Moving the Reader

Ass Burger by Augusten Burroughs:

"The more I read about this condition, the more I read about my brother, an individual unlike anybody I have ever met before. Clearly, not only does my brother have Asperger's syndrome, he is the poster-boy for it." (176)

This passage moves me emotionally because you can feel the weight being lifted on Augusten's shoulders when he discovers the condition behind his brother's confusing personality. His lack of social skills, lack of interest in other people, avoidance of eye-to-eye contact all match up with the symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. The idea that his brother is not alone and that people with this syndrome are often associated with genius must also be quite relieving.

"My next emotion is one of protection. I will now beat the shit out of anybody who is mean to my big, lumbering brother with his unusual, one-in-a-trillion brain." (177)

This passage moves me emotionally because it shows the bond between siblings that is very common, but at the same time quite special. Augusten feels for his brother and would do anything to protect him from malicious verbal attacks even though he is a full-grown man. I hope to have this same bond years from now and be willing to do anything for my brother and sister.

Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett

""You went to Vermont. You don't know how it was."" It was the meanest thing I could say to her, because Lucy couldn't stand the thought of being anywhere other than exactly in the middle of where everything was happening." (221)

This passage moves me emotionally because I have had the same feeling of longing to be in the middle of all the action whether it be the catching of a great fish or seeing a building fire in person. It is often painful to hear about things that happened second hand and understand that you could have seen it happen with your own eyes. Photographs can only capture so much and in the end a vivid memory will last a lifetime.

"History is strangely incomprehensible when you're standing in the middle of it." (218)

This passage moves me emotionally because even though I have truly never witnessed history in the making the idea that it is, "strangely incomprehensible when you're standing in the middle of it" is quite interesting. It is hard to imagine what Adrian and Ann were thinking while watching the World Trade Centres fall, but one can guess they were dumbfounded. We read about events like this in a history textbook, but do not experience their true shock-value.

After the Falls by Catherine Gildiner:

"I could hear all this because he was still screaming at the top of his lungs. A fool of myself. That phrase exploded within me and has clung forever like napalm. No matter what I ever did with men, I worried about making a fool of myself. I didn't know the rules. Had I looked needy and pathetic? I must have or my father, who was the picture of reason, wouldn't have acted that way." (25)

This passage moves me emotionally because of how powerful an effect Jim's words had on his daughter. The sentence, "That phrase exploded within me and has clung forever like napalm." is a spectacular description of what she is feeling. These words have stuck with Catherine for her entire life, which is quite shocking and therefore catches my attention as a reader. This is a perfect example of words that have the capability to scare someone for life.

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

“Duddy woke with a bone and pulled the sheet over his head. His toes were stuck together again. He sat up in bed, rummaged around for some empty cigarette boxes, and stuffed silver paper between each of his toes. I’d still get up, he thought, and do everything, but there’s no toilet paper. Next time he woke the room was dark and outside it was raining hard. The thunder and lightning excited him, but after the storm the heat seemed even more oppressive. I’ll wait here, he thought, until somebody comes with good news. But nobody came and when he woke again it was dawn.” (257)

I believe this passage from The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is especially good writing due to its ability to accurately express Duddy’s current depression after Yvette’s abrupt exit from his life. He has done nothing but sleep for days and cannot find the motivation to get out of his bed, which is acting as a set of shackles that will not budge. The weather outside has mirrored his mood as seen in the sentence, “Next time he woke the room was dark and it was raining outside.” and this is a perfect example of pathetic fallacy. There has been a time in my life when I felt the same way as Duddy in this passage and the way Mordecai Richler communicated this feeling of despair and lack of incentive to the reader was almost identical to the way I felt. The line, “I’d still get up, he thought, and do everything, but there’s no toilet paper.” describes his lack of motivation and the eventual passing of time is seen when he “woke up again and it was dawn.”

I woke with a bone and pulled my soiled sheets over my head. The stale orange juice on the floor and now my feet had passed tolerable. I sat up quickly, my head began to throb and that was enough. I’d still get up, clean the room, deal with my rancid toes and shave the grizzled beard that had made itself feel at home on my cheeks, but just not yet. Next time I woke the room had been engulfed by darkness and outside was no exception. It was raining heavily, but the thunder and lightning sent an exhilarating chill down my spine. Unfortunately, that didn’t last nearly long enough. The humidity after the storm seemed to tighten shackles keeping me under the sheets. “I’ll wait here,” I said out loud. Someone will come with good news, with a reason to continue on in this dreary world. But nobody came and the next time I managed to raise my head to see the time, it was dawn.

The Topic of Cancer

A) Comment on Hitchens' attitude about his diagnosis and quote him directly.

Christopher Hitchens' attitude towards his diagnosis is a very accepting one. He understands that his lifestyle of smoking and partying has undoubtedly led to this outcome, but would do it all again if given the option. This is made clear when he says, "it's impossible for me to imagine having my life without going to those parties, without having those late nights." He makes light of the grim situation by saying things such as, "if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken much better care of myself." but at the same time he knows that the end of his life could be far too soon. There is a genuine sense of honesty when Hitchens speaks of his cancer, which gives the audience an insight into his personal life. It takes a lot of courage to avoid the constant feeling of self pity like Hitchens' has achieved in this interview and that shows the true collectiveness in his personality.

B) Comment on the emotional appeal of both pieces. How does Hitchens connect to the audience?

Cancer connects to one of the broadest audiences in the world. However, when a well-known and controversial journalist comments on how his life has led him to this point, it becomes significantly more engaging and emotional. The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this interview is the truth behind Hitchens' words. He allows the audience into his personal life and does nothing to cover it up. Charlie Rose is genuinely interested in who Hitchens is as a person and Hitchens responds by saying, "Well, with that understanding, I don't mind." The audience is given the opportunity to connect with Hitchens on a personal level and I'm sure there are many people out there in the same unfortunate situation he has found himself in. It is interviews like these that give people not only hope but a feeling of strength and an optimistic outlook whether they're life is threatened or not.

C) Copy a short excerpt from "Topic of Cancer" that is especially good writing and explain why you think so

"The whole cave of my chest and thorax seemed to have been hollowed out and then refilled with slow-drying cement."

This sentence is truly remarkable in the sense that it allows the reader to comprehend the pain that Hitchens woke up with one morning in June. One can only imagine slow-drying cement within their chest and this is exactly what makes this sentence so graphic. In fact, after reading this sentence I had to stop and imagine the pain he was enduring at the moment and that clearly shows why it is an example of exceptional writing.