Living Like Weasels

Reading Dillard’s story about her encounter with a weasel was difficult for me to enjoy.  The skill of strong open form style of writing is something I could never envision myself comfortable in obtaining.  The underlying meaning of her story seemed deep and as if it could be interpreted to each their own way.

I believe the point that Dillard was trying to convey was how she admired the weasel’s simplicity.  Near her closing she states, “a weasel lives as he’s meant to, yielding at every moment to the perfect freedom of single necessity”.  This implies to me that respect was held for one who is able to live their life successfully accomplishing necessities.  Most of us attempt to perform many things at a time, and usually can do this adequately.  The weasel on the other hand, focuses on one necessity at a time and will perform to perfection, even with death.

The depth of this writing was quite intent.  The amount of meaning and description that was taken from a brief encounter with a weasel was enormous.  While trying to interpret the gist of this story was uncomfortable for me, I did try to appreciate a different style of writing than I am familiar with.

Phantom Limb Pain

In Saknussemm’s writing “Phantom Limb Pain” he tells of a childhood memory that probably helped shape a large part of his character.  Without giving a great amount of detail, he safely holds the reader responsible for developing the clear meaning of his memory.

Saknussemm indicated that he had never been in Miller King’s house before he went there to visit him after King’s motorcycle accident in which he lost his arm.  Without directly stating the reason why, one can easily envision that the long term envious relationship the two neighbor boys have had, played a large part in the reason why he had never been there before.  Saknussemm says that he was also having “crazy dreams” that left him feeling “responsible for the accident”, but didn’t give detail as to why.  Once again, the guilt of performing a harmful ceremony, just two days before King’s accident, in a place where the two boys had negatively crossed paths in the past, left one safe to assume this was the reason for Saknussemm’s dreams.

A pivotal point in the story is when Saknussemm finds King stuck on a fence and helps him down.  When King eloquently accepted the help, a lifelong lesson was realized by Saknussemm.  King really was a hero.  He was not afraid to accept any challenge dealt to him.  He was a true leader.

I enjoyed how Saknussemm closed his piece by tying the last sentence into the theme of his story.  Using words like “grew bigger” and “a little more real” makes one closely relate to the title “Phantom Limb Pain”.

No Cats In America!

Patrick José’s recollection of a his transition from his home county of the Philippines to the United States described how as a child he bought into the American dream based on the movie “An American Tale”. He moved to California with great expectations of a new and easy life. Like the movie he had watched so many times as a child, he developed a false impression of how he would be received in his new country.


Throughout life we frequently anticipate that a major event in our life is going to be wonderful and great, but it can fall short of our expectations. Reality set in quickly for Jose during his first day in his new school. Although he had a good English vocabulary, his accent became the object of ridicule by his classmates. His customary lunch of rice and tilapia brought additional laughter from his fellow students. His dreams of what life would be like in America were shattered during that first day of school. The days that followed brought further humiliation to the point where he resented his own culture and withdrew from his own family.

Most of us can relate to an anticipated event turning sour, but when your entire identity is threatened one cannot help but empathize with Jose's plight. He effectively guides the reader through a multitude of emotions. We felt his anticipation, hesitations, humiliation and ultimate despair progress throughout the story.

Masks

I enjoyed this piece written by an anonymous first-year composition student. She delivered an excellent performance by describing the settings and feelings that were involved in her story, and yet didn’t overcomplicate the writing. I surprisingly found that through her skillful writing technique, she stylishly made her reader connect to a familiar inadequate feeling they surely have experienced in their own life at some time, if only to a certain degree.


Describing in thorough detail successfully gave one a clear sense of the emotions involved, the setting in which they took place and which chapter was occurring in the writers’ life. By use of comparisons, she describes one character as “like a beautiful perfume you smell but can’t name” and “like a whisper that wakes you from a dream and turn out to belong to the dream”. In doing this, she feeds a clue of the title choice “Masks” for this writing to the reader. The brief last paragraph fruitfully unfolded the entire value of the story. In such few words the writer was able express a powerful awakening.


I wish to achieve paralleling some of this first-year composition students’ talent and abilities in the writing process. To be able to captivate an audience, with proper use of detail, connection and interest is a skill I find intriguing and hope to someday realize.

30 Little Turtles

30 Little Turtles by Friedman clearly pointed out how sometimes outsourcing can be a prosperous social endeavor. It can be kept within the same culture, but in recent global markets, is more often seen with a variety of different cultures. Some people and businesses view certain tasks as not worthy of completing for many reasons.



Sometimes it is that one feels that they are above performing the task. Other times one may be unskilled to complete the task. Another reason might be that one believes their time would be better used doing something else; that they could earn more money, more status or possibly just more personal satisfaction. Outsourcing can be an option in many cases to achieve a task being completed with benefits to all that are involved.


From the average homeowner hiring a landscaper to huge businesses using outsiders to perform jobs and supply materials, outsourcing is here to stay. The theory of individuals or businesses zeroing in on a specific specialty proves that expertise can be more easily achieved through a narrower arena in which to perform. Costs can be kept lower due to concentration in one area as well.


Friedman’s writing also makes one stop and realize how many things are viewed differently depending on who is viewing, how two views of the exact task can vary. One may see the task as not worth competing or below them, while anther may view completing the task as an accomplishment and feel successful. For social reasons, outsourcing seems like a win, win situation.

Clash on the Congo

This writing clearly points out how one event can be viewed in two totally different aspects. It also shows how different cultures can react in other ways to the same given scenario due their customs and traditions. So much interpretation depends on whose eyes are viewing.



It can be easily shown that this perspective is still carried out through modern times. Having never been a minority, in a recent visit to Puerto Rico, I had the opportunity to view things from a different vantage point than I have become accustomed. Being in a place where people mainly speak a language that is foreign to me; eat food that I am unfamiliar with and live a totally different lifestyle at first was intimidating to me. After a night of celebration with the locals I felt right at home. Pig roasting, Puerto Rican moonshine and learning some new Latin dances proved just how eager and proud some people are share their culture and how much fun it can be to step outside your everyday life and experience something new.


Looking back this visit made me realize how people fear other cultures due to unfamiliar circumstances and their upbringing. Being more open minded can certainly provide a more desirable outcome.