One of the main things I've taken from Libra is that there is a legitimate reason for those that are obsessed to be obsessed with the assassination of JFK. The shooting presents a legitimate conspiracy that I had not known much about prior to reading the book. All I'd ever heard of was that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK and that was it. I felt pretty naive when just about everyone knew there was something missing to the case. I liked the idea of writing about the conspiracy from what DeLillo envisioned led to Lee shooting JFK. Conspiracy is always a popular topic to discuss (the one I find most interesting is the Illuminati) and the assassination of JFK provides much discussion. After reading Libra and listening to all of the discussion about the shooting, I am pretty convinced that there is something missing to the story.
I really liked Libra mainly due to the conspiracy part. Hearing everybody's opinions, watching the Zapruder film, reading DeLillo's depiction of the events, and everything else interested me in all of the possible scenarios that could have taken place on that fateful day. The oddest explanation for the shooting was that the driver shot JFK. Well, how would nobody see that or realize it was him? It makes no sense but I guess until we find out what really happened, which I personally doubt will ever happen, no one will ever know for sure. The mystery is what appeals to me and what keeps many of those JFK junkies memorizing and studying frames and coming up with their own theories.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Reaction To The Zapruder Film
While watching the loop of JFK's assassination, I felt like the room got increasingly uncomfortable with the film. There was something about the silence in the room as everyone watched the film that seemed eerie. Everyone expected the shot every single loop and knew exactly when it would happen.
This was actually my first time ever seeing footage of the assassination of JFK. I'd never looked it up before nor been showed it by a teacher or friend. I found it pretty graphic for a cheaply taken film, you could see parts of JFK's head and brain flying around after he had been shot. Watching Kennedy's head get blown open over and over with the film zooming in more and more was very uncomfortable to watch. I don't understand why JFK junkies would want to watch the film over and over to dissect it. I could feel the people around me get uncomfortable with the film as well. They knew what was coming as the vehicle came over the hill and nothing could change it.
I understand the controversy over the shooting of JFK as it did seem like the bullet was coming from a different angle than it should. I even read comments on the video that said the shot might've even came from the car itself, but that's highly doubtful. Overall, I just thought the video being looped over and over was uncomfortable and unnecessary.
This was actually my first time ever seeing footage of the assassination of JFK. I'd never looked it up before nor been showed it by a teacher or friend. I found it pretty graphic for a cheaply taken film, you could see parts of JFK's head and brain flying around after he had been shot. Watching Kennedy's head get blown open over and over with the film zooming in more and more was very uncomfortable to watch. I don't understand why JFK junkies would want to watch the film over and over to dissect it. I could feel the people around me get uncomfortable with the film as well. They knew what was coming as the vehicle came over the hill and nothing could change it.
I understand the controversy over the shooting of JFK as it did seem like the bullet was coming from a different angle than it should. I even read comments on the video that said the shot might've even came from the car itself, but that's highly doubtful. Overall, I just thought the video being looped over and over was uncomfortable and unnecessary.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Lee Harvey Oswald As A Character
Prior to reading Libra, I knew that Lee Harvey Oswald was a very controversial and polarizing character in American history. I was curious as to how DeLillo would portray Oswald in his book, if he would be seen as a mad man who was destined to commit a heinous crime or if Oswald's portrayal would be humane and unbiased.
In Libra, Oswald,is treated quite fairly. He is not portrayed sympathetically, nor is he portrayed harshly in the novel. He's still a very polarizing character as one would expect and it's hard to attach to him as a character. He does many things that makes the reader uncomfortable with him. He loves his wife, yet beats her and mistreats her. He is an intelligent person but his over the top communist political views keep him from fitting into American society. He also seems to be easily manipulated by others. I think coming into reading Libra, many readers might have their own personal bias against Oswald. After all, he is associated with probably the most famous crime of the 20th century.
Overall, it's very hard to sympathize or relate to Oswald as a character. He doesn't do anything to make him seem like a likeable person in the book, yet I feel like DeLillo's portrayal of him was exactly the type of person that he was in real life. DeLillo didn't sugarcoat anything while writing Oswald's story and he kept it real.
In Libra, Oswald,is treated quite fairly. He is not portrayed sympathetically, nor is he portrayed harshly in the novel. He's still a very polarizing character as one would expect and it's hard to attach to him as a character. He does many things that makes the reader uncomfortable with him. He loves his wife, yet beats her and mistreats her. He is an intelligent person but his over the top communist political views keep him from fitting into American society. He also seems to be easily manipulated by others. I think coming into reading Libra, many readers might have their own personal bias against Oswald. After all, he is associated with probably the most famous crime of the 20th century.
Overall, it's very hard to sympathize or relate to Oswald as a character. He doesn't do anything to make him seem like a likeable person in the book, yet I feel like DeLillo's portrayal of him was exactly the type of person that he was in real life. DeLillo didn't sugarcoat anything while writing Oswald's story and he kept it real.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Thoughts On The Short Story Project
I'm just gonna say it: the short story project may have been the most enjoyable assignment I've ever done for an English class, maybe in any class. The project gave us free reign to write about whatever we wanted and it was very fun to just type out your thoughts as they came to you rather than having to research something or following a laid out criteria.
At first, I dreaded the idea of another project. After all, being a second semester senior with only a couple weeks left before you graduate you don't want to do any work whatsoever. But when I finally sat down and wrote, I found it very enjoyable. There's nothing better for a school assignment than being able to just write without having to worry about any restrictions.
My one regret is not starting on my story sooner. When I finished I felt like it was missing something which a couple more days of writing could've fixed. Had I known how enjoyable this assignment actually was earlier, I would've anything to perfect my story.
Overall, I loved this assignment and it was a great way to end the semester. What I thought would just be another project that I'd have to get out of the way to graduate ended up being a very enjoyable experience. I definitely think Mr. Mitchell should continue to assign these sort of projects in the future. The assignment was not only beneficial to me as a writer but allowed me to explore my creativity.
At first, I dreaded the idea of another project. After all, being a second semester senior with only a couple weeks left before you graduate you don't want to do any work whatsoever. But when I finally sat down and wrote, I found it very enjoyable. There's nothing better for a school assignment than being able to just write without having to worry about any restrictions.
My one regret is not starting on my story sooner. When I finished I felt like it was missing something which a couple more days of writing could've fixed. Had I known how enjoyable this assignment actually was earlier, I would've anything to perfect my story.
Overall, I loved this assignment and it was a great way to end the semester. What I thought would just be another project that I'd have to get out of the way to graduate ended up being a very enjoyable experience. I definitely think Mr. Mitchell should continue to assign these sort of projects in the future. The assignment was not only beneficial to me as a writer but allowed me to explore my creativity.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
First Thoughts on Libra
Don Dellilo's "Libra" seems like a very promising book. The story revolving around a postmodernist view on the assassination of JFK makes for a potentially extremely interesting read. I've always been interested in conspiracy theories which makes the whole conspiracy theory involving the CIA particularly intriguing to me. I'm usually skeptical about conspiracy theories but in the case of Libra's plot I definitely think it was a great possibility that there was a conspiracy. It'll be nice to see how Dellilo interprets these theories and how he portrays Lee as a character.
So far the book hasn't been as confusing as some of the other books we've read (Mumbo Jumbo...) which always is important to keep me engaged. There are definitely post-modernist aspects to the book but they aren't so "Look at me! I'm post-modernist" as it was like in Mumbo Jumbo. It's subtle yet you notice them and appreciate them, rather than Reed making them so obvious that it gets kind of bothering. I think my interest in the plot as well will keep me motivated to read the book thoroughly. I look forward to reading the rest of Libra, so far it has not disappointed.
So far the book hasn't been as confusing as some of the other books we've read (Mumbo Jumbo...) which always is important to keep me engaged. There are definitely post-modernist aspects to the book but they aren't so "Look at me! I'm post-modernist" as it was like in Mumbo Jumbo. It's subtle yet you notice them and appreciate them, rather than Reed making them so obvious that it gets kind of bothering. I think my interest in the plot as well will keep me motivated to read the book thoroughly. I look forward to reading the rest of Libra, so far it has not disappointed.
Lyndon
The short story "Lyndon" by David Foster Wallace is a look at the Lyndon B. Johnson's life through the eyes of a member of his staff. It is a lot different from what one would expect from someone who would become the most powerful man in the United States of America.
First of all, the first line, "'My name is Lyndon Baines Johnson. I own the fucking floor you stand on, boy.'l speaks for itself. It is definitely a very in-depth look at Lyndon that people would not normally read about. The way he is portrayed is very vulgar and sometimes downright disgusting. I did not like Lyndon as a character at all. I found him to be quite an asshole which one wouldn't expect from someone with such power. His always calling people "boy" and "son" really bothered me. It made him sound like he always talked down to people.
I didn't think Wallace could think of this much to write about Johnson. Like why pick Lyndon B. Johnson over any other president to write about? There were a lot of more interesting presidents he could've written about that would have made a more interesting read. Overall I didn't really like reading the short story. Although it is very interesting that he was sworn in as the president right after the assassination of JFK which is probably why we read this before starting Libra.
First of all, the first line, "'My name is Lyndon Baines Johnson. I own the fucking floor you stand on, boy.'l speaks for itself. It is definitely a very in-depth look at Lyndon that people would not normally read about. The way he is portrayed is very vulgar and sometimes downright disgusting. I did not like Lyndon as a character at all. I found him to be quite an asshole which one wouldn't expect from someone with such power. His always calling people "boy" and "son" really bothered me. It made him sound like he always talked down to people.
I didn't think Wallace could think of this much to write about Johnson. Like why pick Lyndon B. Johnson over any other president to write about? There were a lot of more interesting presidents he could've written about that would have made a more interesting read. Overall I didn't really like reading the short story. Although it is very interesting that he was sworn in as the president right after the assassination of JFK which is probably why we read this before starting Libra.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Thoughts On Kindred
After reading the blurb at the back of the book that explains the plot a little bit, my first impression of Kindred was that it would be very interesting. I really liked the whole idea of two modern people being able to go back in time and experience what life was like back then. Readers would be able to see what it was like to be a slave in the early 19th century through Dana's eyes. When Kevin and Dana decide to pretend that Kevin is Dana's master I thought it was really interesting because if they were actually from that time that could have been a reality.
As the story progressed I became more and more interested in Dana's interactions with Rufus. Since Rufus is one of Dana's ancestors and has to have a child named Hagar for Dana to exist, it is pivotal that Dana subtly coax Rufus into having Hagar. This is all complicated by Rufus' questionable character. He rapes Alice and even tells Dana that he has feelings for her. Hagar ends up being born though and Dana is now sure that when she returns to the 20th century that she'll exist. I believe that Dana was sent back in time to save Rufus from his injury and if she'd failed she would not have been able to go back to her own time.
Overall I enjoyed reading Kindred because of its interesting plot. I'd never read a book set in the antebellum South before and I found it a good read. The kind of sci-fi aspect of time traveling was also something that sparked my interest. I honestly don't think there was much controversy or intensely thought-provoking theme surrounding the story, just a well-written and interesting book.
As the story progressed I became more and more interested in Dana's interactions with Rufus. Since Rufus is one of Dana's ancestors and has to have a child named Hagar for Dana to exist, it is pivotal that Dana subtly coax Rufus into having Hagar. This is all complicated by Rufus' questionable character. He rapes Alice and even tells Dana that he has feelings for her. Hagar ends up being born though and Dana is now sure that when she returns to the 20th century that she'll exist. I believe that Dana was sent back in time to save Rufus from his injury and if she'd failed she would not have been able to go back to her own time.
Overall I enjoyed reading Kindred because of its interesting plot. I'd never read a book set in the antebellum South before and I found it a good read. The kind of sci-fi aspect of time traveling was also something that sparked my interest. I honestly don't think there was much controversy or intensely thought-provoking theme surrounding the story, just a well-written and interesting book.
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