Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:book club reading response

Over the past month or so, my book club and I chose to read the outstanding novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer. This was about an odd young boy named Oskar Schell, whose father passed suddenly when the twin towers crashed on 9/11. When Oskar finds a key labeled, “Black” in his father’s closet, he becomes suspicious. Seeking closure with his dad, Oskar goes on a journey through the 5 boroughs meeting everyone under the name, “Black”. He makes companions and friends along the way and changes a lot. Oskar holds a unique personality and is a very independant kid. Throughout the story he uses lots of repeated metaphors and symbols that I have chose to expand on.

One of the first metaphors we encounter in the story is the saying, “heavy boots”. Oskar often uses this phrase to show his distress or sorrow towards something. For example, at his father’s funeral he had extremely heavy boots. Oskar expresses that he always had heavy boots after what happened to his dad, but some things lightened his boots. On page 2, during his dads funeral, Oskar says, “I desperately wish I had my tambourine with me now, because even after everything I’m still wearing heavy boots”. Having heavy boots is another way to say that something is weighing you down, and Oskars dad is always on his mind which makes him incredibly lonely.

Another symbol we found in the book in the key, and his journey to find the key. I think that finding the key is also a way to find closure with his father, because he never really got to say goodbye and know everything was ok. Oskar spent so much time trying to find this key because he so desperately needed to find out another thing about his dad and what the key could mean. Oskar visited (without using public transportation) 472 people with the last name Black and talked to almost everyone of them, creating acquaintances and never forgetting a single person. This key turned Oskar from a shy, reserved 8 year old to a boy who was honest and able to admit to things to total strangers. This key represents his journey to seek closure with his father and it resembles the whole premise and cause of the book.

One metaphor that I especially loved and thought was so genius of Foer to think of, was Oskar giving himself bruises. In the beginning of the book, I thought this was a metaphor and not an actual bruise on his body. When I found out it was an actual bruise on his body that he gives himself, I had a whole different view on the meaning of it.  At first I believed this was when Oskar was feeling sad and he felt bruised on the inside. Oskar actually pinches or punches himself to leave a mark on his skin and feel pain. I now feel this is out of guilt. Oskar has a set of voicemails his father left for him on 9/11, and Oskar never told anybody about them, not even his mom. He felt that he was the reason his father died, if only he told someone. He knew his father was dying and didn’t to anything about it. Once after listening to the messages, he writes, “I invented. I gave myself a bruise. I invented.” (pg 69), Showing how guilty he was for not sharing the messages. Another theory that I have formed about the bruises is it is a way to find a feeling. Most of the time Oskar is lonely, without his father and his mother not around. By hurting himself, he is creating another feeling other than loneliness. When his mother befriends a man- the first man since his father- Oskar feels lonely and that it was unfair for his mother to be having fun after what had happened. “I zipped myself all the way into the sleeping bag of myself, not because I was hurt, not because I had broken something, but because they were cracking up. Even though I knew I shouldn’t have, I gave myself a bruise.”(page 37). Oskar gives himself another feeling to distract the loneliness that he always has.

This book was extraordinary. The way it was written, the vocabulary, the endless inventions and ideas, made the story all the more better. I grew as a reader because of this novel and made me get into the habit of reading good books again that I am interested in. This book was beautifully written and contained thousands of meanings to each sentence. In conclusion, Extremely Loud and Incredibly close held symbols and lessons that show what the experience of losing a loved one is like.

Nonfiction RR

In Upfront Magazine’s article, “The Natural”, Mike Tierney focuses on a young man who was born with a disability but proves himself to the public by playing basketball. Zach Hodskins, a high schooler in Atlanta was born without his left forearm and hand. Despite his disability, he has taken up the hobby of playing basketball. In this article Tierney explains the theory that Hodskins talks about; he plays basketball not only because he love it but to also prove to people that just because he is disabled, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the ability to play as well as they can. Hodskins makes it clear that he wants to help other people around the world who have disabilities as well, and Tierney includes in his article other disabled athletes who have been very successful.

Zach Hodskins faced lots of doubts and challenges when he began his dream of being a basketball player. He felt that he needed to prove himself right and that he was strong enough to accomplish whatever he wanted. He built strengths around his missing arm and made it clear that it didn’t matter when he looked like, he could be whoever he wanted to be. Using his strengths like being 6’4 and having a great passing and shooting range, he tries to make himself the best one on the court. “He has such an extreme desire to prove himself at the highest level he can,” says his father, who supports his dreams and goals. His family doesn’t treat Zach any differently than the other family members. You would think that having a disability would make you uncertain but that surely was not the case with Zach. In fact, his disability made him more confident and determined than most of the kids on his team.

Hodskins is definitely confident with himself, but what about other disabled children and adults? After a youtube video of Zach playing basketball went viral getting over 4 million views, many people who need advice or help with their disability have contacted him. Zach is happy to help other people who are going through the same fight he is going through. He gives them confidence and advice on how to cope and manage the hard parts. But more than anything, Hodskins helps them embrace and accept their disability because it is something you should be proud of. Prove to the world that it is something to be proud of, and that you can accomplish anything, despite your disability.

I found this article very inspiring. Having a disability or to have something hold you back can be really hard. But Zach proves this point wrong as he shows how successful you can be despite the hardships; To move past the challenges and try as hard as you can to prove you are more than just disabled.

Final Draft of Poem

Andy Goldsworthy sculpture

what has the power to create something so beautiful

also has the power to destroy it

pulling together something to make it complete

but then pulling it back apart over time

like a tide rushing over sand

the golden sun melting delicate ice

creation and destruction tie together something more beautiful as anything else.

Poetry Reading Response

“It’s easy sitting in the sun / to forget cold exists / let alone envelopes / the lives of people”, Nikki Giovanni writes in her poem, “Photography”. I love this line because it is so true. In warm weather do we think of cold harsh winters? We naturally are so caught up in the moment that we don’t think of how lucky we are. The author portrays life as a camera to show the readers to value or “capture” the beauties of life while you have them. This poem also shows the readers to think on the bright side and see both parts of life (look outside the ‘camera’ frame) : the bad and the good.

This poem made me realize that we forget one feeling when we are feeling the opposite. For example, you might be feeling sad because you got a bad grade but you don’t think of the other great grades you have gotten. You focus on the bad things.  However,  when you think about it, maybe this grade that you got could be considered a good grade for somebody else. “it’s easy sitting in the sun /  to forget the ice and ravages / of winter yet / there are those who would have / no other season”. This line shows the readers that not only you don’t think of the future bad weather but you don’t think on the bright side of the weather. It could be somebody else’s favorite season so there must be something good about it. I think Giovanni is trying to tell us to look on the bright side of the bad parts of life even if you (at first) don’t see any good in it.

I thought it was interesting how Nikki Giovanni portrayed life as a camera. The film is the heart, and the eye is the camera. I interpreted this as a way to show the readers to question their perspectives or look outside the camera frame. “watching the red sun bleed / into the ocean / one thinks of the beauty that fire brings”,she writes. This teaches a very good moral. Bleeding and fire are not peaceful or beautiful but Giovanni turns both of these things into something to admire the beauty of.

This message is something many people (including myself) should learn because there are others who really want the things you have. Don’t take advantage of your luxuries but capture the things you enjoy, as well as see the beautiful sides of things that may not seem beautiful at first.  

RR Teen Angst? Naaah...

Ned Vizzini grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and eventually became a famous author when he published his journals kept through high school which exposed his life to the public. However, these books aren’t amusing just because he shares all his life stories, but because he is flaunting the brutally honest truth of what it is like to be a teenager. This story is completely relatable and I found that reading this book prepared me for the future and even allowed me to make connections to my current life.

Ned introduces himself as a child who has been socially awkward, tied up in video games, and lonely most of his life. As the story goes on, he expands his high school life and makes friends- even gets a girlfriend. Vizzini also shares his experience in getting into high school (which is what we are going through now), and college as well. Personally I can relate to how Vizzini feels during the high school admissions process and growing up. Being horrified of high school, and his daily struggles with normal teenage boy issues: girls, grades, getting introduced to new people and things. Ned wasn’t the most popular guy in school, he knew it, and underestimated himself at times. We can all relate to that- thinking people are better than we are. Ned gets over this but before he builds up his confidence, he is put through awkward and painful situations.

In other books or movies about growing up it seems all welcoming and fun, but Ned introduces the side of being a teenager that is bittersweet. Although it was a harsh description and course of events, it was good to hear the truth- no matter what it was. Not over exaggerated- but of course not boring- Ned Vizzini portrayed the life of a teenage boy growing up to be successful, in spite of the chances he repeatedly missed several times in his life.

Unfortunately, Ned Vizzini has just committed suicide. It’s hard to think about this event because he let us into his life and showed how life is brutally hard at times, yet giving us strength to go on with ours as he did himself. Its awfully coincidental that as I read his book, explored his life, he was planning on ending it. I was fascinated at how he chose to show his life and how he went through so many lost battles yet still was comfortable and caring enough to share it with the world, preparing us for the not so easy path that lays ahead. I wish he knew how much we all admire his confidence and his literature. He really taught me many lessons about how to handle situations or what is the right or wrong thing to do. This book was educational and inspirational, as well as fascinating.

After Mandela nonfiction reading response

Nonfiction Reading Response

I just read the article, “After Mandela: the country has come a long way since the end of apartheid, but has it lived up to Nelson Mandela’s example?” written by Patricia Smith. This article explains (after the death of Nelson Mandela) how much this man did for his country and beliefs and how much he improved in this country, as well as introducing the idea that the presidents after Mandela have not lived up to his reputation as a leader. After all Mandela did for African American rights and how drastically he changed the lifestyle of thousands of people, I could see how it would be hard to live up to him. Patricia Smith is obviously trying to show the readers that Nelson Mandela was a memorable man who did many things for his country that he deserves to be remembered for, yet Smith also mentions the fact that presidents who have came after Mandela haven’t done as good of a job as him.

Nelson Mandela was a great man. Patricia Smith wrote this article to show us what he has done and what he is famous for- why people look up to him, why he has such a good reputation. Nelson Mandela was put in jail for 27 years for fighting for his strong beliefs in African American rights and trying to end the white rule over the majority of blacks in the country. “For most of the 20th century, black South Africans lived under apartheid a government run system of rigid racial segregation”, says Smith in the article. Apartheid had ruined the lives of so many people just because of their race- they weren’t allowed to participate in most things anyone should have the right to do. While he was in jail, nothing big happened to change the way things were in their country and segregation was still going on. When Mandela was released, although he had been severely punished for doing it before, once again Mandela kept fighting for the rights of African Americans. He believed so strongly in this that he kept protesting no matter the punishment. Apartheid ended in 1991 and in 1994, the country created a new government- electing Nelson Mandela as president. For the whole time Mandela lead the country, a lot changed and improved. He was a very productive president and an inspiration to so many people because of the change and happiness he gave to so many people who didn’t deserve to be treated the way they were.

Patricia Smith also made it clear that not only was Nelson Mandela a great man but she also made the statement that, the presidents after Mandela cannot compare to the job and the change Mandela brought to their country. After Mandela’s presidency ended, Smith says “there have been many disappointments too”. The unemployment rate is getting higher and higher, and according to a search done by the World Bank, 85 percent of black south africans are still poor, whereas 87 percent of whites are a part of the middle and upper class. As said by the author, their democracy is settled, but “the presidents who have followed Mandela have failed to live up to his example.”. She also adds on the fact that health isn’t great there and that the current president is being accused of corruption and rape. William Gumede, a south african scholar also says, “there has really been a failure in passing the torch”. I would imagine that this is just adding onto the fact that Mandela was a one of a kind leader who was willing to fight for what he believed in which made him an inspirational figure.

In conclusion, this article supported the life of Nelson Mandela. Patricia Smith wrote this article in appreciation of him, and also to discuss the present leaders that have taken after him in presidency. This article definitely made me realise that Mandela was a great man and deserves this recognition and even though we may not be able to find anyone like him, he changed history. Without him we could have still had segregation and apartheid could be still happening.