Thoughts Of Disappointment

The Train

This story, although very interesting, really disappointed me. Yet again, Carver starts his story with a very good sentence that manages to get your attention. “T H E woman was called Miss Dent, and earlier that evening she’d held a gun on a man. (Pg. 145) Using the title and this sentence I predicted that the story would be about some badass granny that would go on a shooting rampage on a train… just kidding. Seriously, I thought that Miss Dent would be an interesting character, but Carver doesn’t mention anything about her. Instead, he describes a conversation an older couple is having in a train station.

Initially, I thought that this couple would be very interesting since Carver shows them as the center of attention. Still, I thought the conversation wasn’t that interesting. I think Miss Dent, a woman with a seemingly dark past, was paying attention to the conversation only because it was the best form of entertainment she could find. It was either this or looking out the window at a lamp post in the middle of a vacant parking lot.

Something I found really interesting was how the three initially important characters ceased to be relevant in the last three paragraphs. The narrator suddenly starts to describe them all over again as if we didn’t know anything about them. Why did this happen? I can’t manage to obtain a good answer. Although I don’t know its purpose, this sudden change gives the story an interesting spin right at the end.

Active Reading, One Point "O"

Where I’m Calling From

When I first read this story, I thought it was very boring and unappealing. It seemed to me that the characters, besides being recovering alcoholics, didn’t have any interesting qualities. Looking back upon my original thoughts, I discovered that I was a little bit mistaken. The little hints that Carver gives us are really the basic description of each character. “J.P has a case of the shakes.” (Pg. 136) This quotation refers to an involuntary reaction an alcoholic has when he has been drinking. We see that J.P suffers from these shakes in various occasions, showing that he’s having a tough time getting over his addiction.

As for the main character, he too suffers from an addiction to alcohol. Apparently he doesn’t recognize his problem. “But I didn’t know if they could help me or not. Part of me wanted help. But there was another part.” (Pg. 138) We observe that he is in denial and doesn’t look like he wants help.

Still, this isn’t what I found interesting about this particular part of the story. “M Y wife bought me up here the first time… This time around, it was my girlfriend who drove me here.” (Pg. 138) The fact that his wife took him to rehab first and that his girlfriend took him the next time, made me think that his addiction caused the dissolution of his marriage. Maybe he didn’t get divorced, his girlfriend could have been his mistress.

Regarding all the little hints Carver gives us, I think that his writing isn’t based upon first impressions. One has to be very attentive to these clues in order to appreciate this form of writing. Frankly, I think that it’s confusing and tiring. I’d like to be better at active reading where I will value this kind of story. So far, it has been somewhat of an annoying process.

A Shakespeare Parody

I used to watch the show Animaniacs when I was a little kid. Considering my knowledge back then, it’s obvious I would have never discovered a connection between history and the cartoons. I found it quite amusing how the cartoons make fun of Shakespeare by translating what Hamlet says into simple words. Also, the fact that the cartoon in the back is digging up all kinds of things from the hole he is making is sort of funny. I found it especially funny right at the end. The cartoons boldly state that Cher will eventually end up looking like a corpse regardless of the number of plastic surgeries she gets.

I would say that this video seems a little childish and maybe not so appropriate for our age. Still, it’s related to Hamlet and it gives the subject a good start, even before we open the book.

Broken Refrigerator, Broken Relationship

Preservation

I’m beginning to see the different messages that Carver wants to transmit in his short stories. This short story in particular has caught my attention more than the others. I’ve been in a similar situation.

Carver explains how this couple´s refrigerator broke, but without actually saying it. He just explains the different sensations Sandy felt when she opened the refrigerator. “But when she opened the door, warm, boxed-in air came out at her… ice cream from the freezer had melted and run down into the left over fish sticks and cole slaw… An awful smell puffed out at her that made her want to gag.” (Pg. 39) I found it very interesting that I could imagine this scene perfectly. This brought back memories of the time my grandmother’s refrigerator had broken. I could almost smell the rotten meat when I was reading this.

Another aspect of this short story that caught my eye was the description of Sandy’s husband lying in the sofa for months. This image brought back another set of memories concerning the time I got really sick during summer vacations. I was bed ridden for about two weeks and all that time I was thinking about all the things I was missing out. I wondered how this guy could stay inside his house for a month without wanting to shoot himself. Even Sandy has the same kind of thoughts. “My God, a person couldn’t live the whole rest of his life in bed, or else on the sofa.” (Pg. 38)

Regarding the last few paragraphs of the story, I didn’t understand the meaning of the puddles of water on that table and on the floor. “She knew she’d never again in her life see anything so unusual.” (Pg. 46) Why was this so unusual? It’s not like they were in some kind of drought and lived in the Sahara.

The Plot Has Flat-Lined!!!

Chef's House

This story seems to start out on a better position than the one about the peacock. “THAT summer Wes rented a furnished house north of Eureka from a recovered alcoholic named Chef.” (Pg. 27) This first sentence caught my attention since an alcoholic can be a very interesting character in short story. Still, this is the most interesting part of the whole story. The rest is just a woman talking about her and her husband’s very boring stay at Chef’s house.

The only thing I found a tiny bit interesting was that the narrator was a woman. “At night Wes would take me in his arms and ask me if I was still his girl.” (Pg. 29)

I wish I could elaborate a little bit more, but I simply didn’t see anything worth mentioning. This story doesn’t even feel like it were to have some kind of hidden message. The plot line doesn’t even show a slight fluctuation.

Zzz Zzz Zzz...

Feathers
This short story is pretty much the most boring piece of literature I have ever encountered. I would say that the lack of plot is the main reason behind my interpretation. The text just explains any random day in the lives of a married couple. Regarding the few things I found interesting, I would say that the text contains some kind of hidden messages I don’t quite understand.

“Goddamn it,” I said. I sat there with my hands on the wheel and stared at the thing.” (Pg. 7) This quotation refers to the scene where the main character and his wife see a peacock at their friend’s house. I found this to be a very peculiar behavior since a peacock is a bird. It’s not like it were to attack them. Yet again the main character might suffer from ornithophobia, the fear of birds. Another behavior I found very weird as well was his disgust towards the baby. “Bar none, it was the ugliest baby I’d ever seen.” (Pg. 20) The main character rambles on about the ugliness of the baby in a very rude manner. Still, it was just his thoughts and he didn’t express his feelings in any way.

A very interesting aspect of the story was product placement. Certain products are mentioned by their brands. For example, instead of writing “a big chair,” Carver mentions a “La-Z-Boy” on page thirteen.

Finally I noticed a great deal of sensory language. “Corn rose on both sides of the drive. Corn stood higher than the car. I could hear gravel crunching under the tires. As we got close to the house, we could see a garden with green things the size of baseballs hanging from the vines.” (Pg. 7) This quality makes the text a little bit fun to read since we get a good mental image of the surroundings. Still, I maintain that this was e very boring short story.

A Philosopher's Bible

These last few sections of Epictetus’s Handbook mention two interesting arguments. In section 44, Epictetus explains how people think they’re superior just because they’re more eloquent or have more money. He then demonstrates that everyone is equal and skills are what create differences. The other argument is section 47. Epictetus tells us that we shouldn’t brag because we have endured hard times, “Instead, when you are terribly thirsty, take cold water into your mouth, and spit it out, and do not tell anyone about it.” (Pg. 27) This shows that self discipline is only measured by us, and that no one else is responsible for noticing it.

Something I found very ironic was that Epictetus mentions “the first and most necessary aspect of philosophy” in the second to last section. Still, I don’t think that each section leads in to the next. Maybe Epictetus wanted to save the best for last.

A friend of mine told me that Epictetus had been a cripple and a slave. This is a valuable piece of information concerning the way Epictetus wrote The Handbook. Epictetus demonstrates, in several occasions, that the body is unimportant and that the mind is a lot more powerful. These would obviously be the thoughts of a cripple. I wouldn’t say he is against people who are healthy, but one of the side-effects of his condition could be his way of thinking.

I still maintain that The Handbook is the guide to being a philosopher. It doesn’t show us how to live our lives based upon the ideas of good or bad. He just gives us pieces of advice so we can be thought of as intelligent persons.

The Handbook (Being a Philosopher for Dummies)

I would say that I still don’t understand the Handbook all too well. In spite of this, I’ve managed to relate the text to my daily living. It gives us advice regarding the impression people have about us and the ways that we can improve said impression. “If you happen to be stranded among strangers, do not talk.” (Pg. 22) This quotation shows that we shouldn’t subject ourselves to any criticism especially to that which comes from strangers.

Two sentences after the quotation I mentioned, Epictetus tells us not to swear any oaths unless the circumstances allow it. This made me recall a scene in the sitcom 2 and a ½ Men, where an irresponsible older man tells a young boy never to make promises, that way he will never go against his word. Apparently, these words have a lot more value than what I initially thought, maybe I shouldn’t make promises.

In an earlier blog, I mentioned that there was the possibility that this text was influenced by Socrates. As it turns out, I was right, Epictetus mentions Socrates in the thirty-third section.

As for the purpose of The Handbook, I think I have discovered why Epictetus wrote it. It explains the basic rules for being a philosopher. According to Guillermo Mina, a philosopher is the person that asks himself extraordinary questions about the extraordinary, but it could be the person that follows these rules.

Mise on Scene, a Tool for Symbolism?

Battle for Algiers seems like a very valuable piece of cinematography. In certain scenes, we see symbolism either showing the French as powerful oppressors or the Arabs as dangerous rebels. For example, when the French commander arrives to Algiers, we see him as a powerful and scary figure since most of the shots show him from a low angle.

As I was watching the movie, I couldn’t help to find certain elements of the French New Wave. Long tracking shots, a low budget feel, the use of people who weren’t actors, etc. these are all qualities that made part of the French New Wave.

Regarding The Stranger, I couldn’t find any similarities. In The Stranger, we see Algiers as a regular society with the occasional murder. Battle for Algiers shows a nation in pain and suffering because of the French. It doesn’t look like the Arabs had any privileges, not even have the freedom to go to the beach. I think Camus chose to show Algiers as a peaceful society so he could show Meursault as the real society.

As for Epictetus’s Handbook, I don’t think it has any relationship with Battle for Algiers. (Unless the movie turns into a philosophy lesson, or in later chapters, The Handbook talks about how to blow up a French restaurant.

Scratching The Surface

My understanding of Epictetus’s Handbook is still pretty basic. I think he’s trying to gives a guide for living without remorse or sadness. What confuses me is the humorous and ambiguous tone that the text has. Still, I was able to pick up certain things that I found quite interesting.

Number 17 is one of the easier points to understand and has a very important meaning concerning our way of life. Epictetus is saying that we are the ones that design our lives and we are responsible for the way we are. “If he wants to play a beggar, play even this part skillfully…” (Pg. 16) We have to give our all, no matter what the circumstances are. That’s the message I’m getting from this text, DO YOUR BEST AT ALL TIMES.

Other than this, I observed that this text shows that those who claim themselves to be philosophers really aren’t. I related this to Socrates since he claimed that he was the wisest man just because he recognized that he didn’t know anything. Maybe Epictetus was influenced by Socrates when writing The Handbook, maybe it’s my impression since I’m currently taking a philosophy class.

If I were to take the text as a whole I wouldn’t be able to specify what the main idea is. I would say that it’s a guide to life, but it also has a sarcastic feel which shows an odd resemblance to Mark Twain’s Advice to Youth.