Blog 2: Mister Rogers

Tom Junod did such an amazing job creating a voice for not only himself and Mister Rogers, but for other "characters" throughout the piece. For Mister Rogers, the voice was so easy to recognize, as I spent a good portion of my childhood with him, watching hours upon hours of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". Junod made sure to acknowledge several times throughout the piece that Mister Rogers sounds exactly like that - he sounds the same way he does on the Neighborhood. For himself, Junod created a voice that was a combination of casual and bewildered. He seemed to be constantly fascinated at the fact that the Mister Rogers treated Junod himself and strangers with the amount of kindness and compassion that he did. When it came to the few brief paragraphs about the background "characters", he paints such a vivid picture of them and gives them their own voice, even if there is a lack of dialogue. As I read the entire article, it felt like I was getting to know each person that was included, and that has everything to do with the way Tom Junod creates voices for everyone.

Roger Ebert: The Essential Man

Edwin Unzalu

Creative Writing

Blog 2

Roger Ebert: The Essential Man

Chris Jones

I was extremely moved by this profile. Now you may think that my reaction comes from the harsh trials Mr.Ebert seems to continue to withstand but it isn’t. If my emotional response came from pity I would be no different than the people that linger when they speak to him, speak slowly to him and even worse the lady who wrote in his pad to communicate. My emotion came about because this profile truly portrays the power of words. Not from a stance of pity, superiority or sadness or even blind admiration. Jones captures the truth of Ebert’s life, its struggles and triumphs, in a narrative that seamlessly merges his observations with the wisdom dispensed from countless Post-it notes, ripped pieces of paper and generic computerized voices. Jones captured me with his unbiased poeticism. When he is describing Ebert’s use of music to cope with his hospital stays and when the final artery burst in Ebert’s jaw right before he leaves; of this Jones writes “ Had he made it out of his hospital room and been on his way home—had his artery waited just a few more songs to burst—Ebert would have bled to death on Lake Shore Drive.

Jones also has an interesting way of showing us the sequence of Ebert’s life in which he takes his last drink, eats his last meal and says his last words to his wife. It propels the reader to think about the last times they did these things. I think this technique of making the reader think of their own life while reading about someone else’s was most striking to me. When Jones does this I am able to empathize not just sympathize. Sympathy means pity, sympathy looks, sometimes superficially, for a silver lining. But when the author builds your perspective from the most basic to the most complex while continuing time and time again to highlight the wisdom and passion and humanity within his subject we as the reader begin to empathize which unlike sympathy, empathy looks to feel with the person-- understand-- and never pity. Empathy leaves room for admiration and true appreciation. Empathy encourages amazement not only of the fact that Ebert is a survivor and the first film critic to win the Pulitzer or a tv staple, but also for the fact that he smiles with his eyes, he makes it to events, he continues to write and continues to reach new levels of writing with his online journal and continued print work.

He is much more than a list of misfortunes who can inevitably smile through it all. He is someone who reminisces sometimes, pretends like everything's as it once was sometimes, panics about internet connection and can also get angry at the thought of a lost memory of a lost friend. He continues to be human at a level that we may possibly never understand but through the merger of his voice with Jones’ I would like to believe I’m a bit closer to understanding his wisdom. Like when he says of death: I know it is coming, and I do not fear it, because I believe there is nothing on the other side of death to fear.

2. "Roger Ebert: The Essential Man"

This piece definitely spoke to me on numerous levels. I was astounded by the story of Roger Ebert and experienced different emotions as I went through the piece. First, I was intrigued by the description of his career as a film critic and by the look into what Ebert does for a living. I was saddened by the story of how he eventually had to have his entire lower jaw removed. I was touched by the relationship between Ebert and his wife Chaz. Overall, I was amazed with this profile. I believe that a huge part of what brought me through this entire roller coaster of emotions was the way that Chris Jones used his own voice to capture the voice of Roger Ebert.

Chris Jones is essentially absent from this piece. He primarily uses a third person point-of-view to profile Ebert and rarely refers to himself. We know nothing about Chris Jones by the end of the piece; however, we feel as though we know so much about Roger Ebert. I feel as though Jones put a great deal of distance between himself and Ebert's character in the writing of this profile. However, this distance did not make the story impersonal by any means. It is almost as though Jones was creating the distance in order to make way for the hugeness of Roger Ebert and for the credit he deserved. We receive such a close view of Ebert in this piece. We feel his emotions as he feels them and as he sometimes still struggles to convey them. We experience his anger and feel him quickly grow tired in a crowded event. We are up close and personal with him, but we do not interfere with him. It seems as though this is the perspective that Jones took on when he was writing as well. I believe that Jones did an excellent job with this profile. He was able to capture the true voice of Roger Ebert by strategically using his own.

Mister Rogers- Sincerity Through Simplicity

In his account of Mr. Rogers, Tom Junod provides a testament of himself and his character along with Mr. Rogers's. As Mr. Rogers is portrayed as a simplistic and kind-hearted man, Junod creates this parallel through his writing. The style that he employs to describe the character of Mr. Rogers often matches the depictions created. Junod's voice becomes matter-of-factly as if he is simply relaying a message to the reader; his successful use of diction augments the scenes and conversations being depicted in the article. As in his paragraph describing ophthalmology, Junod explains the field simply and clearly, paralleling the style in which Mr. Rogers, himself, would explain such an idea to a child. He elaborates on a knowledge of children and their fears, providing insight to the intelligence and sensitivity that is essential when interacting with children. In his article, Junod presents Mr. Rogers as a strong follower of tradition or routine. The in-depth description of Mr. Rogers's Old Rabbit emphasizes Mr. Rogers respect for value and his tendency to return and be faithful to the things he loves. The children he taught on a daily basis and the values he stood for were very like another Old Rabbit for him- something he couldn't let go of.

Mister Rogers: Our Everyday Hero!

Tom Junod’s profile of Mr. Rogers paints him as, of course as the title would suggest, a hero. He goes on about all the wonderful things that Mr. Rogers has done for people and children. He is painted at a sweet individual who cares deeply about what is going on in other people’s lives. Junod really plays on what Mr. Rogers had done in his life then when he had the show and now when he’s just an old man. Junod gives examples too like how Mr. Roger’s just casually decides to take a piss at a cemetery (I’ve seen old people do that). He’s gotten to a certain point in his life where he’ll just answer the door in a bathrobe because he couldn’t even care about what people think of him.

Another thing that Junod does is he uses “Once Upon A Time” a lot throughout the piece. Personally I think it’s not just to play on the fact that Mr. Rogers did a children’s television show. But whenever he goes to once upon a time he’ll go back to a point in Mr. Roger’s life or even a part of his own life. He’s using “Once Upon A Time” to bounce back and forth to a specific time and then back to modern day.     

Roger Ebert: The Essential Man

Chris Jones' writing style depicts how important memory is. And it's very true to life because not everyone remembers things by dates but by simple things such as the music or what was around them. It gives readers a more empathetic look as to what was going on in the story. When the reader reads about all of the surgeries that Ebert and Chaz had to go through they can feel what happened. Along with the pain that both of them had to go through experiencing what happened to the other one.

The part about the music was especially important to me because when I listen to certain songs I’ll remember certain memories. Even some that I might not want to remember. But, like Ebert and Chaz, sometimes remembering the bad times help people remember why the happy moments are so important. The story really spreads a message of how important our memories our. No matter how good or horrible they might be. They help shape who we are.                 

The Essential Man Makes "Memory" the Most Beautiful Thing in the World

 Chris Jones does a successful job in depicting Ebert's life in a very emotional and sensate way. Every word Jones chooses to describe Ebert makes the readers think and feel what he has been through. It exceeds understanding and brings upon true empathy among readers. Jones' way of description truly emphasizes the importance of memory, and thus tells us to count on each and every moment.

 Ebert and Chaz remember the surgeries only by soundtracks but not recorded dates. Readers feel some sort of exotic originality from this, because it is something they have not been familiar to before. The couple disagree on the numbers of surgeries Ebert went through, but they do not argue over it because they do not consider it important in their lives. Instead, they consider other things essential: their emotions, senses and memories. They sit together reminiscing happiness and pleasurable moments, and description of such moments certainly draws readers into their story.
This part of their story was especially interesting because when I refuse to recall certain memories, I also restrain myself from listening to music related to the memory. Music always makes me think up of the moment so clearly that I feel scared and soon stop myself. Ebert and Chaz listening to the soundtracks, however, shows that they are not afraid of the sad memories but they are strong enough to hold themselves together even with strong image remaining. They just do not keep record of it because they do not wish to "dwell on" those memories, not because they are afraid. Such emotional strength certainly pulled me more into the story. Also, the beautiful rationality and concern of Ebert shown through him not using his voice when he is angry causes people to think over about themselves. Reflecting Ebert's life to our own lives, we can reconsider what is now "the single most important thing in [our lives]", and whether or not we are wasting the moments that we instead have to appreciate.

Mister Rogers! Our Everday Hero!

This profile of Mister Rogers by Tom Junod paints Mister Rogers as a hero. First off, he starts off the profile and many paragraphs within it with once upon a time. A commonly used phrase to start off a fairytale or a classic epic. Using it this way makes it seem like Mister Rogers is one of those heroes in ancient stories. That's what it feels like the whole profile is aiming to do,to immortalize him as a hero.

The paragraph that epitomizes this the most is the one that starts with he was barely more than a boy. It speaks of young Mister Rogers battle with the television medium. His parents brought him a television and he turned it on. The first thing he sees is people throwing pies at each other. Ever since then he dedicated his life so that medium can be used for,"Broadcasting grace through the land."

Robert Ebert - blog 2

I was completely captured by Jones’ profile of Roger Ebert. While the events of Mr. Ebert’s life are jolting and capturing in themselves, I can’t say that that was the sole reason I was so entranced by this piece. Jones did a wonderful job of relaying Ebert’s story in a way that was anything but intrusive; it was clear that he took the back seat for this ride and really gave an honest account that allowed Ebert’s entire person to speak for himself through Jones’ writing. I personally think that this detail says more about Jones’ voice in this piece than what would have been said if he had done it any other way. As for Ebert’s voice, I think Jones did a fantastic job of capturing it. Not once did this feel like I was reading a summary or a recount of something Mr. Ebert had said – it truly felt like I was tagging along, experiencing these encounters first hand beside him. It was constantly refreshing to be able to get this impenetrable sense of Robert Ebert – whether he was jotting in his notebook, telling his wife good night, opening a copy of his new book, or even demonstrating his new, creative ways such as laughing, I quickly felt my initial pity dissolving and a whole new respect forming for this man. Jones did a fantastic job of using not only his voice, but the important voice of Robert Ebert, which is anything but lost, to give an incredible profile.

In "The American Male at Age 10," the paragraph that most grabbed my attention was the one beginning with "Danny's Pizzeria." This paragraph provides a vivid description of the pizzeria concisely, yet effectively. Orlean uses descriptive words to paint an image in the reader's mind. She brings the reader back to childhood and helps him or her to connect to a hometown or memory of the past. She presents space as a universal measurement by explaining size in matter of, "either six teenagers or about a dozen ten-year-olds." Orlean's use of language brings the reader into the scene. Her vivid diction appeals to the senses of the reader- smell, sight, and sound.

Mr. Rogers Profile

The first time Tom Junod references himself is in the sentence where Mister Rogers is talking about the monkey putting on his shoes and he says the author's name. Then again when says "The first time I met Mr. Rogers." But even before this, he establishes his own voice when he is describing Mr. Roger's appearance and apparel. The adjectives he uses are from his own mind and belong to his own writing style, "slightly wattles at the neck", "slightly stooped at the shoulder", "slightly sunken in the chest", "slightly curvy at the hips." Junod establishes Mr. Roger's voice firstly and most evidently by quoting him. My personal favorite is "the number 143 means 'I love you.' It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say 'love' and three letters to say 'you.' One hundred and forty-three. 'I love you.' Isn't that wonderful?" Tom also establishes Rogers' voice by adding quotes to the end of the stories he tells about events of Mr. Rogers life,  like the time he and Mr. Rogers and Maya Lin went to New York and met a bunch of people who recognized Mr. Rogers, "Oh, Tom, if you could only hear the stories I hear!" This makes it sound like Mr. Rogers is alive in the profile instead of just sounding like an outsiders perspective. Another way that Junod establishes Rogers' voice is by using his voice, imitating him in a sense. This is clear when the author writes as if he is explaining things to a child, which Mr. Rogers does on his TV show. " Architects are people who build big things from little things", "what is grace? He can't define it." Junod establishes his voice especially by making it clear that he is the peripheral narrator. Even if it is Mr. Rogers' profiles, Junod is still the one who is the "eyes and ears of the story" ( Burroway ch.3). Every story he tells is from his experience with my Rogers, his viewing of Roger's appearance "He was wearing beige pants, a blue dress shirt, a tie, dark socks, a pair of dark-blue boating sneakers, and a purple, zippered cardigan." The profile is based on how he interprets Rogers'', "Mr. Rogers lives in a state of astonishment." 
Furthermore, he establishes his own voice by using the word "I", because he did actually meet Mr. Rogers and not only was he there to hear his stories, but he experienced some of them with him. 

The American Male at Age Ten

The most striking paragraph of “The American Male at Age Ten” for me was the first full paragraph of the third page. This paragraph struck out to me because of the juxtaposition of the naive fifth graders with horrifying content, such as the AIDS virus and abortion. One sentence in particular highlights this notable combination, “Before class began,  there was a lot of horsing around, but there were also a lot of conversations about whether Magic Johnson had AIDS or just HIV and whether someone falling in a pool of blood from a cut of his would get the disease.” Before discussing Magic Johnson, Orlean starts the sentence with “horsing around” which connotates a casual, playful atmosphere which is abruptly contrasted with the content of the boys’ conversations. Even so, their conversations are not entirely morbid; the fact that they may believe in falling into a pool of Magic Johnson’s blood may transmit HIV/AIDS belies their naivete. Afterwards, Orlean provides a succinct summarization of these boys conversations, “These jolts of sobriety in the midst of rank goofiness are a ten-year-old's speciality.” The phrase “jolts of sobriety” points to the sometimes solemn content of these boys’ conversations and how they are shocking to an outsider listener since they bring the listener back to reality from the boys’ usual playfulness. The use of “rank” in “rank goofiness” is appropriate since “rank” can be used as a synonym for “utter”, and these boys are truly utterly goofy. Additionally, “rank” could also be used to referred to the boys themselves, who probably stink since they love to frolic outside and even mingle with undomesticated animals. Orlean continues the paragraph by contrasting a mundane conversation with Colin about horses or dogs with his sudden inquiry into the most eco-conscious way of eliminating waste, continuing the pattern of boyish innocence interrupted by serious questions about worldwide problems. Finally, Orlean concludes this paragraph by ending it with the most shocking combination of all. After being taunted by the boys, Orlean states that she wants only female children. Colin asks her then if she would abort any possible male child. This question is particularly disconcerting since Colin is unaware of sex, yet knows about abortions and thinks it appropriate to mention casually. Additionally, this combination is the most potent since it mentions the most serious consequence, death.

Susan Orlean's, "American Man"

My favorite paragraph of Susan Orlean's "American Man" would be the first paragraph. She takes a very conversational tone and I personally prefer contemporary writing rather than 18th century incomprehensible writing. Susan Orlean does well to paint a visual for her readers and as I continue her story throughout the first paragraph I am able to visualize the images she describes. Her use of imagery is a powerful component that contributes to why this piece is able to successfully guide the reader and help an individual imagine the setting. The use of personal pronouns such as I and "we" made the story very personal and it was as though she was speaking from experience. I felt as though her tone of voice sounded rather dreamybut also, her writing style sounds as though, although we understand that she is an established writer, she was making it understandable for even a 10 year old boy to understand.

I was able to stay attentive and compelled to continue reading because of the unique topic she chose to describe. No one really speaks of a relationship, much less marriage, with a 10 year old boy.  She had very specific ideas and wants that she expected to have with Colin Duffy.  She was able to take a simple story and relay it to her readers as if they are her good friends and she is telling them of her experiences. Although she is a female, she longs for a lifestyle that would appeal to a 10 year old boy, not a woman. And she ends the paragraph with “We would have a very good life.”, a very simple yet powerful close to her introduction. 

I learned from her writing that the most important thing is writing about what you are passionate about, whatever that may be, and speaking from your heart. No writer should succumb to societal expectations and write to please anyone but yourself.

"The American Male Age 10"

Orlean truly captured, as Waverly put it, "the essence of childhood." As it did with Waverly, I found this aspect of her writing to be the most captivating. The paragraph that struck me most was the paragraph in which Orlean displayed how Colin's young mind perceived death, "worrisome" events, and also how Colin began to have increasingly more realistic day-dreams. I believe the reason why this paragraph stood out more than others is because of its staunch accuracy. When Orlean describes the cluttered mess that his mind is becoming, and furthermore how this mess will ultimately shape the man he will one day become, I squirm in my seat with excitement. Why? Because I can remember countless times where young Cole was conflicted about how to process these newly discovered "adult" things. As Orlean words it, "The collision in his mind of what he unsderstands, what he hears, what he figures out, what popular culture pours into him, what he know, what he pretends to know, and what he imagines, makes an interesting mess," Colin is experiencing the clashing of his childhood brain with the forming of his "adult" brain. I believe this to be the quintessential turning point of one's childhood.

In regards to Orlean's writing style, I believe what I enjoy most is her use of incorrect, or slightly confused, nouns, themes, and ideologies concerning video games, race, marriage, current events, and every day problems. I believe it is this technique that allows Orlean's to capture the thoughts/demeanor of a child. For example, when Orlean has characters refer to "Nintendo Street Fighter II," I find it adorable because that's exactly what children do with video game titles. They either know them all too well, or they get confused with what the proper title is. Again, I find this interesting (and humorous) because I did the same exact thing that these "mini-adults" are doing.

American Man or Child?

I am obsessed with the idea of growing up and either leaving it behind or clinging to it for the rest of your life such as a security blanket that children attach themselves to for comfort and safety. When I read the paragraph explaining the pizzeria, I noticed Orlean wrote about small details such as when Colin states, “‘Next Game”’ and then the “teenagers ignore[] him” which seemed real enough for a ten year old boy to get aggravated about (Orlean). Because of these teenagers that ignore him and bully him into thinking he is worth nothing in their eyes, Colin learns how to get his way, sees potential in the act and goes on to follow in the footsteps and “elbowed [the younger children] aside” as soon as the teenagers left (Orlean). This automatically shows the beginning of a teenager and his ways of acting cooler than the smaller kids. This small step towards young adult hood startled me because adulthood does not just happen in a day and I never saw my own steps of becoming a teenager, so seeing something like that in Orlean’s writing brings out a kind of sad unawareness.

Even the way Colin and Japeth talk about girls, act around girls, grows into a drawn out concept later on in life. They bully the girls by calling them names like”Maggot” and “Diarrhea” to get their attention (Orlean). They find girls to be “about as unpopular as a piece of dirt” and reading about ten year old boys that think that way trigger memories on how men treat women today (Orlean). How they got the idea in their heads beats me, but seeing it happen so quietly seems crazy. 

Capturing these details, Orlean found the essence of being a child and slowly maturing, or not, into young men and the making of men from a young age. This profile is astounding to read and brilliant to silently watch the children grow little by little, where as no one sees the growth of themselves because worrying about how the future will look like, for now, never crosses our minds until the growth has already receded.   

The American Male at Age Ten

I found the story interesting from the first paragraph. I actually think that a lot is going on in the first paragraph. Juxtapositions, contrasts, and the general eagerness of a child's dream to build a life with this person she venerates so much.

I actually read the first paragraph a few times and each time I did this, something different caught my eyes. The first time I presumed the narrator was the same age as Colin Duffy. Naturally with that in mind the innocence of the voice comes through almost effortlessly. The innocence is represented, I think, in those extremely fantastic desires which were ushered to the reader by way of almost prayerful and almost poetic anaphora of "we would, we would, we would, we would" almost how a child speaks to the man playing Santa Claus in the mall. Also anthemic of her innocence is, as previously stated, how childlike her perspective is of marriage as she speaks of her want fora life with Colin. "We would have matching superhero notebooks...we would both be good at Nintendo Street Fighter II, we would have some homework but it would not be too hard." I got the innocence first.

The second time I read I caught the growing knowledge of troubles in the world. Lines went from pizza and candy to AIDS and the garbage crisis in the world. The narrator then wishes to win the lottery. This was particularly interesting because that is a dream that even adults have and what she would do with the money is so specific; they'd buy land in Wyoming. There is also mention of the fact that though they would have crushes on each other they would not partake in sex. This is extremely mature for a ten year old to be thinking and later on we see more subjects like these come up when she is asked if she would have an abortion if she was told she was going to have a boy instead of a girl.

I also found the song “Here Comes the Rain Again” pretty interesting for a ten year old to be thinking of. As it contains lyrics like “talk to me like lovers do. Walk with me like lovers do.” as well as a few other darker lyrics.

I also appreciate the discipline in watching only two hours of television on Fridays.

Ten Year Old Man

The paragraph that caught my attention in Susan Orlean’s “The American Man at Age 10” was where Susan brings attention to the fact that Colin has suffered loss, and often thinks about his future. This was a very eye opening paragraph for me because it made me think of what I worried about or aspired to as a ten year old. At first I thought I didn’t have any goals or plans for my future back then, but then I realized I was wrong; I simply forgot about them. As you grow up, you tend to forget the details that occupied your mind when you were younger. Things that seemed important at the time vanish, leaving only a vague collection of memories that may not be 100% accurate. Simply because we’ve forgotten of the mature thoughts we had when younger doesn’t mean that they didn’t happen.  Susan is able to capture the crossover between the adult and the childish perfectly in the last sentence of the paragraph: “The mess often has the form of what he will probably think like when he is a grown man, but the content of what he is like as a little boy.”  By bringing attention to Colin’s awareness towards the world around him and his future, Orlean reminds the reader that he is not simply a carefree child, but a growing boy that is more than capable of mature aspirations.

What Did You Think About As A Kid?

A lot of the time when I think back to my childhood I remember all the good times I had. I played sports, played tag, made silly nicknames for my teachers. I remember all of that but I never recall the things like Colin talks about in American Male at age 10.

The paragraph that caught my eye is the one where the kids are engaged in different conversations that typical adults partake in. They discuss rather or not Michael Jordan has AIDS,where to dump garbage, even abortion. It's fascinating to hear this because, just like I said, I don't remember talking about anything of this as a kid. This came to me as a jolt, like the author said. This paragraph really opened my mind to the idea that kids can be a lot more mature then they are given credit for.And of course it makes me think about what I had my mind wrapped around when I was young.

Well, I Guess This Is Growing Up

Susan Orlean’s profile of Colin Duffy in “The American Male at Age Ten” showcases the complexity of growing up in an age of vast technological expansion and cultural changes. This essay gives a glimpse into the rapidly changing definition of the American childhood by giving us readers a preview into the life of a “typical,” middle-class boy growing up on the east coast. In this essay, Orlean gives us a profile of what it’s like to be stuck between childhood and adolescence  in a time and place where no one, not even “grown-ups,” know what the future holds.

A strong feature of Orlean’s profile of Duffy is the way in which she showcases the juxtaposition between his innocence and his growing knowledge of the world. One section where this juxtaposition is very successful is the paragraph in which Orlean begins describing Colin’s first day of the fifth grade. Leading into the end of the paragraph, she discusses a conversation in which Colin asks her a few questions, including if she wants children someday. After answering that she would rather have girls than boys, Colin bluntly asks her if she would have an abortion if she found out she was having a boy. Here, his childlike innocence is highlighted in both his curiosity and his confident response. However, his knowledge of abortion, a heavy-handed topic even for people much older than ten years old, and his openness in discussing it show us that he will grow out of his childhood sooner rather than later (whether he, or we, like it or not). His growing awareness of the world around him is both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

This juxtaposition shows the two dueling sides of Colin that he cannot see himself; the war between his childhood and his impending adolescence become apparent to us as readers and it leaves us curious as to what the future holds for a boy growing up in this age of both great discovery and great fear. We’re left asking, “Can he handle this?” and, perhaps even more importantly, “Can our future handle this?”

American Man

 Walking down the street and passing a bunch of teenagers, I always like to eavesdrop on what they are talking about. Most of the times their topic is about "love", and it is inspiring to hear how they talk about the ones they like. They are so passionate about completely denying their feelings that sometimes it seems like they loathe the person. Although some might become really corageous and agree that they are in love, the way of showing that feeling is so different from how the adults do that it might not be reflected as very "skillful". They are full of adorable mistakes that we will never get to understand, because we only get older, not younger. Then soon, as they go to high school and get to realize that liking a person is nothing weird but actually very natural phenomenon, they secretely tell their best friends about their crush or girl/ boyfriends. That way, they grow up.

 Colin, 10 years old, is yet to be in such age of realizing and approving his feeling toward the others but still in the stage of developing his sense and notions about fondness. On the paragraph where he and Japeth talks about girls in their class, it is very interesting to see how they react to their feelings toward the ones they like. Their way of catching girls' attention is yet immature but seems to reflect the youth, when it is still okay for you to make mistakes and be clumsy. Acting mean not to show one's feelings does not seem to work anymore in my age group. As mentioned in the paragraph below, psychologists call their age as the prone age of acknowledging gender-linked norms. But it is not only gender related norms that they realize as they get older year after year, but also sense about future, money, values and so on that it almost feels like Colin and his friends are standing on the very border of transition. It can be positive, but as many of us know, it is not always so bright. Their most sensitive feelings, love, would start off to develop and others would follow, the bittersweet stage of growing up.

"The American Man"

The paragraph from Susan Orlean’s “The American Man at Age 10” that caught my attention was the second one on the third page, starting with “It happened to be Colin’s first day in fifth grade.” It first introduces an interesting and unappealing topic that is being discussed by a fifth grade class. This just goes to show how kids will just bond over whatever they’re hearing about in the media and make a conversation about it. In this case, Magic Johnson having aids or hiv. It also shows how even though kids that age can be immature and goofy, they can also take an interest to serious topics. That point is made very nicely by her sentence “these jolts of sobriety in the midst of rank goofiness are a ten year old’s specialty.” She says it in such a fun and intellectual way with combinations such as “jolts of sobriety” that you don’t hear often. Especially with her simile in the next sentence “finding a razor blade in a candy apple.” What a fun way of saying that even something so sweet could have a sharp edge to it. She keeps readers attention by spending a sentence or two talking about one thing that happens in the life of Colin to the next. She focuses on two questions he asks her: one about dumping garbage in the land or the ocean, and the next about wanting children. The paragraph ends on a strong note with a surprising question from a ten year old “will you have an abortion if you find out you’re having a boy?”

1. "The American Male at Age Ten"

I overall found this piece to be a quick and enjoyable read. Colin sounds like such an exuberant, joyful young boy, and this look into his life definitely captured my attention and interest. One paragraph of the essay that especially stuck out to me was the description of Colin's bedroom. For one thing, this reminded me of the exercise that we did in class on Wednesday, when we had to close our eyes and imagine our childhood bedroom and write about it. I think that someone's bedroom can say so much about that person. We learn so much about Colin just from what his bedroom looks like. Even if we did not have the rest of this essay, we would still gain insight from this one description.

Colin’s bedroom shows his quirky side and what makes him unique. We learn that he has an interest in advertisements and that he could go on and on about pop culture. We learn about his desire to move to Wyoming. However, his bedroom also shows us that Colin is, in many ways, the typical ten-year-old boy. He has a pile of dirty laundry on the floor. His pet parakeet is named Dude. Of course he has a pet parakeet named Dude. What else would someone want to name their parakeet?

I found Colin to be such an endearing and promising young boy. It is so interesting to me that even through his bedroom, we can see the parts of him that are very youthful and the parts of him that are starting to grow up. Sure, he still likes Spiderman and has a teddy bear. But he also cares about consumerism and money. Colin is the boy I would’ve wanted to be friends with at ten years old. To be honest, I probably would have been dying to meet Dude, too.

Blog 1: American Man

It wasn't a paragraph that caught my attention, it was the "running commentary on merchandise, media, and entertainment" (Orlean) that really left an impact. The thoughts are short and change so quickly, but it kept me interested. What else could this unusually profound ten-year-old boy from Suburban New Jersey have to say about pop-culture in the 1980s? Maybe it's because I tend to write in short sentences and change the subject quickly. Maybe it's because, though I never lived a day in the '80s, he mentioned things (Frosted Flakes, Step By Step, Skittles, the Giants, his mom being the most beautiful woman in the world) that I could easily relate to. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it's fresh and gripping.
There was a tone throughout the piece that was very true to that of a ten-year-old and it made me feel incredibly nostalgic. I don't remember what it felt like to be ten. It's been a long time since I felt the freedoms and trivial worries of a ten-year-old, but this piece, despite the fact that my childhood and Colin Duffy's childhood were very different, made it easy to relive and remember. Susan Orlean did an amazing job writing from the perspective of an adult observing and getting to know a child without making it sound demeaning or condescending. It was pure and honest, but it was light and funny and very easy to read. By the middle, I was so genuinely interested in Colin's life that I found myself wondering what he's like today and if he ever goes back and reads it.

American Man - Blog 1

I really enjoyed the first paragraph on the last page, where Orlean acknowledges that this wonderful backyard land of Colin's will one day be just that -- a backyard. Orlean effortlessly hits on the kind of transition that no one ever really thinks about, at least not until it is too late. She captures that kind of small melancholy that comes with growing up, and that really stuck with me. I really liked the line "one day, certainly, he will grow and it will shrink," (Orlean) because it packs two punches: the initial punch of lyrical, flowing ideas in one smooth sentence, and the message itself that one day, something that means everything to him will just simply not be enough anymore. It's so bittersweet; he may be growing, and will surely find something to replace the idea of the backyard, as life usually goes. But there is also a kind of sadness tied to the idea that growing up means we also grow out of the things that were once so dear to us. 

I also find it refreshing that she acknowledges that, likely, “this era of his life will be behind him forever,” when imagining his inevitable transition (Orlean). It’s refreshing to me because it is easy to think that you will love something forever. It’s easy to promise that you will value something while you are valuing it, as people often do. Some people may say they still love something even when they know they don’t, or at least they know they no longer love it the same. Orlean says it like it is; childhood loves will die, and we can’t change it. I liked that.