Annie Dillard "Living Like Weasels"

In "Living Like Weasels" the speaker uses her run-in with a weasel as a metaphor for life. The speaker and the weasel share a moment where the speaker says, "I think I retrieved my brain from the weasel's brain, and tried to memorize what I was seeing." The speaker seems to envy the weasel's animal instincts and asks the question "could humans live in such a way?" According to the speaker, yes, humans can. I love how the speaker compares the way a weasel kills its prey to humans finding their passion in life. Like the weasel finding the perfect spot in its preys' neck to strike, humans need to "stalk your calling in a certain skilled and supple way, to locate the most tender and live spot and plug into that pulse." The last paragraph of this piece really stuck out to me. As humans, we are all going to die no matter how we choose to live; however, if we find our "necessity" in life and truly grasp onto it, not even death can separate us from it. I found this to mean that by thoroughly connecting ourselves to our necessity, we have the opportunity to be remembered after death.

Response to Carson

“For the Family in the Car Passing By” is about Earl and Crystal and their three children and pet dog. For Christmas, the mom, Crystal, is gifted a kitten from her brother, much to Earl’s distaste. Earl makes comments throughout the story about getting rid of the cat, but when the cat is hit by a car at the end of the story, Earl is surprised at the feelings he experiences before he has to shoot the cat. 

I think this story does a good job of depicting an “average” middle-class family. They go through everyday life: burning toast, going hunting and taking family photographs. The family photograph scene was my favorite, because it showed the family uniting together to get the photo and shopping for their upcoming family Christmas dinner. Adding the coupon was a nice touch, too. The part of the story where the family cleans the house reminded me a lot of my family when we have  people over; everyone is trying to make the house look its best. I also liked how Earl went from being indifferent towards the cat to actually caring about it when he needed to shot it. I think that shows a positive change in Earl and shows he is more than some tough guy that goes hunting. 

There were a lot of characters in this piece for it to be so short. I know you need to include everyone in the family, but the way the characters were introduced was a little overwhelming to me. The start of the story had me slightly confused, but it got back on track when the backstory of the family getting the cat started taking place. Earl is the only character in the story that seems to go through a change, which isn’t bad, but since the family itself is the main character of this piece, I think the family should have gone through something together. Maybe have a new family picture made with the cat before it dies? I’m not sure exactly what I would change. 

Response to Kevin Mayo

Well, this story escalated quickly.. In “Striations” restaurant owner Liam is on a date with Ellie, where the conversation turns sour after Ellie asks Liam a question about masturbation. Offended by her forwardness, Liam ends the date early and the two argue all the way to the parking lot. The next day, Liam wakes up to find Ellie and other girls destroying his apartment and taking off with his life savings.

I think this story does a good job of exposing the unreliability of online dating profiles. Many people say online they’re a “model” like Ellie, but actually have a less desirable career (such as an exotic dancer). I also liked how in the third paragraph parenthesis are used to show that Liam remembered certain information about their date so far, such as the fact that Ellie is a Democrat and she likes shows such as “New Girl.”

The best way to explain how I feel about this story overall is that it reads a lot like an exert from a larger piece. The main character, Liam, doesn’t seem to undergo a change. Even when he is tied to the bed he doesn’t regret treating Ellie disrespectfully the night before. Ellie goes through a change, but we only know that from reading about her and Liam’s conversation earlier in the evening: she started out seemingly normal, then quickly sexualized the conversation and turned aggressive. In my opinion, her change in personality would have had more of an effect on me if the story had opened with Liam and Ellie having one of the normal conversations discussed briefly in the third paragraph. Instead the opening just dives right into an inappropriate moment, so right off the bat I assume Ellie has been sexual for the entirety of the date. Also, the mafia or whatever Ellie is running isn’t really explained and the last line of the story, “See you in hell, asshole,” is unclear because I’m not sure if Ellie or Liam is saying it. 

Response to Katie Jo Clark

In "Numb" Sophie has experienced a bad day at work when her mother calls to let her know Will, Sophie's ex-boyfriend, has been in a terrible car accident. Sophie is torn between the memories of the years she spent with Will and her hatred towards him for leaving her for another girl after they'd been together so long. Upon Will's death Sophie feels a sense of relief, because she doesn't have to feel anything towards him now that he's gone.

I really liked the flashback to the middle school dance when Sophie and Will's journey as a couple began. It showed how much time had been invested into the relationship: even if they hadn't been romantically involved as a couple since middle school, this flashback shows they'd at least known one another for a good while. While the situation with Will was tragic, I liked how Sophie's visit home allowed her to swallow her pride and admit to her mother she had lost her job and was going to move back home.

At the beginning of the story, Sophie's best friend, Zoe, is introduced. However, Zoe doesn't play any sort of role in the story at all, and therefore I believe she could be left out entirely. In addition, it isn't until near the end of the story that Sophie admits what happened at her job; there could be more hints as to what occurred on the job that lead to her being let go. I thought Sophie was pretty cold toward the whole situation. Sure Will didn't handle their relationship in the right way, but that doesn't mean she should be indifferent to his death. I wish Sophie would have felt a little bit more acceptance towards her town at the end of the story, especially since she would be living there again soon. It's insinuated in one line that moving back would cause her to become her old, vulnerable self. Vulnerable to what, exactly? Will? I also found it interesting that the other girl Will left Sophie for never came to the hospital to see him.. or maybe she was just a fling and not an actual relationship.

Response to Jordan Hays

I'm sorry, but for 99% of this story I had no idea what was going on. I'll try to write something on what I understood.

As far as I could tell, "The Henry Show" was a story about a guy writing a story about a person with a mental illness that makes him think he is constantly in front of an audience and that his entire life is filmed as part of a reality show. After a visit with what I'm assuming is his therapist in real life, Henry goes out to have a good time and ends up getting shot. I think. 

At the beginning this story did a good job of letting reader's know what was wrong with Henry; he has a mental illness, and it wasn't hard to deduce that the "actor" is actually a therapist that is trying to help Henry reconnect with reality. I found the plot creative, as I've never heard of anyone experiencing the illness Henry apparently has.

After the bar scene when the blonde girl calls Henry out for rape, I got totally lost in the story. I don't even know what to suggest to improve it because I'm that confused about what was going on. I think Henry takes two trips into the alley, and in one trip he is being mugged and in the other trip he finds a gun. I found the ending to be really jarring because I was trying to understand what was going on and then all of a sudden there enters characters totally unrelated to what I'd been reading the whole time. I felt almost like this story was started, then the author realized he was running out of room so he just tacked on that ending so he would be in the page limit. I may be totally wrong though. If that was the original intention, then I would make the character of the person who is writing the story appear earlier in the story, perhaps at the beginning. If the main character is Henry, then I don't see any emotional journey or change within him. A lot just needs to be clarified, because I'm still really confused about what I just read. 

Response to Claire Miller

"The Comfort of Keys and Bacon" follows best friends Kim and Ryan as they go on one of their frequent trips to Waffle House. Mischievous Kim has the idea to break into Ryan's ex-boyfriend's apartment, upon seeing that Ryan still has the key. Upon entering the apartment, Ryan's ex, Adam, comes in shortly after, forcing Ryan to hide in a closet while Kim confronts him; while in the closet Kim reflects on her relationship with Adam. When she finally is able to leave her hiding spot, Ryan leaves her key behind, realizing she's ready to move on.

I can really relate to this story, since my own boyfriend broke up with me just a few days ago. I thought the part of the story where Ryan tries to avoid looking at trucks while she is driving, because they might be Adam's is really realistic. I loved how she wasn't weak at the end of the story; from what Adam said, he'd gladly take Ryan back. However, Ryan is able to reflect upon past experiences with Adam and realize that she deserves someone who doesn't expect her to conform to "southern" ideals. Kim is also a great character, because she represents a true friend: she stands up for Ryan and also encourages her to let Adam go by applauding her for not defending his actions. It's very clear that Ryan goes from being unsure of her feelings towards Adam at the beginning, to knowing she's definitely done by the end.

The biggest suggestion I have for this story is to enlighten readers about what happened in Destin. It's mentioned several times in the story so obviously it's important, but the only thing I gathered that happened was that Adam's family was rude to Ryan. I think elaborating more on the circumstances surrounding the Destin trip would help readers understand Adam and his apparently snobby family better. I would also like more background on Ryan in terms of where she's from: obviously from her remarks on lacking "southern charm" and not doing Adam's laundry, she isn't originally from the South. I felt that Adam's character was a little cliché: a spoiled, rich, Southern boy waiting to take over daddy's business.

Overall though I felt the story had a good pace, and that enough dialogue was used to help the story run smoothly.

Response to Mark McDaniel

In "Five Stoplights" the narrator recalls certain memories he shared with his dying brother Harry, as he drives back from CVS with Harry's pain medication. Lost in thought, the main character almost wrecks his car when he runs a red light. The near-death experience shakes the main character up, and he hopes that his dying brother will experience more profound last thoughts than the one he almost had as his last thought.

I like how the flashbacks coordinate with the red lights. I think the best flashback is the one from the beach, where the narrator finds Harry in the ocean and notices that his back is very sunburned. When I read this part of the flashback, I experienced a sense of foreboding, since I knew that Harry would eventually get melanoma, a type of skin cancer. I wonder if the narrator recalled this certain memory because it makes him feel guilty for not offering Harry more sunscreen for his back? Although the story wasn't long, I felt like I got a good enough feel for most of the characters, especially Harry. He seems like the typical older brother, who hates when his younger siblings (I'm assuming Harry is the oldest) nag at him, as can be seen in the flashback where the narrator is asking him what a whore is. I became really used to reading the flashbacks, so I wasn't expecting the last one to be interrupted by an F150 almost crashing into the narrator's car. I think the almost-wreck was shocking, which I think the writer intended.

Although the narrator is not the main focus of the story, I still don't think it would hurt to give him a name. His name could maybe be added into some of the dialogue in one of the flashbacks. Giving the narrator a name would, to me, make him seem more connected to Chelsea and Harry. There's a part at the beginning of the story where the narrator says, "I wonder if you need water for this, if you do Harry won't be able to take it anymore." This is a pretty intense statement to be left unexplained. I'm assuming that Harry can't swallow, or has a tube or something down his throat that makes it impossible for him to swallow pills. Either way, why was the narrator even sent to get the medicine then, since it was unlikely Harry could take it? I may be missing something here that will be explained in class.

Response to Megan Lindsey

In "title" the main character is hit with the news that her best friend since fifth grade, Clara Daily, has become a suicide victim. Unsure as to what could have driven such a popular, seemingly happy girl to end her own life, the main character goes to Birmingham looking for answers and to say her final goodbyes. While in Birmingham, the main character discovers a journal of Clara's that offers some insight into her untimely death, which ultimately helps the main character to become more at peace with the situation.

I liked how the story was told from the view of Clara's best friend instead of an immediate relative, because it proved she was truly cared about by people other than her parents. I appreciated how the author showed us the fifth grade Clara and main character, then progressed to middle school, etc. to show how their friendship grew and what type of person Clara was. I think the specific details such as eating strawberry twizzlers on the bus added a nice touch, because it showed that the main character treasured those moments with Clara enough to remember small details such as that. It really touched me when the main character braided her hair for the funeral in the way Clara liked it, because I think that line proved that the main character had faith that Clara would be looking down on her during the funeral.

Throughout the story I couldn't decide if the narrator or Clara was the main character of the story. Since Clara is dead, I would assume that the narrator is the main character. However, unless I missed this while reading the story, the narrator is never given a name. This makes the story a little confusing, and made this review hard to write because I keep having to refer to the narrator as "the main character" which makes her feel like a faceless person to me. The story seemed to move at a really fast pace, and I think some more dialogue could be added; for example, when the main character/narrator goes to Clara's house, she sees Mrs. Daily. From just reading the story, it looks like the narrator doesn't even speak to Mrs. Daily, but just goes straight to Clara's room. I assume they spoke to one another, since most people don't just show up at someone's home after they've passed away and just barge in the house without speaking to anyone there. Dialogue at this point could've been used to help the readers understand what kind of people Clara's parents were, which would have made it easier to understand why in her letter she speaks so much about the pressure to be perfect. In general I felt like I was reading a summary of a story and not an actual story; if everything was expanded on more I think this piece would have more of the intended emotional impact the author wanted it to have.

Response to "A Temporary Matter"

What I like most about this piece is how the author included elements from her culture into the story. I feel like sometimes stories like this focus a lot on people trying to "Americanize" themselves, but Shoba  and Shukumar seem extremely proud of where they come from, and you can see this by the way they still incorporate Indian food into their meals and especially when they practice Indian ceremonies.

The ending of this story caught me off guard, mainly because I inferred from the title that the relationship issues Shoba and Shukumar were experiencing were, well, temporary. However it is clear that when Shoba turns off the lights she is simultaneously extinguishing their relationship. This surprised me too, because I feel that if I were fairly new to a country I would be scared to go out on my own. I think if I had been Shoba or Shukumar, I would've craved the predicability and familiarity of the other. Possibly, however, the author's title will still come into play in the future, and the two will reconcile. I would like to think they would anyway.

However, I really enjoyed how easy this was to read and I didn't feel like I was trying to figure out some deep "hidden" meaning. The use of flashbacks were effective in showing the raising conflict in the couple's relationship and helped me to better understand the couple's personalities/characteristics.