I noticed that O'Brien lists the things they carry first and then the weight. The fact that he lists the weight of each items make it seem heavier to me. I think about all the items and weight doesn't enter my mind until he mentions it.
Some terminology: Legs/grunts = men
Humping = to carry something/ walk/ march
Some of the things they carried was related to different categories. Rank, Specialty of the soldier, the mission, superstition, and self-preferences.
O'Brien continues to mention Ted Lavender's death, seems to me like he feels partly guilty for it.
Some of the emotional things they carried were: Silent awe for the things they carried, ghosts, memory, infection/disease, the land, the sky, and gravity. Also Lt. jimmy Cross carried the lives of his soldiers.
My question is what are they doing there? I understand they are fighting a war against communism but what exactly are they doing? What steps are they taking?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
On the Road chapters 1-6
chapter 1
Sal has alot of intellectual friends who are mostly negative. His friend Dean is possibly the only positive intellectual friend he has. Dean Moriarty is a character. He is a crazy youth that runs from the law. He is a scoundrel and a player. He likes to talk smart, he uses big words and grammer even though he might not know what he's talking about, and he seems like a smart alec.
This quote sums up Sal and Dean's relationship: "He was only conning because he wanted so much to live and to get involved with people who would othewise pay no attention to him. He was conning me and i knew it... and he knew i knew (this has been the basis of our relationship)..."
Carlo Marx is an artsy type of character, and he is one of the negative intellectuals mentioned before. When Carlo and Dean met they instantly clicked.
"Two keen minds they are, they took to each other at the drop of a hat. Two piercing eyes glance into two piercing eyes - the hoyl con-man with the shining mind, and the sorrowful poetic con-man with the dark mind that is Carlo Marx."
Chapter 2
I think this whole chapter is foreshadowing to Sal's failure and then success. At first he ends up in a bad situation in the rain and then he hitch-hikes with two women.
Chapter 3
what is bop at the Loop?
"I thought of all my friends from one end of the country to the other and how they were really all in the same vast backyard doing something so frantic and rushing-about."
This quote made me think of our country on a smaller scale, as a piece of land that were all on doing something different but that helps all of us and that other countries are the same as well.
At this point i can see the list type qualities in the writing.
All of Sal's friends are in Denver, it's like a gang.
Sal talks of the East as his past and the West as a symbol of his future. at one point it is said the "old man spirit of the west."
Sal and the other hitch-hiker were offered jobs to work at a carnival and they didn't take it. i thought of Grapes of Wrath and figured that the Joads would have taken the job.
Chapter 4
Let me just say that Montana Slim seems like a maniac.
I think that the truck that took Sal and the other hitch-hikers is a symbol for somthing. What could it be?
Why is Sal so fascinated with Gene and the blone boy? He is so nice to them and buys them cigarettes and they don't even ask.
Chapter 5
Montana Slim used Sal for alcohol. He has a sentimental side for his father.
Could he be a symbol? will he return?
I predict that Denver will not be as great as Sal thinks.
Chapter 6
I think Sal is an alcoholic and things aren't as good as he expected in Denver just like my prediction.
Sal has alot of intellectual friends who are mostly negative. His friend Dean is possibly the only positive intellectual friend he has. Dean Moriarty is a character. He is a crazy youth that runs from the law. He is a scoundrel and a player. He likes to talk smart, he uses big words and grammer even though he might not know what he's talking about, and he seems like a smart alec.
This quote sums up Sal and Dean's relationship: "He was only conning because he wanted so much to live and to get involved with people who would othewise pay no attention to him. He was conning me and i knew it... and he knew i knew (this has been the basis of our relationship)..."
Carlo Marx is an artsy type of character, and he is one of the negative intellectuals mentioned before. When Carlo and Dean met they instantly clicked.
"Two keen minds they are, they took to each other at the drop of a hat. Two piercing eyes glance into two piercing eyes - the hoyl con-man with the shining mind, and the sorrowful poetic con-man with the dark mind that is Carlo Marx."
Chapter 2
I think this whole chapter is foreshadowing to Sal's failure and then success. At first he ends up in a bad situation in the rain and then he hitch-hikes with two women.
Chapter 3
what is bop at the Loop?
"I thought of all my friends from one end of the country to the other and how they were really all in the same vast backyard doing something so frantic and rushing-about."
This quote made me think of our country on a smaller scale, as a piece of land that were all on doing something different but that helps all of us and that other countries are the same as well.
At this point i can see the list type qualities in the writing.
All of Sal's friends are in Denver, it's like a gang.
Sal talks of the East as his past and the West as a symbol of his future. at one point it is said the "old man spirit of the west."
Sal and the other hitch-hiker were offered jobs to work at a carnival and they didn't take it. i thought of Grapes of Wrath and figured that the Joads would have taken the job.
Chapter 4
Let me just say that Montana Slim seems like a maniac.
I think that the truck that took Sal and the other hitch-hikers is a symbol for somthing. What could it be?
Why is Sal so fascinated with Gene and the blone boy? He is so nice to them and buys them cigarettes and they don't even ask.
Chapter 5
Montana Slim used Sal for alcohol. He has a sentimental side for his father.
Could he be a symbol? will he return?
I predict that Denver will not be as great as Sal thinks.
Chapter 6
I think Sal is an alcoholic and things aren't as good as he expected in Denver just like my prediction.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Grapes of Wrath ch.26-end
bvvvvvvIn the beggining of chapter 26 i get the vibe that the men don't really seem to care that they're poor and starving, they are sitting around thinking. At one point of the men says that a job they were offered just didn't seem right so he didn't take it. If your family is starving and in poverty don't you think youd take any job to get your kids fed? He didn't even try the job on, he could've went in for at least one day and left afterwards if it was bad.
On page 352 Pa says "Time was when a man said what we'd do. Seems like women is tellin' now. Seems like it's purty near time to get out a stick." This is showing the theme of male dominance fading away. Up untill this point the men have been dominant and the women were more submissive, but now Ma is the head of the family and Pa doesn't really have a place anymore.
I wondered if Ruthie and Winfield, or even the whole joad family was educated, but then Ma stated something about them going to school when they get the money. The kids retorted that they don't want to go to school because the kids there are mean and stuck up. The rest of the family doesn't seem to have a good education, if any at all, they just survive on "street smarts" and thier knowledge of the world.
On page 375 the theme of ownership comes up again. Ma went to the store and is trying to buy food. The food there is overpriced and Ma knows it, the clerk and Ma share a few heated words and the clerk says there is nothing he can do about the prices. He says that Hooper Ranches, Icorporated owns it and they set the prices. They can set the prices as high as they want because it's their store. Ma runs out of money and still needs sugar, the guy eventually lends he a dime to get the sugar with and she realizes he's not the bad guy, he's just trying to make a living too. Ma says "... go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help."
Casy ended up being the leader in the strike. The guys who went there to work were said to get five cents a box but only got two and a half per box. I figured earlier in the book that either Tom or Casy would lead the rebellion and Casy ended up dying for the cause. Jesus Christ, JC, Jim Casy. Casy is like the Jesus figure, he was always sacrificing himself for others even though he didn't do anything wrong.
When Ma met with Tom at his hideout Tom started speaking about Casy, he brought up the theme of unity again like Casy usually did. He talked about how everyone has a little piece of a grand soul. He was inspired by what Casy had done, he revolted, organized, unified. He died for a good cause and Tom wasn't gonna let that cause become lost. Tom is going to go back to the Government camp and organize the campers there. He's going to lead the revolution.
I wonder what the rain after the meeting could symbolize. A new beggining, hope?
Pa has realized on page 423 that he isn't the head anymore, that Ma is the head. He seems to have given up on thier life and family. This reminds me of how Grampa acted when he was separated from is place, the land. Pa just does what he is told now and doesn't really have a say in family affairs. The famil structure has fallen apart.
Rose of Sharon seemed to have become depressed after she heard the news that Al and Aggie are going to get married. She wanted to get married to Connie and now that Al is getting married Connie being gone has really set in and she's accepted that he's probably not comi6ng back. I think she feels that she is in the way now so she decides to go and pick cotton.
The rain is back. Still wondering what it could stand for...
Rose of Sharon is sick, i think the baby is going to come soon, maybe the rain could represent the baby.
On page 352 Pa says "Time was when a man said what we'd do. Seems like women is tellin' now. Seems like it's purty near time to get out a stick." This is showing the theme of male dominance fading away. Up untill this point the men have been dominant and the women were more submissive, but now Ma is the head of the family and Pa doesn't really have a place anymore.
I wondered if Ruthie and Winfield, or even the whole joad family was educated, but then Ma stated something about them going to school when they get the money. The kids retorted that they don't want to go to school because the kids there are mean and stuck up. The rest of the family doesn't seem to have a good education, if any at all, they just survive on "street smarts" and thier knowledge of the world.
On page 375 the theme of ownership comes up again. Ma went to the store and is trying to buy food. The food there is overpriced and Ma knows it, the clerk and Ma share a few heated words and the clerk says there is nothing he can do about the prices. He says that Hooper Ranches, Icorporated owns it and they set the prices. They can set the prices as high as they want because it's their store. Ma runs out of money and still needs sugar, the guy eventually lends he a dime to get the sugar with and she realizes he's not the bad guy, he's just trying to make a living too. Ma says "... go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help."
Casy ended up being the leader in the strike. The guys who went there to work were said to get five cents a box but only got two and a half per box. I figured earlier in the book that either Tom or Casy would lead the rebellion and Casy ended up dying for the cause. Jesus Christ, JC, Jim Casy. Casy is like the Jesus figure, he was always sacrificing himself for others even though he didn't do anything wrong.
When Ma met with Tom at his hideout Tom started speaking about Casy, he brought up the theme of unity again like Casy usually did. He talked about how everyone has a little piece of a grand soul. He was inspired by what Casy had done, he revolted, organized, unified. He died for a good cause and Tom wasn't gonna let that cause become lost. Tom is going to go back to the Government camp and organize the campers there. He's going to lead the revolution.
I wonder what the rain after the meeting could symbolize. A new beggining, hope?
Pa has realized on page 423 that he isn't the head anymore, that Ma is the head. He seems to have given up on thier life and family. This reminds me of how Grampa acted when he was separated from is place, the land. Pa just does what he is told now and doesn't really have a say in family affairs. The famil structure has fallen apart.
Rose of Sharon seemed to have become depressed after she heard the news that Al and Aggie are going to get married. She wanted to get married to Connie and now that Al is getting married Connie being gone has really set in and she's accepted that he's probably not comi6ng back. I think she feels that she is in the way now so she decides to go and pick cotton.
The rain is back. Still wondering what it could stand for...
Rose of Sharon is sick, i think the baby is going to come soon, maybe the rain could represent the baby.
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