blastedgoat

I will provide specific examples of various social and political commentaries from Hunter Thompson’s article “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.” I will examine Thompson’s place and importance within the culture he was critiquing as well as within the realm of journalism itself. Although he was most often under the influence of one or a variety of substances his words and insight have influenced many who knew or read him. He dedicated himself, compulsions and all, to the craft of journalism. He has personally been one of my favorite writers since I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas several summers ago. What drew me to Thompson was his ability to make the ordinary remarkable. I feel his style is reflective of the subjectivity that has seeped into our culture, beginning with the rise of New Journalism, a style that had many similarities to Gonzo Journalism.

Thompson’s article is immersive due to its exploration of the surroundings and the writer’s obsessive practice of the continual, unquestioned traditions and indulgences in question. Steadman calls this going “native,” which they do, becoming the “real beasts” they have come to see perform. Many of Thompson’s generation sought to expand their minds, they often achieved this by pushing their bodies to extremes while the upright citizens of the day deplored their degrading behaviors. Thompson was perhaps speaking out in opposition to some acts of depravity but lived his life according to his own moral code. I identify with his tactics and works because I too notice a trend of alienation, of increasing anti-social tendencies and isolation. Thompson spoke for his generation because while he felt his views were important he felt equally responsible to point out any biases he had as a journalist. Thompson achieved this with his over-the-top style.

Thompson’s judgments are meant to be humorous at first glance however; they contain relevant cultural critiques and provide readers insight of the times and of the widely different levels of experience that were available within a famous southern tradition. One of the most intriguing aspects of the article was the attempt of the journalist and illustrator to find a proper caricature, a representative face of the entire culture: “He had done a few good sketches, but so far we hadn’t seen that special kind of face that I felt we would need for a lead drawing. It was a face I’d seen a thousand times at every Derby I’d ever been to. I saw it, in my head, as the mask of whiskey gentry–a pretentious mix of booze, failed dreams and a terminal identity crisis; the inevitable result of too much inbreeding in a closed and ignorant culture” (Thompson 5). Thompson and Steadman were seeking more than just an illustration for the piece; Thompson wanted a symbol “of the whole doomed atavistic culture that makes the Kentucky Derby what it is” (Thompson 5). In the end, journalist and illustrator hit the bottom of the barrel but somehow make it out alive. Thompson wakes after consuming mass amounts of alcohol, admirable by even Derby standards and doesn’t even recognize himself in the mirror at first, he has transformed into the caricature he was seeking.

Read the rest of this entry »

I really enjoyed our interview with Maria Gillan because I feel I can trust a poet like her to the truth about the world (which is not necessarily the definitive truth but what memory recalls as truth, a combination of how things are remembered and how that changes over time.) Maria said “memories are clouded and shaped by the people we are,” but was insistent that she doesn’t make things up.” Her poems were easy to follow and relate to possibly because she no longer “hides behind” poetic devices, which was something I did as a young writer. I remember when I first started writing poetry at age thirteen and how after reading those poems years later I discovered how bad they actually were! I was inspired by all the opportunities her work has provided for young (and old) poets and I am hopeful that I will continue writing my whole life and someday maybe even be good at it. I am an autobiographical poet for the most part although I might lie in a poem if it is necessary (but of course I would never change the meaning or hide a part of myself from the reader.) It was interesting to hear her say why she doesn’t write about her daughter since artistic integrity is something I always try to keep in mind. I think I can take a hint from Maria and stop being so vague about everything, except when it is appropriate for the poem I am writing. I don’t make poems confusing intentionally, but I wrap my mind around each word and cut poems down to the necessities (when I have the time!) if I have learned anything in workshop it is that people might not read every word as carefully as I write it so I have to make it understandable so they will see what lurks behind the actual words (in connotation-land). (I will have you know that I had to stop writing this review for five minutes to write a poem for that title, yay!) Anyway, back to the interview! I felt connected with her immediately because of our shared interest in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My fiancé makes fun of me for reading them and watching the television show that was based off them but there is something so about them. There was one episode in which Laura submitted a book to be published in a contest but the editor ended up changing the book to make it more “exciting.” Laura gave up on publishing if it meant “lying” about the people that were most important to her but she did get the stories of her youth published much later with the help of her daughter. There is something to be said for simple stories that give a snapshot of a person’s life and that is what I find when I read Maria Gillan, she has a narrative style and honesty about her work with the added bonus of the reader being able to pick and choose which events they want to experience or to read them all as they were arranged by her. I saw a lot of my mistakes in the examples she provided of herself (trying to be T.S. Eliot… and in my case also trying to be Edgar Allan Poe!) I am learning to love my own voice and am inspired to learn more about Allan Ginsberg and his background because I could relate to what we talked about briefly in the interview. My life is ripe with poems and I don’t need to travel to Oz to find memorable characters, they were around me all along…

Mary Shelley
Frankenstein
Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818

Story: The classic story of a man of science (Dr. Frankenstein) and his quest for the origin of life. He stumbles upon the knowledge to make his own creature and conducts his experiment to the point of exhaustion and illness. Dr. Frankenstein discovers that electricity can animate a cadaver and so he pieces together a man and gives him life. The story follows the Dr. and the creature as they try to understand the world around them. The Dr. is horrified at his creation and his life is ruined by the existence of his hideous monster. The creature teaches himself about the world around him when his creator abandons him. He reaches out for human contact only to find that people are terrified of his gruesome form. The story is written in a series of letters and finds both men, creator and creation at the end of their tale, trying to accept the other.

Main Character: Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his creature (who is NOT called Frankenstein in the story! That is a pet peeve of mine J) The story takes place within a framework so there are a lot of main characters at different points in the story: Captain Walton (captain of an ice-bound ship) the family and friends of Dr. Frankenstein, the family that the creature learns from.

Audience: I would recommend this book for high school students (or middle school students who show interest in this genre and like a challenging read.) This story has a lot to say about the nature of humanity and the taboo of “playing God.” This book is very interesting when discussed with issues such as cloning.

Comments: I read this as a freshman in college and loved it; I wish I would have read it sooner!

Discussion Questions:
#1 Dr. Frankenstein refuses to make his creation a wife and gives several reasons. His creature is an outcast who only wants companionship from someone who will treat him with dignity and respect. Do you agree with Frankenstein’s decision to abandon his experiment to create a bride for his creature?

#2 There are many versions of this book on film, show one or two of these versions to your students (include any media that features Frankenstein’s monster- cartoons, comics, t.v. shows, even Frankenberry!) How do these versions follow the original story? What elements of the story never change?

#3 Do the monster’s eloquence and persuasiveness make it easier for the reader to sympathize with him? Why do you think most film versions of the story present the monster as mute or inarticulate?

#4 The creature kills Victor’s younger brother William and frames the maid Justine for the crime. He later tells Victor that he acted out of revenge. Do you condemn the creature for his act even if he didn’t fully understand his action? Do you sympathize with the creature because of his lack of guidance and companionship?

#5 The novel can be difficult to understand due to the way in which I was written. Have students trace and discuss the role of letters and written communication throughout the novel.

#6 Discuss the novel’s shifts in narrative perspective. What is the effect of presenting different characters’ viewpoints, especially those of Victor and the monster?

Ayn Rand
Anthem
105 pages
Signet, 1938

Story: Ayn Rand for beginners, a disturbing look at a dark future society in which the individual has become lost among the crowd. There is no independence or encouraged thought; there is only the greater good, no personal desire. Equality 7-2521 is the only name given to the main character, when he falls in love with Liberty 5-3000 they give new names to each other (Golden One and The Unconquered) and call each other “our dearest one” which rejects the very nature of their society. Equality 7-2521 finds an old invention and gets it to work again, producing his own artificial light source, which he shows the leaders of the society. Equality 7-2521 is forced to flee the city because otherwise he will be killed, he brings Liberty 5-3000 with him and they take refuge in the forest and discover the reality of being an individual as well as being together and expressing themselves as lovers and companions.

Main Character: “We” (Equality 7-2521) who later calls his singular self Prometheus, the one who stole fire from the gods in order to give it to humankind as a gift.

Audience: Anyone who followed my advice and read The City of Ember and The Giver and loved them! This story is written in a very curious way, there is no individual but the collective. This book is very controversial for its analysis of the “I” in society. “We” lives in the dark and dismal future where there is no science and no knowledge. The world Rand writes about doesn’t give names to people and people are forced to feel no emotion, no love and to acquire no knowledge of their world. There is no electricity but “we” becomes curious when remnants of the forgotten past are uncovered.

Comments: This is a great book but very advanced in theme and content. The story is very easy to read because the words are very simple, the fun part about this story is that it is so simple and so complex at the same time. I really recommend this title to anyone who is interested in the power and sway society has over its members. This story also gives hope to those who dare to be different and rise above the faceless crowd to attain more in life, to learn the secrets of our existence and our history.

Discussion Questions:
#1 The way the story is written is very different from what people might be used to. After a while the story seems to flow more easily and readers become less bothered by the way “we” stands in for “I.” There are no instances of the individual early in the book and it seems jarring and strange for us to identify a person as “we” which cannot be separated from the whole. What was the purpose for Rand writing her narration this way? Do you think that society could evolve in such a way?
#2 Equality 7-2521 names the woman he loves which is forbidden in his world. What is the significance given to names in the book? How does assigning a name that is a seemingly meaningless word followed by a sequence of numbers make you feel? What is the significance of the names they give to each other before they run away and at the end of the story?
#3 Walk students through a close reading of the text and discuss the plot with the class in order to ensure everyone understands what is going on. Then have students explain the transformation from the beginning of the story to the end, how does Equality 7-2521 become Prometheus, how does “we” become “I?” Point out the specific discoveries or instances that reveal personal truth to the characters.
#4 Have students pick a modern invention that would greatly affect society if it had never been invented. Ask students to describe how the absence of these inventions could change the future.

J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
759 pages
Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic) 2007

Story: The last installment of the Harry Potter series continues with Harry’s quest to avenge his loved ones that had been claimed by the war. Harry deals with death all around him and at times feels personally responsible for those who stand in between him and the Dark Lord. Voldemort comes to full power and there are double agents all around the trio as they go on the run. Friendships are tested and families are torn apart as the war reaches the front door.

Main Character: Harry Potter, the boy who lived. (But that’s not to say he doesn’t come close to his demise in this last, blood-soaked title. Voldemort serves as a great complementary character to Harry, and when the two are compared, the instances in which they are different reinforces Harry’s status as a noble character. Harry is an unconventional hero that chooses to embrace his destiny rather than submitting to it. My favorite characters include Sirius Black, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lupin, and Severus Snape!

Audience: Anyone and everyone, I mean this very seriously, this series changed my life and made me want to become a writer (well, along with reading Edgar Allan Poe’s collected works!)

Comments: I still can’t tell you which book is my favorite but this one is at the top of the list! Of course you have to read them all (and you should read them in order) but unless you have been living under a rock you probably already knows what happens.

Discussion Questions:
#1 The books are full of instances of racism between “pureblooded” wizards and those of “Muggle” lineage. Muggle is a term J.K. Rowling created to describe people with no magical talent. Some wizards believe that Muggles should not be allowed to learn and practice magic and feel those who come from Muggle families or half-blooded families are not as good as those who come from old wizarding stock. “Mudblood” is a term that those people use to perpetuate the hatred of half-bloods, the term means “dirty blood.” Ask students to identify relevant issues in our own history. Use this terminology to start a discussion about racism in our society and talk about the power that certain words have in a culture.
#2 Use the above discussion to point out the danger of using such words in a literary work, discuss books that have been banned for including racist terms, even if they are used within the context of the times. If you have a school that supports controversial literature as an appropriate topic and medium for students to be familiar with go as far as you can to introduce these books to students. If you are not allowed to bring them into the classroom at least let them know that they are out there and an important part of our literary history.
#3 Talk about the Harry Potter series as a whole and discuss how it has influenced society. Harry Potter is translated and enjoyed all around the world, what made the story such a success? What elements make the story universal?
#4 J.K. Rowling was a single mother when she began writing Harry Potter on a train (which explains the Hogwarts Express and its importance in the stories) Since writing one of the most popular series of all time she has found great success and financial stability. One thing that she has contributed to society is her great charity work, especially for children. A lot of the issues she is interested in deal with abuse, teaching children the value of literature and improving the self-image of children, especially young girls who severely lack strong role models. Talk about contributing to society through volunteer work or tell students to pick an area the interests them and create a volunteer project around it. This could be a class project; you could even use it to your advantage if you focused on furthering your class library through a book drive that the students could take part in.

Lois Lowry
Gossamer
144 pages
Hougton Mifflin, 2006

Story: Dream makers help people by creating dreams made out of fragments of their lives. One little boy named John and his mother need good dreams because of their difficult lives. The giving of dreams is called the bestowal and the story takes us through this nightly process as events in the real world are unfolding. They try to help the little boy who comes to stay with an older woman who has no other company besides her dog. Littlest One learns a lot about humans and wants to know what kind of creature she is.

Main Character: Littlest One who is called Littlest for short. Littlest is in training to become a dream maker and is taught by others like her who give dreams to humans and sometimes animals. She receives the name Gossamer after her training is complete, for her gossamer touch.

Audience: This story would work well for those who like fantasy but there is also a great deal of the story that is rooted in family life. This book examines family and how things we experience in life follow us after we go to sleep.

Comments: There is a great connection between memories and dreams in the story. The dream makers collect fragments of a person’s life in order to create dreams, there are also creatures that wish to do harm to sleeping humans, this story is a wonderful and fun way to explain dreams!
On the other side of the story a dream giver who delves too deeply into the fragments of memories becomes a Sinisteed, a terrible creature who inflicts nightmares.

Discussion Questions:
#1 Collect your own fragments from life (photos, small mementos, letters) and switch with another person. Try to create a “dream” out of their life. This is a great creative writing exercise and can be expanded by having students create a short story that includes the fragments.
#2 Talk about where dreams were thought to come from historically and how people today believe they should be interpreted. Bring in a “dream dictionary” if students are interested in imagery and symbolism in dreams.
#3 Introduce students to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” which was supposed to have come to Coleridge in a dream and ask them if it would be possible to remember something so detailed from a dream. Ask them to attempt to create a poem or story in their dreams and write it out for class, see what everyone comes up with!
#4 Discuss Lowry’s other works and how Gossamer does or does not fit in with other titles such as The Giver.
#5 Discuss themes in the story (child abuse, broken homes and dysfunctional families)

Jeanne Duprau
City of Ember
270 pages
Yearling, 2003

Story: Lina and Doon are worried that their underground city will soon run out of supplies and that there are certain things the Mayor isn’t telling the citizens of Ember. All the light in the city comes from lamps and floodlights that have to be turned on and shut off every day. When they are turned off, the city is completely dark, with no stars, sun, or moon. The electricity in the city comes from an ancient hydro-electric generator in the underground Pipeworks. Lina and Doon notice that there are more and more “blackouts” recently when all the lights shut off in the middle of the day, they try to uncover the secrets hidden in the Pipeworks and find their way to a city beyond Ember.

Main Character: The main characters are Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, two 12-year-olds. The story alternates with every other chapter being from one of the main characters point’s of view. They are two young people just entering the world of work in the underground city of Ember. They draw their jobs from a bag (much like jobs that are assigned in The Giver) All the books in the library have been written by hand by residents of Ember except “The Book of Ember”, “The Book of Letters” and “The Book of Numbers.”

Audience: Anyone who likes fantasy that “maybe could happen.” It is in a class with other great books like The Giver and Anthem. This is a story that encourages young people to find the truth out for themselves and to not take knowledge for granted.

Comments: I loved this book! I loved that there were both a female and male character but that you are free to identify with whichever one you want. The way the city is described is so neat you feel like it could really exist. The politics of the story are also fascinating, after reading City of Ember be ready for great conversations about society and censorship.

Discussion Questions:
#1 Have half the class read City of Ember and the other half read The Giver by Lois Lowry, have them switch and then compare and contrast the two stories. Use this as an introduction to alternative types of societies.
#2 If there is a lot of interest in the story you could also introduce Anthem by Ayn Rand as a book that delves even more deeply into similar themes.
#3 Think about everyday objects that are scarce or nonexistent in Ember, like certain foods or crayons and pens. The residents of Ember have to reuse and recycle everything in order for life to go on but they continue to operate a somewhat capitalistic society (supply and demand and other similar ideas apply) what would our lives be like if there was nothing new and we had to build our lives out of old, discarded objects?
#4 Create a map of the different places in Ember (have students work on a large map by piecing smaller maps together) recreate Lina and Doon’s journey, and for effect have a few “blackouts” while you are trying to navigate their progress on the map!
#5 Create a message that is a secret code, have students decode the message like Lina and Doon did to find out where the exit out of Ember was.
#6 Have students draw from a list of jobs like Lina and Doon were forced to in the story.

Doreen Rappaport
Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
John’s Secret Dreams
Picture Book Biography
Hyperion, 2004

Story: A picture book depicting the life and death of John Lennon. Beautiful artwork that incorporates lyrics from the music of John Lennon and the Beatles. It tells of a boy from Liverpool who didn’t really have a mother and aspired to be a musician. The book talks about turbulent times in John’s life and about the legacy he left behind with his music and political views/actions.

Main Character: John Lennon, singer/songwriter/political activist/world icon

Audience: Any fan of the Beatles or the time period, anyone who likes great lyrics.

Comments: I found this book and had to buy it! The pictures are very cool and the subject is one of my favorite singers. I think the picture book format helps the book because it makes it educational but more artistic in a way. Lots of information is packed inside but even young children can understand and enjoy the basic story of not-fitting in and following your dreams.

Discussion Questions:
#1 Talk about the story in its historical context, include the images and lyrics in the discussion. How did society impact John? How did John impact society? What lyrics are politically motivated, which ones come from John’s personal life?
#2 Have students pick lyrics from the book and explain why they are important or expand discussion to includes other bands/songs from the past and how they influence music today.

This play was performed in an intimate setting that caused the line between audience and action to blur. The action of the play was situated so that everyone had a unique perspective. The seating mirrored the v-shaped stage that was set with a piano, table and numerous rocking chairs. Everything was strikingly monochromatic. The whiteness of the character’s dress and surroundings did not always suggest a pristine world with pure figures gave off the air of dinginess.  The set had a certain amount of fluidity to it; this made the play artificial but it was balanced by the “reality” of servants working behind the scene like little mice, cleaning up after everyone. It was necessary to move the set around by people who seem connected in some way to the action. The space is “magically” transformed several times throughout the play which adds to the feeling that time has passed. I found the contemplations of the characters and their conversations with each other to be interesting. I noticed similarities between this play and Chekhov’s last play The Cherry Orchard which are both preoccupied by the deteriorating wealthy class in Russia as well as the passing of time. Russian literature to a large degree is about suffering but also learning from suffering if you want to survive. Overwhelming emotion and lack of continuous action on stage might have annoyed some people but I don’t mind listening to people talk, as long as they are talking about something interesting. I found the to be very much so and could tell the actors were submerged in their roles. I loved the leaves in the last scene which were symbolic of the approaching coldness of winter. The falling leaves also foreshadowed the death of the Baron and gave it finality. What was supposed to be happy ended on a sad note but the characters are strong and go on. Music is essential to Russian culture and its presence throughout the play emphasized that cultural difference. They sing, they experience loss and they live on to see more winters, more suffering, more death. I was impressed that the production was able to pull off a play as grim as this one with a cast of such young actors. Their ages certainly clue the audience into the sense that the scene is entirely constructed; as did the strange hanging lamp in the bedroom. What was so impressive to me was how they captured their characters quite well and presented the heavy themes of Russian literature in a fairly believable way.

In Siddhartha dreams enlighten the dreamer to some greater truth, “when a man is asleep, he penetrates his innermost and dwells in Atman” (Hesse 1951 7). Siddhartha becomes restless when he realizes what he has become; his entire life sickens him. After a sleepless night Siddhartha falls asleep at daybreak and has a strange dream. Kamala’s songbird was quiet so Siddhartha approached the cage and found it had died. Siddhartha took the bird out of the cage and threw it on the road and “was horrified…as if he had thrown away with this dead bird all that was good and of value in himself… It seemed to him that he had spent his life in a worthless and senseless manner; he retained nothing vital, nothing in any way precious or worth while” (Hesse 1951 82). I identified with Siddhartha because as a child I had a similar dream. My bird was an egg and it told me to throw it on the ground. I was hesitant but the egg assured me it wouldn’t hurt. It would just help him wake up. I said goodbye and smashed the egg on concrete. I was devastated and felt as though I had lost a friend. The dream wasn’t over. I “woke up” to find my room slightly off, everything seemed hazy. I looked out the window and saw was a large area of grass surrounding a concrete slab where children played four-square with a white ball. When I tried to examine my surroundings further I was able to wake up. Siddhartha’s dream shook him from his temporary stupor and allowed him to move on. He replayed his life in his mind and discovered the world of the flesh had gotten him no further in finding himself. His dream served as a metaphorical death and rebirth into a new way of living. Siddhartha no longer belonged in the city so he walked away from the life he had created. The only person who understood him was his lover Kamala who had begun to show signs of her own mortality. Kamala understood his decision and did not try to find him. Things might have turned out very differently for Siddhartha if this dream had not occurred or if he had ignored it.