Fathers, Sons and Brothers (1-32)

It's nice to have a book viewed in the eyes of a boy this time, it’s a good change. It is clear right from the start of the book that he is going to go through many different changes because they seem to move a lot. His memory is just as good as Mary Karrs, he remembers every little detail of every little thing. I think that I will be able to relate to this book a little bit more because I too have a brother that I share everything with and our relationship with each other is really close.

One thing that I like more about this book then I do the liars club is that this one doesn't seem to drag on as much as the Liars Club did, the stories are short and to the point, the only bad thing is that there is not much detail within them. I don't know if I'm going to like how he switches tense, I hope that it won't get to confusing. Who would think that something as small as a garage would have such a big impact on a family. The books starts off with a very strong line and could have a lot of foreshadowing in it. "This is the last room: the garage" (pg 1 essay the garage) "I can't help but think that, somehow, this loss of a garage had something to do with it. Back in California, we three boys used the garage as a heaven from Mom and Dad, built extravagant forts of blankets and chairs… It was in that garage that we became, it only occurs to me now, brothers.”(Pg5 essay the garage)Could that actually be true thought??? The garage symbolizes freedom for them and a place where they can be themselves and let lose. Sounds also are a big part in Brets memory, he feels as though he can hear things that others can't, he sometime hums a tune or sings just to know that the sounds of the world around him aren't drowning out. “There is no way for me to write about my life without writing of RC; our childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood all centered on Royal Crown Cola, its logo pervasive in our lives;” ( pg 35 essay Royal Crown) It’s weird to think that something as small as a soda holds such a big memory in Bret’s life. Most people just viewed it as a drink but his had much more depth and meaning to it.

600 (revised)

In any book you read you will find out that it is filled with imagery. Some images are more visible than others. In the Liars Club I feel as though Mary Karr didn't want her imagery to be as visible and blatant as other authors make it. She likes to make her images small but very strong by using repetition. The way she uses her images make you feel a certain way, either happy or sad. Even though most of Mary’s memories were somewhat sad and twisted she had hints of happy ones in there. Most of these happy memories involved her father. This is why I feel that Mary’s father was a image of sanity/happy to Karr but as she grows older and times change her fathers image to her changes drastically. It wasn’t so much the big things that her father did for her but the small things. It would be the little things that would stick out in Karr’s head. Like when he would invite her to go to the liar clubs meetings, which would soon change do to his unhappiness himself.

The things Mary does with her father sticks with her forever, things that may not be such a big deal to her father but a huge deal to Mary: "My father comes into focus for me on a Liar's Club afternoon. He sits at a wobbly card table weighed down by a bottle. Even now the scene seems so real to me that I can't but write about it in the present tense." (15) This shows just how much of an impact the Liars Club has on her life and how much she remembers from it. Most all the stories that she tells about the liars club are happy in her mind. When Mary is there she feels safe and can just let go and relax. It is here that her dad really shows his love for her too, and this is why Mary loves it so much, because she can make that connection with her father. You can tell that she loves being there because the details that she remembers are down to a tee. Like a turn of the head or the smell of the air, she knows almost every word that is said by everyone.

It is from her father that Marry got to be the person that she was, rough and tough. “Daddy had instructed me in the virtue of what he called equalizers, which meant not only sticks, boards, and rocks, but having on hell of a long memory for mistreatment. So I wouldn’t hesitate to sneak up blindside and bit a bigger kid who’d gotten the better of me a week before.” (63) Without him her life would be completely different.

Her dad loved her a lot and maybe didn’t blatantly show it. Sometimes it wouldn’t be things that she didn’t even realize till she was older and writing this book. “My daddy watched Hurricane Carla come up the Intercostal canal from the Gulf. He claimed to be high in a sort of crow’s nest at the time, behind a thick glass wall that let him look out over half the county.” ( 23) He was up in this tower because he was picking up extra hours at the refinery because he knew what had to be done to help out his family and this was it. Even though there was a huge hurricane coming that could cost him his life, he stuck it out because he really loves Marry and the family, even though he may not have showed it like some dads do. This eventually all adds up and weakens her fathers image to Mary and make the relationship between the two grow smaller. After her parents decide to split up things go downhill from there between them, things weren’t like they use to be. Karr has many images crammed in this book, some we may never even notice, but it was the little images that made a big impact and shaped her life.

Memory List

It was about a week before Christmas and my dad came in and got me my broth and sister together and told us that he had a surprise for us. So we all gathered in the living room waiting for the surprise. About one minute later my dad comes busting through the door holding this little dog, and sets it on the ground in front of us. At first we are all in shock, we didn't know what to think. "Is it ours, is it lost, are we just baby sitting it?" Finally my dad blurts out, "It's yours!" The excitement was overwhelming. I finally had my own dog, I remember picking up at first and setting it right back down because her belly was so warm, it felt weird to me I guess.

Another memory that sticks out in my head was when we finally got a pool. It was summer and I was about 12 years old, and my mom and dad decided to get a pool in the back yard. I remember how excited I was when they finally came to start digging. The hole they dug was so huge, I found it fascinating to jump down in there, after they left for the day, and play around in it, till my mom yelled for me to get out. I couldn't wait for the pool to finally be done I would be the only person on the street to have a pool!

I can't think of many more right now.

600 words

In any book you read you will find out that it is filled with imagery. Some images are more visible than others. In the Liars Club I feel as though Mary Karr didn't want her imagery to be as visible and blatant as others make it. She likes to make her images small but very strong by using repetition. The way she uses her images she makes you feel a certain way, either happy or sad. Two images I felt that Karr used that she wanted to have a big impact would be the relationship Mary has with her dad and another would be the time she spends at the liars club.

"If Daddy's past was more intricate to me than my own present, Mothers was as blank as the West Texas desert she came from."(Pg22 Ch3) Mary's relationship whether it be strong or weak, I think it symbolizes her connection to the real world and a real friend. Though he might not be around as much as Mary would like, he is her best friend and keeps her "sane" from all the chaos that is going on around her. You can tell that her dad plays the role/image of her sanity because most of her memories are about him or involve him. Mary can remember very vivid details about her father, especially when he is telling his lies to the men in the liars club. It is at the liars club that Mary's dad becomes her true friend. No one else in the liars clubs brings their child but Mary gets to go, and if some one tries to say something bad towards Mary, her dad is right there behind here sticking up for her.

" I hear about daddy doing this kind of meanness, and I see guys shy away when he strolls over to a pool table, but he handles me like I'm something glass. Even his spankings are mild enough to seem symbolic." (Pg 169) This line shows that even when Mary's dad may be trying to discipline her he is still doing it in a loving way. Not only is her dad symbolic but the things he does are symbolic(punishments)

I feel that Karr wants the liars club to symbolize the only steady/normal thing in Mary's life. When Mary is there she feels safe and can just let go and relax. It is here that her dad really shows his love for her too, and this is why Mary loves it so much, because she can make that connection with her father. You can tell that she loves being there because the details that she remembers are down to a tee. Like a turn of the head or the smell of the air. She knows almost every word that is said by everyone.

"My father comes into focus for me on a Liar's Club afternoon. He sits at a wobbly card table weighed down by a bottle. Even now the scene seems so real to me that I can't but write about it in the present tense." (pg15 Ch1) This shows just how much of an impact the Liars Club has on her life and how much she remembers from it. Most all the stories that she tells about it are happy in her mind. It's the little things that have a big impact on Mary's life and stand for an image in her bizarre life.

Image List

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1)"She hawked up a huge boogery gollop from way back in her throat, parkusing every now and then to tell me she was fixing to huck it at me."(Pg.101) This shows the relationship between Mary and Lecia. It's a very loving relationship that is showed through by doing mean things.

2)"Lecia fed me this lie pretty soon after we got off the phone with mother, I swallowed it like a big mouthed bass."(Pg. 102) This also shows what time of relationship that Mary and Lecia have, and one that most older and younger siblings have together. Lecia finds it almost like a hobby of hers to feed Mary these big lies that Mary ends up swallowing them like a big mouthed bass.



3)"You touch a dead man sometime.".... "Hard as that table."(Pg.104) This was part of one of Mary's dads lies that he tells at the liars club. This shows what kind of person he is and that he always has descriptive details to go along with his lie.

4)"But instead of just letting her hand relax, so he wouldn't see her shooting the bird, she hid the whole hand behind her head, still froxen in the fuck-you position."(Pg.109) This shows the kind of stuff/relationship between Mary and Lecia. She would be mean to her when they were alone but as soon as her parents were around she was much nicer to her.

5)"He had the easy glide of men who labor for an hourly wage, a walk that wastes no effort and refuses to rush. His barrel chest and legs were pale."(Pg.110) This gives a great description of how Mary's dad looks like and acts. He is a hard working man that is just trying to support his family and it is showing on his physical appearance.

6)"I couldn't remember if the Breeze Inn sold mixers, in which case I wondered did Mother have her purse with her. A purse might hold a fifth of vodka."(Pg.113) This description shows what Mary thinks about her mom at times, because her mom is a binge drinker and this worries Mary. This also shows what kind of person her mother is.

7)"Mother and I are flying under underwater like light green phantoms."(Pg. 117) This description shows how happy Mary is when her and her mother are doing fun things together (skinny dipping). Describing it like this shows how much of a "zone" she is in when her mom shows affection towards her.

8)"My daddy watched Hurricane Carla come up the Intercoastal Canal from the Gulf. He claimed to be high in a sort of crow's nest at the time, behind a thick glass wall that let him look out over half the country."(Pg.97) This description maybe signifies Mary's dads separation from the rest of the world and the family. Even though he is maybe there physically he is not there like he use to be before her grandma came into the picture.

Quiz 1

A. Mary’s grandmother is not what a normal loving grandmother should be like. She is a cancer stricken women who feels the need to make Mary’s and her sisters life a living hell. The image and smell that Mary has about her grandmother is not very pleasant, one legged and she has the smell of a water moccasin (death), Mary says the cancer is eating the life out of her from the inside. She thinks that Mary and Lecia are spoiled little brats who get what they want and don’t respect their parents. So she talks Mary’s mother into spanking them every chance she can get. She even went to the extent of making a whip to beat them with! She is a very grumpy old woman who is slowly dieing and feels as though she should make everyone else around her suffer, Mary’s dad is already not home anymore because of her. She is slowly losing her mind, or is she? She told Mary that her mother had two other children that she shipped away as young children becasue they were not obeying her, and they they were going to be the same way if they didn't shape up. Her cancer/her slowly dieing, makes Mary’s mother very sad and she hardly shows any emotion any more and is not nervous as much. This is killing Mary and she doesn't like it one bit.

B. A very big hurricane that is slowly moving into Leechfield is driving everyone quickly out of there, that is besides Mary’s family. They are taking their time and are in no rush what so ever to leave, in fact they have to be asked twice by the army that is evacuating them to leave. Everyone is gathering their things that mean the most to them such as pictures and wedding certificates, but Mary’s family is acting as if they don’t care at all. Her dad is working double overtime at the plant, not even coming home sometimes and her mom is still showing no emotion towards anything. Finally when they are forced to leave they cross one of the tallest bridges at a very fast speed because by this time there is no one on the roads because they have all evacuated already. Mary’s mother is showing no emotion what so ever (Mary throwing up) but Lecia said that she kept turning around and reaching at Mary and she turned the wheel left and they spun out and got in a wreck(the car actually left the ground). It hardly did any damage to the car and everyone was ok, but Mary was worried and asked Lecia why is mom trying to kill them?

Passage (23-96) and Family Event

“He unbuttoned my white shirt and told me I was getting breasts.”(Ch 3 pg. 65) When this passage came up about Mary getting sexually taken advantage of by this boy, I was shocked and completely taken off guard. It makes you think, do things like this happen a lot to little kids this age. When you think of that age (7) you think of playing out side with your friends and have a good innocent time. This passage is one that kept me reading for while because I wanted to see what would happen next. This book is not as predictable as I thought it was going to be. The weird thing about this event that happen is that Mary didn’t seem effected by it that much at all. She bottled it up and acted like nothing happened at all, because she knew that if she had told some one what would happen if she did. She figured that more bad would come out of it if she told people about it. I wish she would have it would have made the story that much more interesting.

Looking up at the large sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park took my breath away and made me realize that there is so much more to the world that I haven’t yet seen. I can still picture the dark redness of the bark and the burnt black bark of some trees that survived wildfires. The smell was fresh and inviting, it didn’t even feel real, it felt as though I was on a different planet. I remember feeling so shitty on the way up because the windy roads made me get car sick, but as soon I started to walk around I instantly felt better. The image of the beautiful Yosemite National Park will forever be a very vivid picture in my head and I will remember it forever.

Revised:
Seeing such large and massive trees took my breath away. To give you idea of how big these trees are, we drove our care through one that had a big hole in it. There were trees that had fallen over and you could see the roots, the base of these roots as a whole were as large as a side of a house. It looked like a large tangle mess of gigantic wires. The largest tree (General Sherman) had a circumference of 102.6 ft. The pine cones that fell of the Sequoias were not pine cones you see around here, these things were as big as your head if not bigger and to know they produced this little plant to witch interned into a giant massive sequoia was amazing to me. The image of these giant Sequoias will forever be branded in my head.

The Memoir and the Memoirist (Introduction)

Now this is the kind of school reading I was expecting(boring). This book is defiantly not as intriguing as the liars club. The book started off vary slow and kind of picked up a little towards the end of the introduction. This books just seems like its going to be one of those boring books full of big words and descriptions that just aren't that fun to think about. Now I hope this book proves me wrong and starts to get a lot more interesting and more fun to read, but by judging by the first ten pages I found myself thinking about other things. I did find some interesting things like when he describes the difference between a autobiography and memoir. To write a memoir you have to be selective; to write one's autobiography is to be indiscriminate(Pg.2) You can tell right of the bat that Larson is an intelligent teacher by the way he answers the students questions and his ideas that he feeds them. It shows that his methods of teaching are very effective because when it is time for the students to leave they come back and insist on him teaching them further. The demanding of his students show that he is a great teacher and he knows what he is doing. Hopefully this book will open my eyes to new things and will prove me wrong and turn out to be a very good book.

The Liars Club (Ch 1)

Starting off this chapter I was a little bit confused about what was going on in the scene, as I read on I wasn't quite sure if Dr. Boudreaux was trying to take advantage of her or not. I am guessing since the Mary knew and wasn't hurting and didn't have any marks on her at all, that he was. Mary's life as a child is not far fetched at all, a lot of kids now of days do not have parents who are home all the time to be with them, in fact its quite common. The book started off slow but really picked up when she starts talking about how her mom and her dad became married. I found Mary's mom really interesting, because she has had many different husbands and many different story's for each of them. I wasn't expecting the meaning of the title of the book to be thrown out there so quick, but I felt that it was a pretty funny reason.( The men telling their wife's that they were going some where and they would actually meat up with each other, and then they got found out) It is at the liars club that Mary hears some of her dads most interesting stories, and I think that there will be plenty more of these detailed stories to come from this club. It's weird that Mary feels as though she remembers more about her dad then she can about her self. I think this shows how much love she has for her dad and how much she likes hearing his stories.

The humor in this book seems kinda dry and serious, but every now and then they throw in a couple of funny lines here and there. It adds flavor to the book. I hope this books picks up a little bit and starts to get interesting. But I do have to say... for a school book it's actually not to bad so far.

Hey, my name is Todd I am a Freshman at Ohio University. I have a mom and dad and two other siblings, a brother and a sister, both older than me. My older brother is the main reason I attended this college because he was a grad from here. I have a very loving family who treats me very well and loves me very much.
This is my first college english experience so far it seems like it should be fun. My past experiences of english classes have some what been boring, consisting of books and papers that didn't appeal to me what so ever. I feel as though this is why I don't usually get the most out of my english classes. It always seemed as though I got stuck with some old lady who seemed as though she loved making her students hate writing papers and reading. The material was always forced on you and not very appealing at all. I hope to learn a lot of new and interesting things in this class. The whole blogging thing is not something new to me but something that I have ever done before. I have read many blogs about many different things. I am hoping this this will make english class more fun and make me actually enjoy my assignments. It's going to be different knowing that anyone at anytime can view my assignment I just turned in, not just the teacher. I don't know if this is going to make me think twice about what I write or actually make me write better. I haven't ever heard of the books that we will be reading but they seem pretty interesting and easy to write about.