Tuesday, September 30, 2008
On Writing - 32 - 38
This particular section of King's book "On Writing" deals with his severe addiction to drugs and alcohol. The problems started after his mother died, and King gave the eulogy intoxicated. The myth that mind altering substances can have an effect on ones creative endeavor seems to be completely true in this section; King is one of the most creative writers of all time, and has been able to produce some of the most brilliant horror stories ever written. In fact, King claims that his novels Misery and Tommyknockers were both written while he was incredibly intoxicated, and that The Shining was written about himself at the time. However, King also claims that drug addiction and creative endeavor being directly related is nonsense, although creative people probably do run a higher risk of falling into an alcohol or drug related downward spiral.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Too Bad About Mrs. Ferri
The short chapter entitled "Too Bad About Mrs. Ferri," in August Kleinzahler's book "Cutty, One Rock" begins with the assassinaton of a mobster named Albert Anastasia, who lived down the block from Kleinzahler. As an 8-year old living in a rough New Jersey neighbourhood, Kleinzahler recalls the events of that day vividly, still perfectly capable of running off the names of some of the more famous Jersey mobsters that lived in his town. His mother explains that Albert Anastasia had gotten "very sick," a white lie in an attempt to spare her child the gruesome details of his violent death. Kleinzahler even remembers the time of day - 10:20 a.m. - that Anastasia was killed. Gloriana, Albert's daughter, was a friend of Kleinzahler's at a young age, and the two of them would play in the sandbox together under the supervision of one of Anastasia's "gorilla-sized" bodyguards. August Kleinzahler does a brilliant job of putting himself back into his 8-year-old state of mind, especially when recalling the foul language used by the other children (even at such a young age) in his New Jersey schoolyard. The one vivid memory from his school that he mentions in this chapter is being beaten senseless by "Tommy Grumulia and Anthony Delvecchio," after calling someone a son of a bitch. What I love the most about the way this chapter is described is that it is exactly how an 8 year old would remember these events; everything from Albert Anastasia getting whacked to being beat up by some Italian-American children is explained in an innocent, childish manner, which makes everything that much more believable.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Dog, the Family: A Household Tale
August Kleinzahler’s description of his early years, which seem to centre around his homely mutt, named Twenty Grand, or Granny for short after a famous racehorse, is as unique as anything I’ve ever heard of. The constant criticism that Kleinzahler claims he would receive from his parents and grandmother would generally be grounds for the beginning of a depressing memoir, but no. His zany descriptions of his glue sniffing brother or bookworm sister help shed a different light on what was certainly not a flattering childhood. The way he describes it, in fact, makes everything that happened seem funny. For example, the dog and children hiding in fear in the upstairs bathroom while their father went off and destroyed everything in sight. Kleinzahler claims that he was a mistake, that he was conceived while his mother was in a drunken frenzy, and that her mother (his grandmother) had an insane rule over his mom and her sisters. These are all ingredients for a disastrous childhood, but through the eyes of August Kleinzahler, it all seems almost normal. He makes it hard not to laugh at such gruesome misfortune, the way he describes the various characters in his early childhood, especially the dog. The chapter ends with the death of their increasingly fragile pooch, which somehow seems to be the only sad part in a chapter that describes an extremely depressing childhood.
Monday, September 15, 2008
"Experience," by Martin Amis
1) Women and Love - 1. Summary: Amis’ “Women and Love” portion of the novel is an interesting one because of the incredible contrast of his luck with women during the course of his lifetime. “Experience” was written primarily in memory of Martin Amis’ father, Kingsley, who would comment on Martin’s choice in women. For instance, Kingsley was extremely fond of one of Martin’s early girlfriends, Emma Soames, and after they broke up and Martin began dating a woman named Mary Furness, Kingsley’s reaction was slightly bitter. In the early 1970’s, Martin Amis explains that he could not get a girlfriend no matter how hard he tried, something he attributed to his unattractiveness. Amis loathed himself for not being able to find a girl, but it wasn’t long before his fortune began to change. He was told by Kingsley, whose wife had just left him, that “it’s only half a life without a woman,” which really affected Martin, who four years later married his wife, Antonia Phillips.
- This is a really well written portion of the novel by Amis, possibly the best in the whole memoir. His dads involvement in his love life is something that he can recall vividly, and shows just how important his father was in all aspects of his life. During Martin's "cold streak," he describes he and his friends choice in clothing; "What can I tell you? It was the seventies. The joke decade. Clive wore denim hipsters and a poacher's jacket... I, like Rob, was almost certainly sporting a dagger-collared flower shirt and green velvet flares..." This passage goes on much longer, and is one of my favourites because it doesn't take long to figure exactly why Amis wasn't doing very well with the opposite sex. It adds a somewhat comedic aspect to this section of the novel, which for the most part is relatively serious.
2) Feasts of Friends. Summary: The majority of Martin Amis’ “Feasts of Friends” section of the book is written about one of his father’s friends, Phillip Larkin (who became friends with Martin as well, despite being many years his senior). Although Amis claims that his sense of Larkin came during his childhood, Larkin was said to have hated children, something Amis thought may have been caused by he and his brother. In the last few pages of this section, Amis says that people had told him that he took a friendship lightly, and describes a letter he had received from his friend Julian Barnes. Amis was forced to drop his agent, Pat Kavanaugh, after working together for 23 years, in favour of a new American agent. Barnes was married to Kavanaugh, and things between him and Amis took a turn for the worse after Amis fired Kavanaugh. At the very end of this passage, Amis shows the exact letter he sent to Barnes, essentially asking for forgiveness, which he claims was difficult for him to include in the book because of the emotional impact the letter had on him.
- This section of the book was slightly odd, because it might make the reader believe that Amis didn't have many friends, something I'm not sure is completely true. It is not an exceptionally long passage, and Amis doesn't mention many people - it almost entirely consists of Larkin and Barnes, both of whom had a severe emotional effect on him. "For the first time in these pages, I sense the twist of Rancour in me, and my hands, as I write, feel loath and cold," is what Amis says after he posts the letter he had written to Julian Barnes. Obviously winning back the fondness and respect of Julian Barnes was important for Amis, and selecting these two individuals to write about in a section about his friends seems appropriate.
3) The Hands of Mike Szabatura. Summary: The unique title of this part of the book seems strange at first, however makes perfect sense in only the first paragraph. Szabatura is Amis' dentist, someone who Amis admittedly hadn’t seen in 5 years, and was fretting visiting on this day in 1994. He claims that his mother had bad gums and good teeth, and his father had bad gums and good teeth – Martin, however, had bad gums and bad teeth. After being looked at by Szabatura, not only did Amis discover that he had a growth above his chin that needed to be remove, his upper teeth were to be removed as well. The weeks leading up to his operation were uncomfortable, physically and emotionally, as he reflects on the things he has used his teeth and mouth for while they’ve been there. Amis’ description of his mouth’s appearance as a “dark tunnel” provides a pretty good idea of his condition after the operation was complete.
- The way this section is written seems appropriate, because it makes Amis sound slightly crazy. He can hardly be blamed, however, most people would if their entire set of upper teeth were going to be removed. "Goodbye. Goodbye. This is goodbye. You hated me. I hated you. You hated me. Be gone. Stay!" Those are the words that Amis has for his upper teeth - he continues on like that for a few more lines. It is also well written in the sense that it brings back some of his childhood innocence, as he recalls hiding from the dentist as a young boy, possibly part of the reason he hadn't seen a dentist in 5 years. This section isn't quite as sincere as the previous two, either. Amis' describes all the bad things he had done with his mouth - drink, smoke, kiss (in one case, a woman that wasn't his girlfriend), and believed that ultimately, he was paying for it by having his upper teeth removed.
4) Rank. Summary: The reason that this particular section of the book is called “Rank” is because Amis talks about his rank, or social status, in the community with his children. The actual reading itself has very little to do with rank aside from that one conversation; he talks about everything from smoking hash, doing poorly in school and picking up girls with his friend Rob to attending an all-boys private grammar school in Cambridgeshire. In fact, the reason behind calling this section “Rank” is that in his time spent at that school, he realized how much better off those children were than him. In fact, one of his fellow students was the Earl of Caithness. After spending a reasonable amount of time at private school, Amis realized that in no way was this for him, and it was time to call it quits.
- This isn't a very long section, and is a somewhat confusing one at that. Certain conversations that he recalls are repetitive or confusing and difficult to follow. That being said, a number of the conversations are interesting, despite being somewhat hard to understand. For instance, after his time spent at private school, Martin asks his father, "Dad, are we nouveau riche?" to which his father responds, "Well, very nouveau. And not at all riche." The reason Amis brings up this conversation is because thirty years later, his son Louis asks, "Dad, what class are we?" In response, Amis claims "we aren't. We don't believe in that stuff." The questions he would ask his father as a child are similar to those his kids are asking him now, something Amis obviously wanted to include in the memoir. One thing I particularly like about this book, however, is that he always finds a good way to end a section, a pattern I've noticed throughout all the readings so far.
5) The Magics. Summary: One of the later sections of the book, entitled “The Magics,” is about two different things that Amis considers “magic,” birth and death. Death, because his father Kingsley passes away, possibly the most important moment in the whole memoir, simply because of the connection between the two and the incredible impact Kingsley had on Martin’s life and career. The other magic, birth, is included because of the birth of his children. Amis claims he had always wanted a girl, however his first two children were boys, both of whom had come dangerously early. Finally, his third child (a c-section) came, with serious complications at birth; the babies’ heart had stopped beating for a full minute at one point, although Amis believed everything would be all right. He was right, and the third baby was, as he had hoped, a girl.
- The writing in this section in particular is impressive because of how passionate Amis is about both subjects. The death of his father was a crucial moment in his life for so many reasons, with Kingsley being such an important influence not only in his professional career, but also growing up and creating what he is today. Amis is able to clearly explain what his father’s passing meant to him, as well as his keen desire to have a girl baby after having two boys. I was impressed that he could stuff so many important moments in his life into such a short section so smoothly, which he did extremely well. "Mr. Marwood parted the baby's thighs with a matador's flourish. I took this in; but what riveted me more was the lower lip, which was still trembling, as if to resist tears," is how Amis describes the day his daughter was born, and the doctors reaction. This section essentially sums up the greatest, as well as the worst, moments of his life, which he explains in a sincere manner, and truly puts perspective on the most important things in his life.
6) Existence still is the job. Summary: This section of the book begins with the suicide of Frederick West, an English serial killer who hung himself in jail. The apparent reason behind his suicide, according to his sons, is because he was terrified in jail, and was afraid that if he didn’t kill himself, someone else would. Amis runs off some of the professional and private severances that had happened to him in 1995: His dental issues, the separation with his wife and two of his children, as well as his dear friend and mentor, Saul Bellows, in the hospital breathing through a machine after a massive attack on his nervous system. To cap off his year of horror was the death of his friend Bruno Fonseca, only 36 years old, which especially bothered Amis because of a photo of a 12-year-old Bruno he had seen that reminded him of his own children.
- The writing of this section is similar to that of the other sections, although the actual content itself is much more interesting. He captures the attention of the reader immediately by discussing the suicide of a famous English murderer who commits suicide in jail. What makes this a good memoir is how many crippling emotional experiences Amis has experienced, and his ability to express them in a way that makes it easy to sympathize with him. "Additionally, alongside all of this, my friend, mentor and hero Saul Bellows was on a breathing machine in an intensive care unit..." is what Amis says about his friend Saul, AFTER describing the other tragic events that had plagued his year to that point. This section is well written because it consists entirely of the low points of his life, which he expresses in an interesting way, especially the way he relates the photo of a young Bruno Fonseca to his own children, and the fact that even though they’re of no relation, he fears the same fate for his children.
7) Permanent Soul. Summary: Amis explains the first time he met his friend and mentor, Saul Bellows, in Chicago. It was late October, 1983, and Amis was in Chicago to write a piece about Bellows, something that he was finding quite difficult. Bellows had revealed everything about himself, so finding something new and interesting to write was quite the task for Martin Amis. However, in this book at least, Amis reveals that Bellows was 68 at the time, had already had three wives and was on his fourth (who he would also divorce), and had three children. The piece that Amis was to write, he decided, was not going to be about Saul Bellow’s personal life; he was more interesting in the career and writing of Saul.
- As is the case in every other portion of the book, Amis relates everything back to his father. Like Bellows, his father was a nervous wreck because of his profession, and would visit Martin in the late hours of the night as a child to settle himself down, something described as a bonding experience. This is certainly not the most interesting part of the memoir, nor is it the longest. Although I found the writing slightly bland and repetitive in this particular section, Amis’ actual descriptions of Saul Bellows own personal life were rather interesting. “Saul Bellows was sixty-eight in 1983. Three wives, three sons, and now a fourth marriage. This marriage too would end. But that’s life,” is the way Amis describes Bellow’s family situation, which may be the reason for his nervous breakdown as an older man.
8) The Fact of Wounds. Summary: This part of the book is as depressing as any of the others, if not more. Lucy Partington, Martin’s cousin, was murdered by Frederick West, the famous English serial killer who was talked about in one of the other sections (West eventually hung himself in jail). Many people spoke at her funeral, about her personality and her faith, Lucy being a newly converted Roman Catholic right before she died. Amis opens this section of the book with a poem about the sun rising and setting, a metaphor he clearly used to describe the life of his beloved cousin, Lucy.
- Not a particularly long section by any means, although certainly one of the best written. Amis uses several clever metaphors to describe the life of his cousin, which was cut devastatingly short. For instance, the poem he recites about the sun rising and setting, as well as “The death of Lucy Partington represents a fantastic collision. It is what happens when darkness meets light, when experience meets innocence…” to name a couple. Amis is able to clearly express how upset he is over the brutal slaying of his cousin, and also describes the sad feelings not only of his family, but those of everyone who knew Lucy Partington.
9) The Problem of Reentry. Summary: After having his mouth operated on and upper teeth removed, Amis was to return to London with a gaping hole in his mouth. He claims to have had a clamp put it to hold everything together, something he says felt like he was at the dentists office every single day. Amis fears showing everyone what his new appearance, with a misshaped face and no upper teeth, looks like, which is why this section is called “The Problem of Reentry.” Returning to London in such a condition could lead to disastrous results.
- Amis’ gruesome descriptions of his face during this section are what make it such an entertaining thing to read. He has several colourful descriptions of his appearance in the final paragraph; “And never mind all the gagging and retching, as compulsive as a fit of hiccups, nor the sudden Niagara’s of drool. For several years I didn’t go to the dentist. Now the clamp makes me feel that I am at the dentist’s all day long.” I enjoyed reading this not only because of the style he uses to write, but also because anyone can sympathize with having to visit friends in an “ugly” state, although I certainly couldn’t imagine even leaving the house with no upper teeth!
10) It im again, Dai. Summary: Another slightly depressing section of the book, Amis talks about a number of times where he had been abused in some way or another during his childhood. His first recollection is of bullies, one who found him playing next to a sewer grate and scared him off, then found him again with a friend and punched him in the forehead. In his early high school years, he was dragged into a vacant classroom and again, beaten senseless. The final form of abuse that he describes is of a sexual nature – he claims to have been molested in his room during one of his parent’s dinner parties. Like the other incidents, Amis decided to keep quiet, and so his mother never did find out what had happened.
- Another dark-themed section, Amis does a good job of describing his state of innocence in each situation. The way he describes the time period, as well, is what makes it easy to understand; for instance, the incident at high school in Cambridgeshire was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and every student was to “expect that their desks would save them from the end of the world.” The incident that affected him in the worst way, however, was clearly the one at his parent’s dinner party. “These are insults, these are thefts. They take something from you that you never quite get back.” I was impressed that Amis was able to include such an intense, personal memory into his memoir, and he does it in a way that truly makes the reader pity him as a young boy.
- This is a really well written portion of the novel by Amis, possibly the best in the whole memoir. His dads involvement in his love life is something that he can recall vividly, and shows just how important his father was in all aspects of his life. During Martin's "cold streak," he describes he and his friends choice in clothing; "What can I tell you? It was the seventies. The joke decade. Clive wore denim hipsters and a poacher's jacket... I, like Rob, was almost certainly sporting a dagger-collared flower shirt and green velvet flares..." This passage goes on much longer, and is one of my favourites because it doesn't take long to figure exactly why Amis wasn't doing very well with the opposite sex. It adds a somewhat comedic aspect to this section of the novel, which for the most part is relatively serious.
2) Feasts of Friends. Summary: The majority of Martin Amis’ “Feasts of Friends” section of the book is written about one of his father’s friends, Phillip Larkin (who became friends with Martin as well, despite being many years his senior). Although Amis claims that his sense of Larkin came during his childhood, Larkin was said to have hated children, something Amis thought may have been caused by he and his brother. In the last few pages of this section, Amis says that people had told him that he took a friendship lightly, and describes a letter he had received from his friend Julian Barnes. Amis was forced to drop his agent, Pat Kavanaugh, after working together for 23 years, in favour of a new American agent. Barnes was married to Kavanaugh, and things between him and Amis took a turn for the worse after Amis fired Kavanaugh. At the very end of this passage, Amis shows the exact letter he sent to Barnes, essentially asking for forgiveness, which he claims was difficult for him to include in the book because of the emotional impact the letter had on him.
- This section of the book was slightly odd, because it might make the reader believe that Amis didn't have many friends, something I'm not sure is completely true. It is not an exceptionally long passage, and Amis doesn't mention many people - it almost entirely consists of Larkin and Barnes, both of whom had a severe emotional effect on him. "For the first time in these pages, I sense the twist of Rancour in me, and my hands, as I write, feel loath and cold," is what Amis says after he posts the letter he had written to Julian Barnes. Obviously winning back the fondness and respect of Julian Barnes was important for Amis, and selecting these two individuals to write about in a section about his friends seems appropriate.
3) The Hands of Mike Szabatura. Summary: The unique title of this part of the book seems strange at first, however makes perfect sense in only the first paragraph. Szabatura is Amis' dentist, someone who Amis admittedly hadn’t seen in 5 years, and was fretting visiting on this day in 1994. He claims that his mother had bad gums and good teeth, and his father had bad gums and good teeth – Martin, however, had bad gums and bad teeth. After being looked at by Szabatura, not only did Amis discover that he had a growth above his chin that needed to be remove, his upper teeth were to be removed as well. The weeks leading up to his operation were uncomfortable, physically and emotionally, as he reflects on the things he has used his teeth and mouth for while they’ve been there. Amis’ description of his mouth’s appearance as a “dark tunnel” provides a pretty good idea of his condition after the operation was complete.
- The way this section is written seems appropriate, because it makes Amis sound slightly crazy. He can hardly be blamed, however, most people would if their entire set of upper teeth were going to be removed. "Goodbye. Goodbye. This is goodbye. You hated me. I hated you. You hated me. Be gone. Stay!" Those are the words that Amis has for his upper teeth - he continues on like that for a few more lines. It is also well written in the sense that it brings back some of his childhood innocence, as he recalls hiding from the dentist as a young boy, possibly part of the reason he hadn't seen a dentist in 5 years. This section isn't quite as sincere as the previous two, either. Amis' describes all the bad things he had done with his mouth - drink, smoke, kiss (in one case, a woman that wasn't his girlfriend), and believed that ultimately, he was paying for it by having his upper teeth removed.
4) Rank. Summary: The reason that this particular section of the book is called “Rank” is because Amis talks about his rank, or social status, in the community with his children. The actual reading itself has very little to do with rank aside from that one conversation; he talks about everything from smoking hash, doing poorly in school and picking up girls with his friend Rob to attending an all-boys private grammar school in Cambridgeshire. In fact, the reason behind calling this section “Rank” is that in his time spent at that school, he realized how much better off those children were than him. In fact, one of his fellow students was the Earl of Caithness. After spending a reasonable amount of time at private school, Amis realized that in no way was this for him, and it was time to call it quits.
- This isn't a very long section, and is a somewhat confusing one at that. Certain conversations that he recalls are repetitive or confusing and difficult to follow. That being said, a number of the conversations are interesting, despite being somewhat hard to understand. For instance, after his time spent at private school, Martin asks his father, "Dad, are we nouveau riche?" to which his father responds, "Well, very nouveau. And not at all riche." The reason Amis brings up this conversation is because thirty years later, his son Louis asks, "Dad, what class are we?" In response, Amis claims "we aren't. We don't believe in that stuff." The questions he would ask his father as a child are similar to those his kids are asking him now, something Amis obviously wanted to include in the memoir. One thing I particularly like about this book, however, is that he always finds a good way to end a section, a pattern I've noticed throughout all the readings so far.
5) The Magics. Summary: One of the later sections of the book, entitled “The Magics,” is about two different things that Amis considers “magic,” birth and death. Death, because his father Kingsley passes away, possibly the most important moment in the whole memoir, simply because of the connection between the two and the incredible impact Kingsley had on Martin’s life and career. The other magic, birth, is included because of the birth of his children. Amis claims he had always wanted a girl, however his first two children were boys, both of whom had come dangerously early. Finally, his third child (a c-section) came, with serious complications at birth; the babies’ heart had stopped beating for a full minute at one point, although Amis believed everything would be all right. He was right, and the third baby was, as he had hoped, a girl.
- The writing in this section in particular is impressive because of how passionate Amis is about both subjects. The death of his father was a crucial moment in his life for so many reasons, with Kingsley being such an important influence not only in his professional career, but also growing up and creating what he is today. Amis is able to clearly explain what his father’s passing meant to him, as well as his keen desire to have a girl baby after having two boys. I was impressed that he could stuff so many important moments in his life into such a short section so smoothly, which he did extremely well. "Mr. Marwood parted the baby's thighs with a matador's flourish. I took this in; but what riveted me more was the lower lip, which was still trembling, as if to resist tears," is how Amis describes the day his daughter was born, and the doctors reaction. This section essentially sums up the greatest, as well as the worst, moments of his life, which he explains in a sincere manner, and truly puts perspective on the most important things in his life.
6) Existence still is the job. Summary: This section of the book begins with the suicide of Frederick West, an English serial killer who hung himself in jail. The apparent reason behind his suicide, according to his sons, is because he was terrified in jail, and was afraid that if he didn’t kill himself, someone else would. Amis runs off some of the professional and private severances that had happened to him in 1995: His dental issues, the separation with his wife and two of his children, as well as his dear friend and mentor, Saul Bellows, in the hospital breathing through a machine after a massive attack on his nervous system. To cap off his year of horror was the death of his friend Bruno Fonseca, only 36 years old, which especially bothered Amis because of a photo of a 12-year-old Bruno he had seen that reminded him of his own children.
- The writing of this section is similar to that of the other sections, although the actual content itself is much more interesting. He captures the attention of the reader immediately by discussing the suicide of a famous English murderer who commits suicide in jail. What makes this a good memoir is how many crippling emotional experiences Amis has experienced, and his ability to express them in a way that makes it easy to sympathize with him. "Additionally, alongside all of this, my friend, mentor and hero Saul Bellows was on a breathing machine in an intensive care unit..." is what Amis says about his friend Saul, AFTER describing the other tragic events that had plagued his year to that point. This section is well written because it consists entirely of the low points of his life, which he expresses in an interesting way, especially the way he relates the photo of a young Bruno Fonseca to his own children, and the fact that even though they’re of no relation, he fears the same fate for his children.
7) Permanent Soul. Summary: Amis explains the first time he met his friend and mentor, Saul Bellows, in Chicago. It was late October, 1983, and Amis was in Chicago to write a piece about Bellows, something that he was finding quite difficult. Bellows had revealed everything about himself, so finding something new and interesting to write was quite the task for Martin Amis. However, in this book at least, Amis reveals that Bellows was 68 at the time, had already had three wives and was on his fourth (who he would also divorce), and had three children. The piece that Amis was to write, he decided, was not going to be about Saul Bellow’s personal life; he was more interesting in the career and writing of Saul.
- As is the case in every other portion of the book, Amis relates everything back to his father. Like Bellows, his father was a nervous wreck because of his profession, and would visit Martin in the late hours of the night as a child to settle himself down, something described as a bonding experience. This is certainly not the most interesting part of the memoir, nor is it the longest. Although I found the writing slightly bland and repetitive in this particular section, Amis’ actual descriptions of Saul Bellows own personal life were rather interesting. “Saul Bellows was sixty-eight in 1983. Three wives, three sons, and now a fourth marriage. This marriage too would end. But that’s life,” is the way Amis describes Bellow’s family situation, which may be the reason for his nervous breakdown as an older man.
8) The Fact of Wounds. Summary: This part of the book is as depressing as any of the others, if not more. Lucy Partington, Martin’s cousin, was murdered by Frederick West, the famous English serial killer who was talked about in one of the other sections (West eventually hung himself in jail). Many people spoke at her funeral, about her personality and her faith, Lucy being a newly converted Roman Catholic right before she died. Amis opens this section of the book with a poem about the sun rising and setting, a metaphor he clearly used to describe the life of his beloved cousin, Lucy.
- Not a particularly long section by any means, although certainly one of the best written. Amis uses several clever metaphors to describe the life of his cousin, which was cut devastatingly short. For instance, the poem he recites about the sun rising and setting, as well as “The death of Lucy Partington represents a fantastic collision. It is what happens when darkness meets light, when experience meets innocence…” to name a couple. Amis is able to clearly express how upset he is over the brutal slaying of his cousin, and also describes the sad feelings not only of his family, but those of everyone who knew Lucy Partington.
9) The Problem of Reentry. Summary: After having his mouth operated on and upper teeth removed, Amis was to return to London with a gaping hole in his mouth. He claims to have had a clamp put it to hold everything together, something he says felt like he was at the dentists office every single day. Amis fears showing everyone what his new appearance, with a misshaped face and no upper teeth, looks like, which is why this section is called “The Problem of Reentry.” Returning to London in such a condition could lead to disastrous results.
- Amis’ gruesome descriptions of his face during this section are what make it such an entertaining thing to read. He has several colourful descriptions of his appearance in the final paragraph; “And never mind all the gagging and retching, as compulsive as a fit of hiccups, nor the sudden Niagara’s of drool. For several years I didn’t go to the dentist. Now the clamp makes me feel that I am at the dentist’s all day long.” I enjoyed reading this not only because of the style he uses to write, but also because anyone can sympathize with having to visit friends in an “ugly” state, although I certainly couldn’t imagine even leaving the house with no upper teeth!
10) It im again, Dai. Summary: Another slightly depressing section of the book, Amis talks about a number of times where he had been abused in some way or another during his childhood. His first recollection is of bullies, one who found him playing next to a sewer grate and scared him off, then found him again with a friend and punched him in the forehead. In his early high school years, he was dragged into a vacant classroom and again, beaten senseless. The final form of abuse that he describes is of a sexual nature – he claims to have been molested in his room during one of his parent’s dinner parties. Like the other incidents, Amis decided to keep quiet, and so his mother never did find out what had happened.
- Another dark-themed section, Amis does a good job of describing his state of innocence in each situation. The way he describes the time period, as well, is what makes it easy to understand; for instance, the incident at high school in Cambridgeshire was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and every student was to “expect that their desks would save them from the end of the world.” The incident that affected him in the worst way, however, was clearly the one at his parent’s dinner party. “These are insults, these are thefts. They take something from you that you never quite get back.” I was impressed that Amis was able to include such an intense, personal memory into his memoir, and he does it in a way that truly makes the reader pity him as a young boy.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Glass Castle
The style that Jeannette Walls uses in "The Glass Castle," is interesting because of the way she describes her parents lifestyle. She uses short, concise sentences to emphasize how serious she was about the way her parents lived with so little. For instance, her parents telling her and her siblings not to believe in Christmas because they could not afford the same luxurious presents that the other children were receiving from "Santa Claus". She also uses a very serious tone in her dialogue with her mother, especially when they are at lunch together and Jeannette tells her mother that she had seen her sorting through a dumpster the night before. She makes it clear that she is embarassed by her mother and offers to help, because she now had more money than she ever did growing up. I really liked the way the memoir is written because you can sense the embarassment and seriousness in Walls' writing style, and it cheers the reader up to know that she has come from such a feeble background to become such a great success.
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