Final Reflection on English 215

Well, after finishing the documentary on The Stone Reader and thinking about the class over the course of this entire semester, I have to say it ended well. I think a good way to end the class was with this movie, because it ties a lot of things together that we learned over the course of this entire semester. We have been reading and analyzing stories, not knowing if the author's are still living, have other writing pieces, or went back to their everyday life; and this documentary challenged us to really think about everything we've read.

Although this class was not in my major, but I was required to take some sort of 200 level English, I am thoroughly pleased with my decision to take this particular class. Most of the readings were enjoyable to read, with the exception of a few that didn't grasp my interests like others, and many had relate-able themes and/or situations that allowed me to enjoy the readings that much more. Prior to this class I absolutely despised reading and never thought to pick up a book, but now I know that if a book can grasp my interest it really is relaxing to sit down and read a book once in a while.

Also, I enjoyed blogging, similar to that of the "relaxing" aspect of reading. Sitting down and putting my thoughts on "paper" and reflecting what I've read really was a relaxing element to this semester and got me away from my Engineering homework at times when I definitely needed to get away and refocus. As far as any suggestions I have for future sections, I would say more interactive blogs and actually seeing what other people write and how they format their blogs.

Reading may not be at my top of my to-do list each day, but it sure is something I will most likely do more especially after this class.

Weekly Reflection on "The Stone Reader: Part 1"

The movie "The Stone Reader: Part 1" was a documentary about Mark Moskowitz searching for the author, Dow Mossman, of "The Stones of Summer," who apparently disappeared after writing this one novel. 

Initially, Moskowitz opened us, the viewers, up to his life and why he wants to find Mossman. Moskowitz works with advertising campaigns, and by his description, seems to be very busy and have little time for his family. He shows his house that his wife, who did not want to be filmed, entirely designed and maintains and his office he has in the basement where he spends most of his time. 

Moskowitz truly wants to find Mossman and even travels all the way to Maine to meet the one man who reviewed the book. Moskowitz even buys every copy he can find of "The Stones of Summer" to see if he can find anymore information. While filming this documentary, Moskowitz meets with some of his friends, who have never read "The Stones of Summer," and recommends the book to them since he cannot find anybody else who has read the book. 

Moskowitz's dedication to this book seems very uncommon to me and it makes me wonder if more readers around the world set out to find and, potentially, meet the author of all of the books that they've read. It hasn't been mentioned yet, but I am sure that the reason Moskowitz wants to find Mossman is because he either relates to the novel, or finds something in the novel very questionable and wants an answer. "The voice behind the pages was a friend I thought I'd never find in life."

Moskowitz, in searching for Mossman, visits his mother to see what exactly he was doing in 1972, when the novel was published, and why he did not read it when it was first published. "I can remember the books I read then, but nothing about who I was," says Moskowitz, before he meets with his mother. He seems surprised that his mother remembers so much, that he indeed was sick during May of 1972 and did a lot of reading during that time. She also reveals embarrassing information about Moskowitz, he liked to wear only the lining of his jackets and if he had to wear the actual jacket he would wear it inside out. Obviously, Moskowitz was an interesting and his mother says "rebellious" person growing up.

When Moskowitz goes to Maine to meet the one man that reviewed the novel in the New York Times. I thought it was nice that the two men got along extremely well and it seemed as if they knew each other forever. Moskowitz even commented that he felt as if they have always been friends, sharing interests in the books that they read. While Moskowitz is visiting the New York Times reviewer, the reviewer says to Moskowitz, "They win some, they lose some." When he says this to Moskowitz, he is referring to writers and that some will make hits of their novels and others will not, also some writers will write one novel, similar to what they believe Mossman to have done, and others will write many, even if all of their novels aren't hits. I believe this is very true and relatable because many people can have a lot of successes but many failures along the way and while some people will give up after their first failure, others will keep trying.

Thus far, "The Stone Reader" is very interesting and I am excited to finish the movie and find out if Moskowitz finds Mossman and finds the answers to all of his unanswered questions. So far, if seems as if Mossman has died or perhaps went back into the work-force after writing his novel and never really spoke of the novel again as he blended into the community. 

Weekly Reflection on "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice"

• ambiguously: open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: an ambiguous answer.
• gaunter: extremely thin and bony; haggard and drawn, as from great hunger, weariness, or torture; emaciated.

"The field are glass, I thought."

When the narrator first mentioned this quote it seemed like he was going to use this line to start off his story.

• dactyl: Prosody . a foot of three syllables, one long followed by two short in quantitative meter, or one stressed followed by two unstressed in accentual meter, as in gently and humanly. 2. a finger or toe.
• equably: free from many changes or variations; uniform: an equable climate; an equable temperament. 2. uniform in operation or effect, as laws.
• striated: marked with striae; furrowed; striped; streaked.

"The fields are glass..."

When he mentioned it again, I thought that it was a line he would use throughout the story that would show up numerous times in his story, but it was never used again after this line because his storyline changed.

• metronome: a mechanical or electrical instrument that makes repeated clicking sounds at an adjustable pace, used for marking rhythm,especially in practicing music.
• deftly: dexterous; nimble; skillful; clever: deft hands; a deft mechanic.
• exorbitant: exceeding the bounds of custom, propriety, or reason, especially in amount or extent; highly excessive: to charge an exorbitant price;exorbitant luxury.
• doggerel: a. comic or burlesque, and usually loose or irregular in measure. b. rude; crude; poor.
• verities: the state or quality of being true; accordance with fact or reality: to question the verity of a statement. 2. something that is true, as a principle, belief, idea, or statement: the eternal verities.

"It was a setting of the lips, sly, almost imperceptible, which I would probably have taken for a sign of senility but for the keenness of his eyes."

It is so sad that the narrator and his father seem to have nothing in common and the narrator does not know what to do to keep his father busy while he writes his story. It becomes very evident that the son and father had close to no relationship and had not seen each other for a while, turns out to be about three years. Personally, I have an extremely close relationship to both of my parents and granted they are still married and have close family relations. I could not imagine my parents being divorced, mostly due to my rebellion, and not speaking to them, especially my mother who I look up to. The narrator has to deal with these struggles and the fact that his dad obviously does not accept the fact that he has chosen to give up his career as a lawyer and become a writer.

• succumbed: to give way to superior force; yield: to succumb to despair.
  2.

  to yield to disease, wounds, old age, etc.; die.

"My father was drawn to weakness, even as he tolerated none in me."

This quote proves and supports all of the feelings the narrator has towards his father. Since the narrator felt that his father was extremely hard on him, he had extremely strong opinions and did not think that his father's excuse of being a soldier was a sufficient excuse for the way he treated his son. I think that sometimes parents have to be harder on their children then they are on other people because they want their children to succeed and be able to face and overcome challenges. However, sometimes pushing your children too hard can cause them to rebel, similar to what the narrator did which will be revealed in the next couple of pages.

• durian: the edible fruit of a tree, Durio zibethinus,  of the bombax family, of southeastern Asia, having a hard, prickly rind, a highly flavored, pulpy flesh, and an unpleasant odor.
  2.

  the tree itself.

"I learned to hate him with a straight face."

It is extremely sad that the narrator uses such a strong, negative word in the context of his father. I know that many people do hate their parents, but is it really sufficient to use the word hate? Growing up, I learned hate to be one of the harshest words someone could use when referring to another person. The narrator has a lot of animosity towards his father and obviously has learned to deal with it the best he can, but I believe that over the course of the story he learns to love his father for the man he is.

"It was too much, these words, and what connected to them."

When the narrator's girlfriend, Linda, reads over the narrator's story, so far, she gets upset with him because he did not tell her all the details about his father's past, including his past pre and post war and the struggles within his family. The narrator then uses this quote to describe, most likely, the feeling he has when trying to relate everything to the relationship he has with his father back to what his father and their family struggled with before and after the war. This quote is completely understandable and relatable in so many context's. Sometimes I feel like I can only tell a small part to a story or situation because if I wanted to tell the entire story or situation it would take forever trying to explain the events leading up to these occurrences. Personally, I do not think that Linda should have gotten so upset with the narrator because he did not tell her everything, perhaps he was waiting for the right time or did not feel like he has dealt with the situation with his father enough to where he can openly talk about it. 

"At sixteen I left home. There was a girl, and crystal meth, and the possibility of greater loss than I had imagined possible."

Here is the rebellion I spoke of earlier, the father was obviously way to hard on the narrator, growing up, and took out too much of his emotions and anger on his son and lead him to leave home at such an early age. It is shocking to me that the narrator was involved in such heavy drug use because he seems to have led a pretty successful life, being a lawyer and now a writer. However, this quote opens up so much more than just his rebellion, it opens us up to the real reason as to why is parents are separated.

• attenuate: to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire.
  2.

  to make thin; make slender or fine.

"When I did, though, rehabilitated and fixed in new privacy's, he was true to his word and never spoke of the matter."

Since the narrator's father promised that if he moved back in, so could his mother, and the subject of the narrator moving out with a girl and getting involved in drugs would never be brought up again. It actually surprised me that the narrator's father never spoke of his son's rebellious stage, but the narrator also made it clear that there was really no conversation between the two after he moved back in. It was also very surprising that the father forced the mother to move out when she was supporting her son through his rebellious stage but let her move back in when he did and expected all of them to just go back to normal and live the life they had before. Obviously, things did not work out in that manner but I think that the mother was stupid in the first place for agreeing to move out and then agreeing to come home, she should not have trusted the father in the first place because obviously he did not love her enough if he let her leave.

• rebuke: to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand

"I hated what I was doing and I hated that I was good at it. Mostly, I hated knowing it was my job that made my father proud of me."

When the narrator became a lawyer, it was one thing that the father could finally be proud of. Which is completely understandable because what parent does not want their child becoming a lawyer? Lawyers are extremely intelligent and successful people and, although, the narrator hated his job because he knew it made his father proud, he still had to have enjoyed it in order to make his way through graduate school and be good as what he was doing.

"The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written."

• retorted: to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way; reply inkind to.

"He paused on the word hate like a father saying it before his infant child for the first time, trying the child's knowledge, testing what was inherent in the word and what learned."

Here, the word hate comes up again, but this time the father is hesitant to use it when before the narrator said it with ease when referring to his father. It seems as if, although, the father was referring to the war, he also used it as a symbol of reconcile towards his son, hesitantly saying the word, and the fact that they finally were carrying on a conversation and not "hating" each other like in the past.

• indoctrinations: the act of indoctrinating,  or teaching or inculcating a doctrine,principle, or ideology, especially one with a specific point of view: religious indoctrination.

"For a moment I became my father, watching his sleeping son, reminded of what--for his son's sake--he had tried, unceasingly; to forget."

I feel like this quote is entirely a symbol of the narrator and his father's bonding and relationship flourishing. Although, this is not a very positive quote I believe it shows that the narrator is finally seeing his father's perspective and the struggles his father faced raising a son.

• perilous: involving or full of grave risk or peril;  hazardous; dangerous: a perilous voyage across the Atlantic in a small boat.

"Then I put them both aside and started typing, never looking at them again."

I feel like this quote can relate to a lot of school work. Sometimes procrastination is the best stress to work under because it forces you to come up with something quickly and efficiently. Once the narrator heard his fathers story and read over what he had written the day before without hearing his father's stories to their entirety, he was able to write and write and write until he could not write anymore and there was no turning back because his deadline was quickly approaching!

"If I had known then what I knew later, I wouldn't have said the things I did."

Once the narrator discovers that his father burned the entire story in the drum, he gains respect for him. Saying that he would have done things differently and treated his father differently shows that the narrator has come a long way in appreciation for his father. Some may read it differently, since he does say "I wished he had never come" but I think that it is just a realization that the father put a lot of things into perspective for the narrator. Although this story is not very relatable to me because I have awesome relationships with both of my parents, I am sure it is relatable to a lot of readers that come from broken families. At the end I believe the narrator did gain appreciation, as did the father realize that his son has chosen writing and he just had to deal with it. When the father was telling the narrator his war stories, I think, not only, did they bond but it was a good way to communicate their feelings and understandings since they never did that in the past.

Weekly Reflection on Hemon's "The Lazarus Project"

"Attracted by the neon blaze like a moth, I ventured in that direction to get us some food and drinks as soon as we arrived." (Page 203)

This quote, like many others from The Lazarus Project, caught my attention because of the use of imagery. The first part of the quote "attracted by the neon blaze like a moth" uses so much detail and really allows you to imagine the situation in your mind where Brik is attracted to the lights of the supermarket. He seems amazed at all of the items in the supermarket and how you could find these items in American and Western European supermarkets. Brik probably did not expect Moldova to have all of these items and stocked up on very random things, being he was drawn to the food, including toilet paper and wine.

• ubiquitous: Present, appearing, or found everywhere

"Home is where someone might notice your absence." (Page 204)

I love this quote because it is so true! Brik seems to be speaking on a larger, international scale, but you can also relate this to your home or my home, like a small town where you always see someone you know. Going away to college teaches you a lot about where you are from, when I go home to visit I feel like a visitor within my town but within my home I feel comfortable and like I never left. Although I feel comfortable and like I never left, my parents definitely notice my presence and also my absence. When I come home, my mom has to cook more, my dad has to spend more, and my boyfriend has to plan more. Similar to the way Brik is feeling, he is well aware people see him as a foreigner and he also feels absent from his home and not comfortable where he is.

• acrid: 1. Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell. 2. Angry and bitter.

"There were, naturally, currency-exchange booths, each stuffed with a clod-headed money-laundering thug in an Italian tracksuit." (Page 204)

This quote shows Brik's perception and the typical stereotype of an "Italian mobster," who love their money, assets, but may not be the brightest ("clod-headed'). Since Brik is investigating this murder of Lazarus Averbuch, I feel like he has strong emotions towards any stereotype and being that he is not religious he bases a lot of his opinions solely off of money and politics. 

• sprightly: Lively; full of energy.
• supple: Bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible.
• atrociously: terribly: in a terrible manner;
• ineluctable: Unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable: "the ineluctable facts".

"I would embark upon ponderous monologues about, say, the ineluctable finitude of existence and her eyes would acquire a sheen of remoteness; she had no philosophical bone in her body, so I avoided boring her." (Page 205)

After Rora and Brik get into a petty argument, "I am not your wife. I don't have to listen to you, Rora said." Brik reflects on the relationship that him and his wife, Mary, have. It seems as if him and his wife do not have very much in common and did not really talk about issues that were important to one another because they did not want to bore the other person. So far in The Lazarus Project, the relationship between Brik and Mary has not been much to brag or fantasize about, at least for Brik, and when he talks about love he very rarely talks about the love they share but instead love stories between other people or things, like the story of the rabbits.

"And when I walked among the prettied-lip ruins and bullet-riddled facades, I saw what they used to be, not what they were now." (Page 208)

I would definitely have to say that one of Brik's weaknesses is the fact that he sees people in their past and not their present. Some could argue that is a strength for a reporter and writer because he can really dig into the root of the issue, but it can also drag him down in his personal and social life. Brik quotes, "And I had the feeling that if I could see what it really looked like now, I would forget what it was before," almost symbolizing a hurdle he has to overcome but also moving on from the past and pushing forward to a better future. In Brik's personal life he needs to see who people are now but in his research and reporting he needs to see who the people are now but he cannot also forget who they used to be, in order to write a really strong novel. Personally, I struggle with this issue myself, sometimes it is hard to "forgive and forget" but eventually you have to in order to move on and find happiness once again with that person.

• bulbous: 1. Fat, round, or bulging.
• mien: A person's look or manner, indicating their character or mood.

"One person's garbage is another person's commodity." (Page 210)

 I strongly am in favor of this quote in all aspects! I am a strong believer in recycling, reusing, sharing, and buying second hand! As Brik walks through the street market, he sees all of these items that he may not find interesting and see as junk but other people may buy these items and make them their own. He also seems confused when he sees the soap, deodorants, etc. because most people in America would not buy those items on a street market, and although I like to recycle I would not do that either! Here you see the cultures distinguish their differences in Brik's eyes.

• incalescent: Becoming warmer, heating up.

"I imagined them jealous and angry; I hoped they would assail Rora, punch him in the face, so I would have to run and save him and he would owe me and never be an asshole to me again." (Page 212)

This quote is pure comedy because Brik is hoping all of these awful things on Rora as he takes photo's of these women and he is then approached by two men. However, it backfires in Brik's face because the men actually approach Rora to take their photo too. Clearly there is a lot of tension between Brik and Rora and soon enough it will make them want to go their separate ways.

• preponderance: superiority in power or influence; "the preponderance of good over evil"; "the preponderance of wealth and power". 
• mirthfully: happily: in a joyous manner; "they shouted happily".

Weekly Reflection of Hemon's "The Lazarus Project"

So far the narrator has introduced many characters and touched on many different stories from different times in his life. Immediately, Hemon introduces two stories that most likely come together in the end and he already makes hints that, in fact, they do. At the beginning, the narrator speaks of a sketchy situation that took place when a "grimy" man came to the chief's house to bring a letter and was then shot and killed. Ultimately, I thought that this situation was what the entire story would be about but it was in fact just a short snippet to the narrator's entire purpose of the story. The "grimy" man was a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe and came here before the war broke out. He then went on to talk about his Bosnian background and his wife, who is a native-neurosurgeon. Also, the benefits he has by being an American and Bosnian citizen and the differences between their country and ours. The narrator, also talks about how he wants to write a novel and that is where the Jewish immigrant ties into the story. The Jewish immigrant was shot by the police chief in Chicago when trying to give him a note. The entire story thus far seems very political, with references to George W Bush, blaming him for the whole war. It also ties in a lot of religion, the narrator himself admits he is not religious but also poses to be a Christian tour guide in the city, contradicting his views and beliefs. Throughout the middle of the reading he stumbles upon an old friend from high school, Rora. Rora is an extremely strong and influential character and I see him as staying strong and influential throughout the entire story. Rora and the narrator pair up and while Rora takes pictures, the narrator writes and the two become a very dynamic pair. Another short story is introduced within the novel, which will most definitely play a role in the future of the narrator's novel and dynamic of the book. Obviously the major themes are politics and religion and Sujo and Mujo live out these themes to their fullest extent. Sujo comes to America for more opportunity under Mujo's advice but does many questionable things once he gets here.


"The world is always greater than your desires; plenty is never enough."

"It was never in my nature to take a straight path anywhere..."

"The empty streets crawling between the dark buildings; the carriages pulling through thick sheets of rain and deep puddles; the disoriented, freezing drunks and the late-shift workers- all are flashed into brief existence by a thunderbolt."

wieldy: easily handled, used, or managed

I chose these three quotes because their amount of detail. He writes this novel in so much detail it makes me, the reader, believe I was actually there and paints a perfect picture in my mind. It also shows the "deepness" of this novel; I like this book so far because of the realness is presents and the fact that there are so many relatable topics to this day and age. It is crazy to think that the things we struggle with in today's society are the same exact things that they struggled with back then. So far, this story has grasped my interest and the story line makes me want to keep reading! I can't wait to see what the narrator and Rora discover in their searches to find out what really happened to Lazarus. Also, to see how religion and politics play into the story since they are very strong themes.