Everyone can interpret a piece of literature, or any type of writing differently. Through participating in this book club, I expect to share and recieve ideas about the same book I am reading with my fellow classmates. This will help me to better understand the book at a multidimentional level, which is always interesting. I also hope to discuss not only the meaning of the text, but other elements such as writing and stylistic choices the author makes to get his/her point across. With the help of my classmates, I not only expect to become a better critical reader through participating in this book club, but I also expect to become a better writer as well.
When I first began reading Mrs. Kelly's Monster, I liked most was the feeling that I was in the operating room myself. This feeling came from the fact that the author chose to tell the story in the present tense, I felt every emotion of the doctors; anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. The author's choice to include time while he described each step of the surgery was genius in my opinion. It contributed to the overall suspense of the current situation.
I think what made this reading most enjoyable and relatable was the authors stylistic choices. Writing in the present tense, especially about a suspenseful situation invites the reader to engage in the story as if he/she were in it his/herself. This is definitely something to think about when I am writing and editing my profile. "To some, his refusal to fight meant cowardice; to Zepp, it represented heroism. It is an ethical no-man's-land. War leaves no room for subtle distinctions."
Although this quote appears early on in this essay, I think that it best sets the tone for the story as a whole. Zepp's war stories are not the heroic success tales that many of us, including myself are so used to seeing. He hated the war, and what it did to him. He says that it made a "murderer out of him" (page 1) and that has caused him to grow resentful to the point where he was refusing to fight. To Zepp, his refusal to fight was not a cowardly action, but merely a personal statement of his morality and ethical standing, and it was his way of standing up for what he believed in. The way the narrator expressed Zepp's feelings toward having to go and fight in a war that he did not want any part of made me read the story from an empathetic perspective. Although I have never been in a situation even close to this, this quote from the selection really put things in perspective for me and made me think: what would I do if I were Zepp? It is a very difficult subject to think about, or even grasp. I think this quote represents the internal struggle that many men who were drafted faced. It was not like today, where thousands of people volunteer to join the military, and still, many of those men and women that willingly go to fight return with mental and emotional illnesses to the point where they need treatment. Imagine the damage and mental turmoil that was instilled in the drafted men that did not want to fight to begin with, it was clearly traumatizing. I really enjoyed reading Zepp's Last Stand and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a moving, short read. Here are my three options for my profile assignment subjects:
1. Antonio Muccini- Antonio is a neighbor of mine who immigrated from Italy to the US. I have never really spoken much with him before and I am interested to see what he has to say about why he chose to come to America. 2. Tony Silva- Tony is an owner of a collector's shop in my town. I am interested to see why he opened the shop, and what got him interested in selling collectibles 3. Joe Franco- Joe is the owner of "Gary's Best" a famous hot dog stand in my area. He is celebrating his 30th anniversary this year. I am interested in hearing his story. I want to know why he opened the hot dog stand in the first place, and about what events or celebrations are taking place in honor of his 30th year of being opened. |