn't making the money nor taking care of the children or household duties he is just wallowing in self pity and getting high, while his is going out to work for the first time because he can no longer support them. There relationship at the beginning is like a modern day long distance relationship, they talk sure, but when they see each other there isn't much conversation going on, if you know what I mean, and then they part ways to see each other again in a few months. they just don't know how to function as a couple when they are actually together because most of their relationship they were apart. 

[sarahreno]

I thought this story to be a little suspenseful and a bit odd. As of late, however, all the stories we have been reading are odd. I find myself rereading them a couple of times and even then I’m not sure I grasp it. These stories are kind of like reading poetry. You can read the words but the...

[snookems1007]

I agree with you completely. In Cold Blood was the only one that I kind of understood with out it being discussed in class. Post Modern literature is most definitely a style in its own. I agree with you about it being like poetry. There are so many ways it can be taken and so many examples of symbolism. Like the gloves symbolized something, I never would have guessed if we did not discuss it in class. I enjoy the reading once I understand them; which is when we discuss them in class otherwise I am pretty much lost.