Into Thin Air

This book so far is phenomonal, especially knowing the ending in advance. There is a sense of tragedy and paint that is so real, it completely adds to the story. I must give the author credit, he paints a wonderful picture that is all the more amazing when considering that he is not a 'real' author.

Non-Fiction

A debate on non-fiction? Not to me. Seeing as 'fiction' is a body of work that is untrue, 'non-fiction' is simply a body of work that is true. This can encompass many things- newspaper articles, recollections of past experiences, a script for a TV show or movie that is about a true experience. As I see it, the debate over 'what is non-fiction' is simply people trying to stir up a debate where there is none.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find

Such an interesting story....I have always held the opinion that it takes a lot of courage and guts to end a story (in any form-book, movie, short story) on a tragic note. This time, however, I cannot applaud the courage- quite the opposite. To end the story with "The Misfit" killing the entire family seemed to be a complete cop-out. There was nothing exciting about the death of the family, it simply...happened, a way to end the story. When I read this story, I see "The Misfit" included only to end the story, perhaps even inserted into the story AFTER the first or second drafts, after the author realized she had no other way to end it.

Response

One of the opinions of one of my classmates was that this story did not seem to have a purpose, did not seem to exist for any reason except to exist. And to that I must wonder, has this person ever truly experienced grief? I am sure she has, almost everyone who has reached college age has had to deal with maybe the passing of a grandparent, or a particularly bad breakup. This story does a wonderful job of conveying what goes through the mind of a person struggling to deal with a tragedy that claimed the lives of her family, the people she loves and cares for most. Sheila is an amazingly strong woman, and this story--in my opinion, at least--serves as an excellent job of showing how grief and loss can completely alter someone's mind.

The 5 Stages of Grief

The Five Stages of Grief:
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

The woman in the story does not seem to follow these stages, reaching Denial ("What if they aren't lying pinned under the debris?") to Anger ("You think we're smuggling contraband in those coffins!"). But Bargaining and Depression never seem to come for the unlucky main character. She displays amazing courage and mental fortitude by holding her resolve on nearly every occasion and not sinking into uncontrollable depression that so many victims of tragedy do....we should all be so strong.

How to make someone laugh

There are hundreds and thousands of ways to make someone laugh. It can be as simple as making a quick joke, or by doing something completely and utterly insane. Some quick tips to remember:

-Always have a smile on your face! Make sure the other person is aware that you're happy...it makes them want to be happy as well.

-Don't be afraid to be a little sarcastic, a little edgy. As long as you keep that smile on your face and in your eyes, they will realize that you're joking around with them and will be more receptive to jokes that aren't completely safe.

- A tip for a good joke: start by saying something completely serious, but end the statement with something completely off the wall and crazy.

-Be animated! Remember, you're happy while you're doing this and you're going for an equally happy response.

-Last and most importantly: DON'T worry about making a fool of yourself! If you have to do something insane, like make goofy faces at a person all day to make them laugh, do it! At the end of the day the other person won't think less of you for acting crazy if it results in them laughing.

-Go make someone laugh!

Response

In another classmate's blog, they talk about how true love is something that is not just there and ever-lasting, but is something that must be worked on endlessly, to rekindle the fires periodically. And while I agree with this-to a certain extent- there is a catch. Many girls of all ages and in every facet of society attempt to continue to work on their version of 'true love', but rarely do they ever stop to think that they are not experiencing true love in the first place. Too often girls attempt to work on their 'projects', to make their guy a better person, not realizing that the guy is beyond help, at least at this point in time. So when they are hurt, in a twisted point of view, they are as much to blame as anyone, because they overlooked flaws and warning signs so they could change their man for the better- instead of looking at the safer option, the one who may not be as exciting or as rough around the edges, but the one who won't make them cry either. This is the type of man who seems to be the focus of Lorrie Moore's How, and there should be many more men in the world like him.