Juicy Juice

I found this book to be very allusive and vague. It is almost somewhat poetic, but not a poem, which I thought was a very interesting approach for a short story. Some of the lines throughout the book are composed like a poem, but still tell a story. For example in the section First Sleep, the narrator uses several line breaks throughout the section. The sentences are sentences, but just barley, for example, “Five days later. The phone rings. I think. It’s nearing dawn.” (Gladman pg.62)

I think that the common theme throughout the book was that in every story, there was some type of major crisis that had drastically changed the narrator’s life and that they now have to deal with the aftermath. In the section Translation, the narrator seems to be the only one left in her little “town” after an exodus. She alludes to a lot of things such as, “I love this town. It’s still vibrant though I have not seen anyone in years. I am not in jail—they just have gone.” (Gladman pg.10) It makes you wonder what happened to all the people in her town. Where have they gone and why are the alone. It gives the story a sense of mystery. It is at the end of that paragraph that she tells us the there was an exodus, which is what she was alluding to from the start.

Overall, this story book was odd, and oddly enticing. I think that because of the allusiveness yet distinctive detail, it really captures the reader and brings them in. Finishing the entire book really brought it all together for me. I realized that there are several (if not four) different narrators throughout the book. I found a common theme throughout the book of the narrator going through some type of crisis, and the effects it has had on them. I think that they all could be in different locations and possibly going through the same crisis? You can see that each narrator handles it differently, and focuses on different details; such as the fresh juice, in the section Proportion Surviving, or the empty town and fixation of the people returning in Translation. I think these stories show the different effects that change and struggle can bring. It was a very interesting piece to read and analyze.

The fiction story title Internal by Brian Evenson was very interesting. I like how he approaches the overall story and breaks it down into subgroups i.e. my internship, My Instructions, A Summation of Rauchian Theory, etc. The layout of the story hit me first. From the title Internal and the first section entitled, My Internship, it instantly made me think that this could possibly have to do with an internship in the medical field. I later went on to learn that he is a psychologist. Throughout the entire story I feel the writer is very stern and detached; almost cold. The writer also makes Dr. Rauch seem very stern and mysterious. I like the line where he states he always addresses one with, “a conspiratorial air.” I got this feeling as I read through the story. I like how he consciously included that in the beginning of the text, to almost make the reader subconsciously feel that way. As he refers to the writer as, “hardly the t typical intern” it makes me thinks that the writer is in some way special to Dr. Rauch. Maybe he was easily able to use the writer? I also get the feeling that the writer is afraid and intimidated by Dr. Rauch, and I think that is all a part of the Doctors plan to use the writer. I feel as though the intern is being manipulated and used throughout the entire story. Even when he is required to switch doctors because he disappointed Dr. Rauch, you can still sense some manipulation from the psychologist throughout. Overall he was very descriptive, and gave off the vibe that he was in fact a psychology intern.

Fiction Packet Blog Response

There were three short stories out of the fiction packet that really stood out to me. The first was "Survivors" by Kim Addonizio. This poem stood out to me because the contents of it. It discusses two lovers who are both dying from HIV Aids which is and has been a very controversial epidemic. The first sentence of the poem, "He and his lover were down to their last few T cells and arguing over who was going to die first." From this sentence, you can tell that this is a same sex couple, particularly male, and that they are dying of HIV Aids. I found the use of the word, "arguing" to be quite interesting; generally people do not argue over such horrible things. It implies that they have accepted their fate, and that either one did not what to outlive the other. It proceeds to say that he does not want to have to deal with the blame that will be place by the others mother, although she would never say it, he knew she believed it. I think it represents the struggle that same sex couples go through when it comes to situations like this.

The second short story that I found to be interesting is "The letter from home" by Jamaica Kincaid. I found this story to be confusing and all over the place, with no clear destination. After I finished reading it, I realize that this was due to the fact that she does not use any periods until the very last sentence of her story; it is all comas and semi colons. I can now see why in high school, my English teachers steered us away from using comas and semi colons too often. They can make your story look like a bunch of run on sentences, and ultimately, give the wrong affect. However, I do believe that the author did this n purpose... now if I only knew why.

The third and final story that I would like to discuss is titled, "Morning News" by Jerome Stern. For me this story really hit home. I work with Cancer patients daily, so I can relate. I like how throughout the story, he never mention how he told his wife, or what her reaction was; he didn't focus on the big, bad, and ugly. I also like the way he decided to tell us that he was not a very religious person, so he could find no piece or substance in spending his last days in becoming one. He says, “But I have never been able to take seriously my earnestly mystical students, their belief that they were heading to join the ringing of the eternal spheres." So what does he decide to do? He takes a rather light hearted turn in the story to keep the readers spirit up and to possibly add a little humor. In his final days he and his wife, go buy the biggest television at the store; a 60-inch. And this is where he found happiness. I believe that any disease is 60% disease, but 40% mindset and spirit. If you stay positive, it can be very beneficial. This is why I loved the humor at the end.