Quarter 3 Life Class 1

The novel, Life Class by Pat Barker is the book I have chosen to read and comment- e novel is set in the spring of 1914, with a group of students at the Slade School of Art. Among the class is Paul Tarrant, an easily distracted by a fellow classmate, Elinor Brooke. Paul is first introduced to us while storming out of his College life class. Frustrated with the fact that his drawings will never be good enough. Before storming out of his class, Paul makes one last remark: “ If, I knew how to draw I wouldn’t need to be here at all, would I ” (6). This smart- aleck response is one of the first bursts herd from Paul.  Obviously feeling he can do no more Paul dashes out of the room, leaving a confused professor and students behind. Further into the novel Paul runs into Elinor Brooke: “ with her copper hair and straight shoulders she looked like a young soldier striding along” (16).  Paul also makes similar remarks when he met the lovely Teresa, a model at Slade: “ she was dark, with short, shinny hair, high cheekbones, and red, painted, pouting lips”(18). After seeing Paul with different women it became apparent that he was some-what if a womanizer.  Whenever Paul is in the presence of women he seems to focus on their looks instead of trying to get-to-know them. I think it will be interesting to find out where this attitude of his takes him, later in the novel.

Pat Barker has done a great job of developing the character of Paul. She uses setting and other characters to develop his character. Paul was first introduced to us through setting. In his art class, one is able to see a normal day in the life of Paul. The reader observes his surroundings and the ways in which he interacts around others. I hope that the reader to come will prove to be similar. 

Sean Wilsey's life still in pieces returns home from Cascade, the treatment center. Rejecting the world Sean's sits in his room and looks out to the San Francisco Bay recalling: " Mom was depressed and humiliated and suicidal. Mom experienced brief spasms of superhuman energy to save the planet, to shop,to be pampered to escape, to combine all of these desires. Dad was hardworking, ambitious, a striver, a social success at last. I had escaped from St. Mark's, Woodhall, Cascade. I was home" (314). Remembering his home, although not great, it was home. If someone were not to read this memoir but instead only read this quote, a person could almost say they have read the book. Sean describes his mother and father to a T! In a way he also describes himself by the way he speaks of his parents. There is one major change however in Sean's feelings. Through this quote we are beginning to see signs of Sean's compassion for his father. In the beginning of the memoir Sean spoke poorly of his father; but now he has shifted his opinions. Maybe this shift was one shift to soon. Later in the memoir Sean and his mother, Father and Dede, Sean's "step-mother," had been attending and opera when sean made an attempt to greet his father: " When he was two feet away I smiled and said, Hey Dad! he brushed by without a flicker of hesitation giving me half a second of eye contact. I ran after him and grabbed his shoulder and said, Hey dad it's me! He nodded absently then looked over my shoulder"(324). It was to soon to be favoring his father. It seems as though his father could care less that he was back from the treatment center. Maybe Coming home wasn't such a good idea after all. 

Outside reading post

 In Oh The Glory of It All, Sean Wilsey has grown up with a life split in half. One with his mother and one with his father. This twisted life has sent Sean on a rough path through life; he has made poor decisions and doesn’t seem to care. His half brother, Mike, reminds him; “ None of us understand why you were sent away to school. You’d always been a good kid, despite your eccentricities. So I asked Dede, and Dede said you’d pulled a knife on dad and that’s why they had to spend you off. She said you’d threatened him” (Wilsey 287). Sean has screwed up his life and has made his own ethical decision. Sean has chosen instant gratification of a quick escape only finding that there is no escape from his family’s separation. Sean doesn’t necessarily say “none of this is worth it” but he does describe things he does as if he regrets them: “ Cascade was a High School made up of the rejected students of many other High Schools, opposite of the cream, the most marginal characters to lurk in the corners of a normal High School” (Wilsey 291).  Sean has been sent to a “ special” High School for troubled teens. WE can see through his description that he obviously doesn’t want to be there. We can also assume that when he talks about the marginal characters he is talking also about himself. He is almost mocking himself and what he has become. This memoir has been getting more intense each chapter. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Stay tuned. 

OTW Post Question

In the movie On the Waterfront character exude their various beliefs of what they believe to be a “ stool pigeon” or D and D. On the Waterfront there are multiple characters that believe that if you speak to anyone about “the job” down at the docks you are considered a rat; these people include Jerry, Doogan, and the Mobsters.  Both Jerry and Doogan are witnesses to what happens when a person rats on their so-called “friends.” To these men if you squeal you are not only a “rat” but also a traitor to your friends and partners. A traitor cannot be trusted and unfortunately for Doogan, being a traitor resulted in his demise.

Knowing what position these men were in and the choices they faced I can make a decision on the difference between a traitor and a snitch. In comparison to the mobsters I believe that a snitch is nothing but someone who has the confidence to speak the truth.  In this particular case it was important for the truth to be let out even if it meant sacrificing yourself. A traitor, in this case, would be the mobsters. A traitor is someone who betrays their country or fellow workers for their own selfish desires. If I had to choose between the traitors of the movie and the “snitches” the traitor would be the mobsters and the snitches would be everyone else. 

AMS Blog Question

In Arthur Millers’ play, All My Sons, Characters make choices to act depending on the needs of their family over societies laws. Joe, Kate Chris, Ann. In the play Joe Keller is one such character; in his attempts to save his family Keller foolishly sends off 120 cracked engine heads. In his defense he states, “ It was to late. The paper, it was all over the front page, twenty-one went down, it was too late. They came with handcuffs into the shop, what could I do? Chris. . . Chris, I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you. I’m sixty-one years old, when would I have another chance to make something for you? Sixty-one years old, you don’t get another chance, do ya?” ( Miller 70).  Joe is telling us that the reason he sent the cracked parts was for his family so they could be successful.  Joe  did something in order to benefit his family even if it meant going against societies’ laws. Another decision made was when Chris, Joes’ son responds to the news. He believes that his father should have never sent out the cracked engines. He scolds his father, “ For me! Where do you live, where do you live, where have you come from? For me!- I was dying everyday and you were killing my boys and you did it for me? What the hell do you think I was thinking of, the Goddam business? Is that as far as your mind can see?    What is that, the world-the business? What the hell do you mean, you sis it for me? Don’t you have a country? Don’t you live in the world? What the hell are you? What must I do to you? I ought to tear my tongue out of your mouth” ( Miller 70).  Chris has chosen society over Family, he thinks his father never should have sent the cracked engines. So much for  “ The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”

In my opinion I found the play very funny and gripping the different characters and their opinions resulted in a interesting reading. Throughout the play there was the question of family or society. Does family come first or the laws of society? In my opinion family is very important but society wins by a hair. If we didn’t have society and people didn’t follow the rules there would be chaos. No one would listen to anyone and people would be going around doing whatever they wanted. This is an example where society would be placed above family. 

Q2 Outside Reading #2

In the Beginning of this memoir we see that Sean Wilsey lives a privilege life but in one day all of that would be nothing but a memory. Now after his parents divorce Sean is feeling responsible and recalls; “ we go into her bedroom and watch T. V. I sleep in her bed that night, making sure she doesn’t change her mind. Somehow, I realize the next morning, over the course of the night responsibility for her life has been given to me. From now on I must save her from killing herself; ad I must save myself by saving her with my love, but also by never getting too close and saving/being myself with sarcasm. And this paradox rules my life, every other week” ( Wilsey 102). Sean is feeling the burden of the divorce, he feels like the responsibility of his mother was given to him with no questions asked. It is fascinating and saddening to read about this double-sided life. I also find it interesting that while Sean’s family was exceptionally rich they were also generous; “ when she was married to dad she was profligate in her generosity, regularly making outrageous gestures of kindness, such as adopting an entire Appalachian school” ( Wilsey 103). Through his writing we find that Sean was favorable/ biased to his mother he would always talk about her in generous and ardent hearted ways. I am excited to keep reading and find out what else Sean ha in store. 

Wisley, Sean. Oh The Glory Of It All. New York, NY : Penguin Books, 2006.

Outside Reading Post 1

The Book I am reading is a memoir of Sean Wilsey, a young man who grows up with a movie star mom and wealthy father. Together they live in a marble and glass penthouse eight hundred feet above San Francisco. Life is not a fairytale for Sean, his father and mother file for divorce when Sean’s father falls in love with his wife’s best friend. This memoir shows how Sean survived with his family falling apart right in front of him.

         Sean grew up, for the time being, in a safe comfortable and fortunate family lifestyle. Sean seemed to be involved and observational into what his parent’s life was like, unfortunately one doesn’t read much (so far) about his life. Next we have Sean’s’ mother whom he describes as: “ impossible to overstate her grandeur, haughty, joyful, generous, suffering”(Wilsey 15). Then there is Alfred Spalding Wilsey his father; we find that even Sean’s father’s father was divorced. My guess is that like most Hollywood couples now days, people never stayed together for a long period of time. Right in the beginning of the memoir we find Sean’s parents to have divorced and why. A theme that may be portrayed is nothing lasts forever.  

 Wisley, Sean. Oh The Glory Of It All. New York, NY : Penguin Books, 2006.