“No one can write like White.” February 18, 2008

 

The extract “Here is New York” from 1948 is written by E. B. White and appears in “Essays of E. B. White” (Harper, 1977).

It deals with the information about New York and a classification of three groups: natives, commuters and settlers.

Once, the author James Thurber stated: “No one can wrtite like White.” The reasons for his quotation becomes very clear if you have a closer look at some main facts White used in this extract.

White wrote his text in a adequate style. He did not use colloquial English. Adventious is that White used (very) long sentences with a lot of information in them.

For a reader whose native language is not English, some phrases seem to be a bit difficult to understand abruptly and need to be read twice. A good example might be in line nine up to line twelve: “And whether it is a farmer arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference [...]“. The language is not such difficult but probably all the information: Possibly, you must read this sentence twice to get all the pieces of information.

Another support of the facts mentioned above might be the stylistic devices White used.

Yoou can find some enumerations in this extract (e.g. ll. 1-5 or ll. 15-17). Even if they may confuse the readeship, they specify the context.

In line 15 up to line 17, the text is about the terror “that would visit the city more than 50 years later” (additional information) and the enumeration intensifies the context: “A single flight of planes no bigger than a wedge of geese can quickly end this island fantasy, burn the towers, crumble the bridges, turn the undergroung passages into lethal chambers, cremate the millions.”

But not just this enumeratin can be found in this long sentence. “[..] no bigger than a wedge of geese” is a simile which supports the next stylistic device in this phrase: “the island fantasy” can be identify as a metaphor.

It is a metaphor because it stands for something special, something fantastic New York has in his opinion.

But not just this stylistic devices have the effect of specification.

“Each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love], each absorbs New York with the fresh yes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light [...]” (ll. 12-13). In this sentence, White worked with an anaphora to specify that everybody loves this hometown – no matter if this person is a “a farmer arriving from a small town [...] or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt [...]” (ll.11f.).

Another support which might be striking for Whit’s way to write his essays can be found in this example as well: a metaphor. “Each embraces New York [...]“ (l.11)

Normally, you cannot embrace a city – you can only embrace person you like or even love. Another proof how deep Whit’s relation to “his” New York must be.

 

In my opinion, Thuber’s quotation can be seen as a support of White’s way to author a good essay.

White used many analytic aspects – just to make some information interesting and worth reading.

Exhibition / Hamburg Deichtorhallen / American Beauties February 16, 2008

 

First I have to say that I was really surprised about all the pictures we could see. I got to know many aspects of the American people I have not known before.

 

For me the slide show by Nan Goldin was very impressing.

I did not really like the pictures but I liked the messages.

The viewer could see parts of her life with all the ups and downs:

good days without drugs, days in love, days full of drugs and again the same process.

You got the impression how hard (and nice as well) a life in America can be and that a person can have nice and – just after some weeks – bad, really bad days.

 

I think Nan Goldin is a good example for many Americans who have on the one hand good, comfortable parts of their life. But if they get addicted to drugs their life changes in a dramatic way.

Review of MOON PALACE January 23, 2008

“MOON PALACE is the story of Marco Stanley Fogg’s development and quest for his identity set against the background of the Manhattan urban landscape. Through chance and coincidence he discovers his origins and re-examines his relationship with America.

Within Marco’s own narrative lie a number of sub-narratives which are central to Marco’s quest and which can be read as the history of modern America, forming a parallel story to Marco’s own.”

 

This is the blurb you get by buying the novel of Paul Auster.

It sounds interesting and in some way suspenseful – but after reading you can confirm that the story MOON PALACE underachieves. The whole story is a long haul and from time to time it gets boring. Some parts of the book are written with too many details what causes this boredom, for example Effing’s journey to the West: Approximately thirty pages are filled with a report of his trip.

And if it had not been enough, the journey turns out to be a little bit surreal: Effing finds a cave and a death person and starts a life (but just for one year) in this cave.

 

The characters in the novel are round as well as flat. The protagonist Marco is a round character and the reader is able to perceive some different character traits and sides of his personality. Auster has successfully created an interesting main character but Marco seems to be the only one who can come up to the reader’s expectations.

His family background is depicted very well but his life after the death of his uncle Victor and especially the days in Central Park appear again surreal.

 

Beside the sometimes complicated story Auster created, there are a couple of literary devices like flashbacks, flashforwards and leitmotifs.

In some aspect, these devices are very helpful to make the story much more interesting but sometimes you can get confused because the effect of e.g. some leitmotifs does not become really clear.

An example for this confusion might be the moon: Auster refers to the moon in several contexts but it is impossible to define the symbolic meaning and it is also impossible to make this definition do for all several contexts.

 

On the whole I would say that there is a need for patience, favour for fiction and a good imagination for every reader who wants to go through MOON PALACE.

Tesla – Moon Palace January 8, 2008

Tesla in Moon Palace:

• Effing sees Tesla in 1893 (p.144) at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago à “the idea was to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America” (p.144/ll. 11f.)
• Tesla performs tricks with electricity/people have never seen such trick before
• Effing is fascinated by Tesla (p.114f) and reads a lot about him
• the press writes that Tesla can’t be a human (p.146/l. 39)
• because of Tesla, Effing gets to know that he “was not going to live forever” (p. 148/l. 8 )

à Hero of Effing’s youth!

Effing – a good man or a monster?? (Moon Palace – Chapter 4) December 11, 2007

In my opinion, Effing is not just a good man or a monster.

He has good character traits which convince the reader in certain situations:

Effing fells pity for Marco and speaks with a warm voice about Marco’s situation after his mother died (p. 120/ll. 22-23)

And even the sentimental side (p.119/ll. 64-66) of him has the effect that we, the readership, forget some “bad” aspects about Effing.

His behavior how he eats – in a disgusting, loud way (p.115/ll. 45-48) – makes us feel ashamed but we have to keep in mind that Effing is an old person – he is 86 years old.

I do not think that the quotes we have mentioned for him being a “monster” are that negative.

In my opinion, they are just strange (e. g. “he thinks that he caused the fall of 1965″ (p. 107/ll. 45-46)) and special. They characterizes him as a “special” one.

The encounter in the little park – Moon Palace – Chapter 3 November 27, 2007

I walked through the park, completely lost in thoughts.

The weather was fine and I had had an exhausting day: training at Juilliards. Nevertheless, I used the chance to take the advantages of this good weather and I spent my spare time outside.

I crossed a playground with many kids on it: screaming, shouting, making all kinds of noises.

I kept on walking and that was the moment I saw him again: Marco – the strange guy I had gotten to know some weeks ago.

All my memories evoked: the first moment, I saw him, the unusual breakfast together with him in Zimmer’s former apartment, the kiss – our kiss.

I did not know why I kissed him. I only knew that we both looked alike.

And now, seeing him sitting on the bench, all my feelings came up.

I stopped walking abruptly.

He did not recognize me. I did not know what he was doing but he was lost in his work. I could only see lots of papers he went through.

After some minutes, I decided to say “Hello.” and took myself a seat next to him.

“Hello there, Mr. Writer,” I said. “It’s good to see you up and again about.” What I said was the truth. It was good to see him again. “I’m not really writing,” he said. “It’s a translation. Something I’m doing to earn a little money.”

This was the point, I remembered what Zimmer had told me yesterday. “I know. I ran into David yesterday, and he told me about it.”

We both started a conversation and it was completely relaxed. He felt the same I did, I guessed. The conversation was comfortable and we talked for a while.

I noticed that Marco looked at me very precisely but it did not bother me. I enjoyed our “meeting” and after some minutes Marco proposed to go to Zimmer’s apartment for drinking coffee.

On our way to the flat we talked about all the world and his brother.

If someone had seen us, he would think that we are very close to each other. I liked this imagination. We laughed, had fun and I was all smiles.

MOON PALACE – CHAPTER THREE November 19, 2007

During his stay in Zimmer’s apartment, Marco realizes that he has to start his life all over again.

How does he explain his breakdown after the death of uncle Victor?

After the death of his uncle Victor, Marco could not keep his balance. He gave up struggling against this shock (p. 85/ l. 44). He lost a very important person who had taken care for Marco after the death of his mother in his childhood. In all the years, they had a deep relationship and it was hard for Marco to be on his own.
He could not “accept things as they were” (p. 85/l. 49) and he had the opinion that it would be better to abandon himself “to the chaos” (p. 85/l. 46) which was his life he supposed.

What did he learn from this experience?
He learned that it would be better not to think that much of one’s own person and not to pity himself (p. 78).
He gave up early instead of struggling against the shock the death of uncle Victor was for him (p. 85).
In the future, Marco would “begin to accomplish something in the world” (p.78/ l. 30f.).
Marco wonders to change his life completely and to turn himself into a good, religious person (p. 78).
Another aspect which he mentions is that he enters a new period of life in which he do not want to regret anything he does later on.

What has changed since September 9, 2001? October 17, 2007

Since that terrible, dangerous and painful day, many things changed in the United States.

After this morning when thousands of people died, got hurt or lost their relatives the mistrust especially for these people has grown.

They never realised that such a terrorist activity would happen in their (actually) save country. But now, they cannot be sure if something like that will happen again.

The people lost their feelings to feel free and save. And to protect themselves against attacks they have bought weapons and security systems – always prepared in case of terrorism.

But this has also the effect that every situation is supervalued. Every crime and big accident inspire the mistrust of the population due to the attacks which happened at this terrible, incomprehensible day.

The government of Bush reacted immediately: the controls at the airport as well as in public buildings like embassies of the United States all over the world got stricter.

Another aspect which was a result of the reaction of the government: the agressive foreign policy. They started the war against terrorism and pursued their aim to banish the Talibans. In 2003, they started to fight in Iraq.

But the people in the States were split up: some really understand the reasons and the aggressiveness which made it necessary for Bush to start fighting.

But some were against the war and thus against Bush’s policy.

President Bush lost many supporters and was criticised by lots of people – even in foreign countries and not only in America.

Further terrorist activities in Madrid (2004) and London (2005) make clear that the fear is not causeless and that nobody can avoid such attacks.

But not for all people living in America live changed. A lot of them were not personally involved: they just saw the planes flying into the towers in TV.

After six years they have forgotten all the fear and panic and are now living an haomonious life without any reason to be scared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post about the song “Born In The U.S.A.” and a relation to the keywords of the American Dream. October 4, 2007

Born In The USA – Bruce Springsteen

Born down in a dead man’s town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just to cover it up

Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

I got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says “Son if it was up to me”
Went down to see my V.A. man
He said “Son don’t you understand”

I had a brother at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They’re still here, he’s all gone

He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I’m ten years down the road
Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go

Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I’m a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I’m a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
________________________________________________________________

The song “BORN IN THE USA” by Bruce Springsteen focuses on a man who was sent to Vietnam for fighting and killing people and his difficult situation after returning to the U.S.

Springsteen wanted to point out the problems Vietnam veterans have when they came back home to America.
The veterans actually thought they would fight for freedom and democrazy but they underestimated the situation in the Asian country and lost the war. The veterans realized that they had killed a lot of people for nothing.
Normally the veterans of wars get a hero’s welcome back home but those veterans were mostly ignored.
NIGHTMARE would be a good word to describe exactly the problem. But definitely such a bad thing does not fit to the American Dream.
Normally the American Dream stands for a good, partially (very) rich life without big problems and with happiness.
Another aspect which can be interpreted in Springsteen’s song is INDIVIDUALISM.
The person the song is about did not have the chance to prosper and to be succesful in life. His hometown and the circumstances he lived in could not give him the oppurtunities because it was “a dead man’s town“ and it took him to long to get out of it.

Many Americans thougt that this song has to do with patriotism and with the American pride. Reasons were the rhythm and the chorus of the song and the cover which shows Springsteen in front of the AMERICAN FLAG. This misinterpretation bothered Springsteen and it also shows the naivety of the Americans because the colours of the flag had a symbolic meaning in earlier times: white stood for purity, red for endurance and bravery, and blue for justice.
And these aspects are definitely not in line with a war.

Born In The USA September 26, 2007

I’m working on the song Born In The USA with Birte, Ina and Dennis.