"'WHY STUDY HISTORY OR LITERATURE-NOT TO MENTION RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE AND SCRIPTURE AND ETHICS? WHY NOT DO ANYTHING-IF THE ONLY REASON NOT TO IS NOT TO GET CAUGHT?' he asked. 'DO YOU CALL THAT MORALITY? DO YOU CALL THAT RESPONSIBLE? THE PRESIDENT IS ELECTED TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION; TO PUT THAT MORE BROADLY, HE'S CHOSEN TO UPHOLD THE LAW- HE'S NOT GIVE A LICENSE TO OPERATE ABOVE THE LAW, HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR EXAMPLE!" (376-377)
Owen is obviously quite upset when he found out that John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe may have had an affair. He thinks that it is wrong and voices his opinion as to why. Owen uses the words morality and responsibility that a president is supposed to have. His choice of words show how he just does not agree with what is happening. It is not moral for a president to abuse his power to have sexual relations with a woman that is not his wife, and Owen specifically attempts to point that out. There is supposed to be a certain moral standard that a president is supposed to uphold, yet here JFK ignores that standard completely.
Owen also points out how a president is supposed to not only uphold the law, but be held accountable to the same standards that average, everyday citizens are supposed to be held to. He is not supposed to be above the law, and have no standards at all. In fact, Owen specifically points out how the president is supposed to be the example, the person that people look up to. JFK was supposed to be a role model, especially someone Owen remodeled, yet this one incident disappoints Owen. It is clear that JFK is no longer a role model for Owen.
Owen also begins to question why bother doing anything at all. If what most people do is try and go around the law and see if they cannot be caught, why bother learning from the past and literature. Why bother trying to figure out past mistakes if people are going to make the same ones, seeing if they do not get caught? Owen is beginning to wonder if their is a purpose behind everything he learns if for the most part, he is not going to use it anyway. Eventually Owen stops trying in all of his academic class in college, partially based off this view, partially because he knows how he is going to die and he knows he is going to die in the military and stops trying in academics. But to see him question studying and learning, it is not like the Owen who studied very hard throughout all of high school, and it is all because of the actions of an irresponsible president who is not being held to the same standards as everyone else is held to.
Even though the Constitution does not state that cheating is morally wrong, Owen shows how the American standard does not agree with cheating. The president is elected to uphold the Constitution, filled with actual laws, but the president is also supposed to uphold moral law, something that Americans create, and expect that people follow. Owen throughout this entire passage is trying to show how the president is not special and he is not someone who can just break the law. Owen obviously believes that all people should be treated equally and be forced to follow the same laws as everyone else. The president should be no different in Owen's eyes.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Close Reading 10/24
"But the creche's most ominous message was that the little Lord Jesus himself was missing; the crib was empty- that was why the Virgin Mary had turned her mutilated face away; why one angel dashed its harp, and another screamed in anguish; why Joseph has lost a hand and the cow a leg" (187).
Jesus is the centerpiece in a Nativity set up. He is the one that everyone is turned to and facing, the person that everyone seems to notice first. In Owen's Nativity set, the baby Jesus is missing. He is not anywhere in the set, and there are a lot of other odd things with the rest of the Nativity as well. The Virgin Mary has her face completely turned away. It seems as though she is ashamed to even look toward the place where the baby should be, a constant reminder of what is no longer there. As well as the rest of the Nativity seems to be missing something as well.
This missing piece of the Nativity and the way that the rest of the character's seem to be reacting, shows how Owen feels as though a piece of himself is gone. That piece, that person, is Tabby that has gone missing, no longer in Owen's life. He is missing someone who was so central to his life, the person who was willing to look out for him in a way his parents never have or never will. And so he has turned away, and is hurt by this. The other character's of the Nativity show how the rest of the town has reacted. They are upset as well, and feel as though a piece of their community has gone. Tabby grew up in Gravesend and she was noticed in town. People knew her and thought that she was a nice and wonderful person. When she was killed, the entire town felt the loss, thus being the rest of the Nativity, feeling upset by it.
Some of the individual character's mentioned can also show some of Tabby's closest friends. Her mother was most likely being shown by the Virgin Mary, turning her face away, denying that anything ever happened. Her sister screaming in anger once she found out, telling everyone that it is not possible. Her son losing a hand, feeling as though he lost a piece of himself as well, the one who could lead him to his father and the person who has been there for him. Her son lost his mother too soon, and it was all by accident.
Just as these things can all show the the loss, they can also show the lack of Christmas spirit and appreciation in Owen's home. His home is not decorated and he also almost never mentions Christmas. This Nativity set, a major part of Christmas is lacking so much and is broken, most likely showing how Christmas is broken and never a large part of Owen's life. He most likely never received very many presents and probably did not think about it a whole lot. Something that is a major part of many people's lives, was not part of Owen's. This once again shows how Owen is different than other people, not conforming to society, and his parents being different as well.
Jesus is the centerpiece in a Nativity set up. He is the one that everyone is turned to and facing, the person that everyone seems to notice first. In Owen's Nativity set, the baby Jesus is missing. He is not anywhere in the set, and there are a lot of other odd things with the rest of the Nativity as well. The Virgin Mary has her face completely turned away. It seems as though she is ashamed to even look toward the place where the baby should be, a constant reminder of what is no longer there. As well as the rest of the Nativity seems to be missing something as well.
This missing piece of the Nativity and the way that the rest of the character's seem to be reacting, shows how Owen feels as though a piece of himself is gone. That piece, that person, is Tabby that has gone missing, no longer in Owen's life. He is missing someone who was so central to his life, the person who was willing to look out for him in a way his parents never have or never will. And so he has turned away, and is hurt by this. The other character's of the Nativity show how the rest of the town has reacted. They are upset as well, and feel as though a piece of their community has gone. Tabby grew up in Gravesend and she was noticed in town. People knew her and thought that she was a nice and wonderful person. When she was killed, the entire town felt the loss, thus being the rest of the Nativity, feeling upset by it.
Some of the individual character's mentioned can also show some of Tabby's closest friends. Her mother was most likely being shown by the Virgin Mary, turning her face away, denying that anything ever happened. Her sister screaming in anger once she found out, telling everyone that it is not possible. Her son losing a hand, feeling as though he lost a piece of himself as well, the one who could lead him to his father and the person who has been there for him. Her son lost his mother too soon, and it was all by accident.
Just as these things can all show the the loss, they can also show the lack of Christmas spirit and appreciation in Owen's home. His home is not decorated and he also almost never mentions Christmas. This Nativity set, a major part of Christmas is lacking so much and is broken, most likely showing how Christmas is broken and never a large part of Owen's life. He most likely never received very many presents and probably did not think about it a whole lot. Something that is a major part of many people's lives, was not part of Owen's. This once again shows how Owen is different than other people, not conforming to society, and his parents being different as well.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Close Reading
"Your memory is a monster; you forget- it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you-and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have memory; but it has you!" (36).
John is talking about how he wants to forget how his mother died, the people who were there and the ones who saw it happen. He does not want to remember that Owen left early, most likely taking the ball he hit with him. He does not want to remember the sound that the bat made or the detective wondering where the murder weapon went. But he is realizing that he has almost no control over what his mind decides to remember and what it does not.
John refers to memory as a monster. Memories disappear, so we think, from our minds to reappear at times we may not want them to. They can be triggered by other events and they come back to haunt us. They come back to scare you, to try and show you what happened. Sometimes our memories change, and it makes us believe that what happens actually happens even if it never did or happened a different way.
Memories have us. Irving describes the memories of having control of us. Our minds are the ones who decide what we think and when it comes about. We are not the ones in control of our memories, they come back to haunt us when we least expect them to. They come about when they are triggered and not when they are called.
John realizes that the memory of his mother comes back at certain times, different pieces come back at different times. When he wants to forget what happens, he remembers it. He has no control over what happens and what does not. In a way, that seems to scare John. He is not sure when the memory of his mother's death is going to be triggered by something, forcing him to relive the tragedy once again. And this is the reason he mentions how the memories have a hold of him. It forces him at different times to relive parts of the death. In addition, John also must realize how his grandmother remembers the sound of Owen's high pitched voice. She can remember the voice and not who he was, with her memory only being triggered by a sound that is similar to Owen's voice.
When Irving talks about how memory has us, he is trying to convey the idea that memories are what hold us. They allow for us to reminisce, and without them, we would not be able to recall the past. But, our mind is the one in control of when exactly we get to know our memories. We might remember tidbits at different times, and not really get the full picture because it is stored somewhere in our sub-conscious mind, a place we cannot reach. Those deeply hidden memories do not come force when we summon them, but rather either bits and pieces, the things we want to remember, suppressing sometimes the things we want to forget.
John is talking about how he wants to forget how his mother died, the people who were there and the ones who saw it happen. He does not want to remember that Owen left early, most likely taking the ball he hit with him. He does not want to remember the sound that the bat made or the detective wondering where the murder weapon went. But he is realizing that he has almost no control over what his mind decides to remember and what it does not.
John refers to memory as a monster. Memories disappear, so we think, from our minds to reappear at times we may not want them to. They can be triggered by other events and they come back to haunt us. They come back to scare you, to try and show you what happened. Sometimes our memories change, and it makes us believe that what happens actually happens even if it never did or happened a different way.
Memories have us. Irving describes the memories of having control of us. Our minds are the ones who decide what we think and when it comes about. We are not the ones in control of our memories, they come back to haunt us when we least expect them to. They come about when they are triggered and not when they are called.
John realizes that the memory of his mother comes back at certain times, different pieces come back at different times. When he wants to forget what happens, he remembers it. He has no control over what happens and what does not. In a way, that seems to scare John. He is not sure when the memory of his mother's death is going to be triggered by something, forcing him to relive the tragedy once again. And this is the reason he mentions how the memories have a hold of him. It forces him at different times to relive parts of the death. In addition, John also must realize how his grandmother remembers the sound of Owen's high pitched voice. She can remember the voice and not who he was, with her memory only being triggered by a sound that is similar to Owen's voice.
When Irving talks about how memory has us, he is trying to convey the idea that memories are what hold us. They allow for us to reminisce, and without them, we would not be able to recall the past. But, our mind is the one in control of when exactly we get to know our memories. We might remember tidbits at different times, and not really get the full picture because it is stored somewhere in our sub-conscious mind, a place we cannot reach. Those deeply hidden memories do not come force when we summon them, but rather either bits and pieces, the things we want to remember, suppressing sometimes the things we want to forget.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Close Reading 10/11
"'I'm sorry about your poor mother.' It was the first time she ever spoken to me" (190).
Mrs. Meany normally spends most of her time staring out the window or occasionally looking into the fire, not doing much of anything, let alone socializing. She is a minor character in the novel, yet she can symbolize a lot of things.
In this particular passage, she is showing how she feels for John. Many times it is impossible to understand how she feels. She does not show emotion, most likely because the world scares her and emotions allow that fright in. When she does show emotion, it is quite shocking to both the reader and John. He has never heard Mrs. Meany speak, let alone feel some sympathy for his mother and in turn for him. She showed him that she does realize what is going on and she does feel something for him.
Mrs. Meany shows how she feels for John's mother. Mrs. Meany may never have met her, but she most likely noticed every time that she brought Owen home, or took Owen somewhere he wanted to go. And she is grateful for the attention that she showed her son. The feeling of gratefulness that stems from the idea that she was more of a mother to Owen than she was, and she must have been glad that someone showed her son the motherly attention that he craved for, that Mrs. Meany is unable to give her son. Going into Owen's room and looking at the mannequin that Owen had resembling John's mother, shows how she mourns for the woman and she feels bad for what happened to her. She feels bad for the person who acted like more of a mother to her son than she ever acted.
Speaking to John is a big thing. Mrs. Meany keeps to herself and never talks to anyone whenever she is mentioned in the story. Her opening up, and actually speaking is a big step toward accepting reality and beginning to act like a mother toward Owen. If she can begin to feel sympathy and pain for her death, it is the beginning of her accepting the rest of her life. This could help her into becoming a better parent and a better mother for Owen.
The word choice by the author also shows something about Mrs. Meany. He refers to Tabby as a poor mother; someone who pity should be taken upon. Mrs. Meany feels badly for Tabby, someone who was such a wonderful mother and so full of life. She is the exact opposite of Mrs. Meany, it can actually be shocking that she actually feels upset about what happens. But, it shows a side of Mrs. Meany that was unknown before. It shows how she can be open in her close minded and close self identity that the reader is seeing her as. She might actually talk and interact more than we see. Even if it takes her longer to than other people. This excerpt really shows incite to the sort of person Mrs. Meany is.
Mrs. Meany normally spends most of her time staring out the window or occasionally looking into the fire, not doing much of anything, let alone socializing. She is a minor character in the novel, yet she can symbolize a lot of things.
In this particular passage, she is showing how she feels for John. Many times it is impossible to understand how she feels. She does not show emotion, most likely because the world scares her and emotions allow that fright in. When she does show emotion, it is quite shocking to both the reader and John. He has never heard Mrs. Meany speak, let alone feel some sympathy for his mother and in turn for him. She showed him that she does realize what is going on and she does feel something for him.
Mrs. Meany shows how she feels for John's mother. Mrs. Meany may never have met her, but she most likely noticed every time that she brought Owen home, or took Owen somewhere he wanted to go. And she is grateful for the attention that she showed her son. The feeling of gratefulness that stems from the idea that she was more of a mother to Owen than she was, and she must have been glad that someone showed her son the motherly attention that he craved for, that Mrs. Meany is unable to give her son. Going into Owen's room and looking at the mannequin that Owen had resembling John's mother, shows how she mourns for the woman and she feels bad for what happened to her. She feels bad for the person who acted like more of a mother to her son than she ever acted.
Speaking to John is a big thing. Mrs. Meany keeps to herself and never talks to anyone whenever she is mentioned in the story. Her opening up, and actually speaking is a big step toward accepting reality and beginning to act like a mother toward Owen. If she can begin to feel sympathy and pain for her death, it is the beginning of her accepting the rest of her life. This could help her into becoming a better parent and a better mother for Owen.
The word choice by the author also shows something about Mrs. Meany. He refers to Tabby as a poor mother; someone who pity should be taken upon. Mrs. Meany feels badly for Tabby, someone who was such a wonderful mother and so full of life. She is the exact opposite of Mrs. Meany, it can actually be shocking that she actually feels upset about what happens. But, it shows a side of Mrs. Meany that was unknown before. It shows how she can be open in her close minded and close self identity that the reader is seeing her as. She might actually talk and interact more than we see. Even if it takes her longer to than other people. This excerpt really shows incite to the sort of person Mrs. Meany is.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Close Reading 10/2
"'THEY'RE FRESH BEETLESKINS,' Owen told me. 'THE CATHOLICS FORBID THEM,' he added. 'THE CATHOLICS ARE OPPOSED TO BIRTH CONTROL.'" (Irving 162)
The first time I read this, I laughed out loud. I thought that Owen was being very comical commenting on the fact that Catholics do not believe in birth control. Owen was more concerned with the religious fact about finding the beetleskins (condoms) then of actually finding them.
But now delving into the quote, it actually shows a lot about Owen. Up to this point in the book, we are shown the very religious side of Owen. When something happens in the book, Owen relates it back to religion, even religions that he does not believe in any more. In this particular instance, Owen relates this small event back to the catholic religion, a religion that he no longer believes in. He does this because he is very religious and it helps him to understand the situation. He needs to be able to tie his actions back to his religion in order to fully appreciate the experience.
With this particular event, Owen and John are investigating the dorms of the boys who went home for winter break. They come across one room, and find unused condoms. This surprises them because most of the beetleskins that they find are used and they cannot really look at them. In this room, they find tons of new ones and so they decide to open one. This is what prompted Owen's comment.
The Catholics. This is the religion that Owen as well as John have decided to stay away from. Owen finds that the religion is too controlling and he decides to leave it. John's parents are not Catholics, so when Owen changes religions, John follows him. Owen is much more religious than John is and he sees how God plays a role in his life. Owen even feels that he is carrying out God's message and that everything is happening because God wants it to happen. In this moment, I am not sure what Owen is thinking that God wants.
Right after this comment, Owen immediately states,"'I'VE NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH THE CATHOLICS.'" (162). This shows how Owen does not really care that the Catholics religion would not approve of his experimenting with condoms. He would rather not think about what the Catholics believe.
This passage also shows the changing between religious beliefs. Both of the protagonists have changed religions. This shows how they both do not believe everything that is told to them. Owen questions his beliefs much more often and he has made an educated choice on picking his religion, where as John has not looked into himself, into his beliefs as much as Owen has as a young boy. It takes John until later in life to really decide on his religion and beliefs.
This simple statement really helps to explain who Owen is and his beliefs. In a brief way, it gives insight into the sort of person Owen is and the experimentation that little boys do. A little line about condoms, can really explain a lot about a person.
The first time I read this, I laughed out loud. I thought that Owen was being very comical commenting on the fact that Catholics do not believe in birth control. Owen was more concerned with the religious fact about finding the beetleskins (condoms) then of actually finding them.
But now delving into the quote, it actually shows a lot about Owen. Up to this point in the book, we are shown the very religious side of Owen. When something happens in the book, Owen relates it back to religion, even religions that he does not believe in any more. In this particular instance, Owen relates this small event back to the catholic religion, a religion that he no longer believes in. He does this because he is very religious and it helps him to understand the situation. He needs to be able to tie his actions back to his religion in order to fully appreciate the experience.
With this particular event, Owen and John are investigating the dorms of the boys who went home for winter break. They come across one room, and find unused condoms. This surprises them because most of the beetleskins that they find are used and they cannot really look at them. In this room, they find tons of new ones and so they decide to open one. This is what prompted Owen's comment.
The Catholics. This is the religion that Owen as well as John have decided to stay away from. Owen finds that the religion is too controlling and he decides to leave it. John's parents are not Catholics, so when Owen changes religions, John follows him. Owen is much more religious than John is and he sees how God plays a role in his life. Owen even feels that he is carrying out God's message and that everything is happening because God wants it to happen. In this moment, I am not sure what Owen is thinking that God wants.
Right after this comment, Owen immediately states,"'I'VE NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH THE CATHOLICS.'" (162). This shows how Owen does not really care that the Catholics religion would not approve of his experimenting with condoms. He would rather not think about what the Catholics believe.
This passage also shows the changing between religious beliefs. Both of the protagonists have changed religions. This shows how they both do not believe everything that is told to them. Owen questions his beliefs much more often and he has made an educated choice on picking his religion, where as John has not looked into himself, into his beliefs as much as Owen has as a young boy. It takes John until later in life to really decide on his religion and beliefs.
This simple statement really helps to explain who Owen is and his beliefs. In a brief way, it gives insight into the sort of person Owen is and the experimentation that little boys do. A little line about condoms, can really explain a lot about a person.
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