When one has lived in a city for most of his life, one probably has many memories associated with said city. Orhan Pamuk decides to put these memories on paper in Istanbul. However, this isn't just a text to be read and entertained by, but one that makes you look back and reflect on your own memories after putting it down. This has to be one of the aspects that I most enjoy about this book. Despite I have lived a very different life from that of Pamuk, I can easily relate to him through the emotions that he portrays. He also shows a unique and interesting view on memories that might affect your way of thinking, and isn't that one of the factors of a truly great book? Around the world you can find endless amounts of books that can entertain you, but only a more restricted amount will actually make you think.
One way in which Pamuk is able to do this is through the clear focus on emotions that the city evokes instead of its physical aspects. Pamuk doesn't begin the story with a description of the city. Instead, he starts it off with a very personal story about an other kid who looks like him. In addition, Pamuk tells the story in an ambiguous manner that leaves it open for many interpretations. I personally think that this other kid isn't an actual person since Pamuk never physically meets him. This "other Orhan" might literally be another Pamuk in the form of a past or alternate self. Another form of evidence of this possibility is that Pamuk sees the other him in a photograph which is basically a past version of the person in the image.
Personally, I love stories that are up for interpretation. A group of people could be reading the same physical text, but each person could be getting a different story. It gives the reader a sense of importance in this writer-reader relationship that is formed through the book. With all the praise that I've given this book, one could guess that I probably really like this book. I do. However, it is not perfect.
One aspect of Istanbul that I don't really like is the inclusion of the photographs. With the great job that Pamuk did with descriptions and details, I found the pictures to be really unnecessary. I actually found them to be kind of a hassle. They seem out of place and just break the flow. They can also easily distract you from the wonderful text that you are reading becoming an annoyance to the reader.
Nevertheless, this doesn't stop Istanbul from being a great book in my eyes since the problem is mostly aesthetic. The text is still brilliant, and the story is still very interesting. I will really enjoy reading Istanbul.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Listen to the English Teacher
Today, September 24th, is national punctuation day, and what better way to celebrate than to take a look at the origins of said punctuation. In Survival of the Fittest, Nicholson Baker makes a detailed and somewhat humorous approach to the history of punctuation and its changing nature. As the title implies, Baker is viewing punctuation's history as a type of evolution with the allusion do Charles Darwin and his controversial statements.
Baker introduces the topic in a tangible manner by starting out with common terms such as the comma, space and capital letter. By doing this, Baker makes us put our image of punctuation in our head. This helps Baker's ideas of punctuation's change easier to understand since the reader simply has to compare the image that he already has in his head with the image that Baker is going to impose.
Baker begins the comparison in a simple manner by picking the most recent mark first: the semicolon. Since it is the newest, it has the least history. In fact, most of the history isn't even about the semicolon itself but previous symbols that looked similar. A relationship based mostly on appearance helps the reader by giving him an easy comparison while he develops the mentality necessary for what is to come.
Another tool used by Baker is comedy. By inserting small, humorous segments in his writing such as the emoticon rant and the describing of legal punctuation as fashionable, Baker becomes more likable to the reader, and by gaining the favour of his readers, Baker facilitates the understanding of his teachings. People are generally more interested in what people they like say, and by paying more attention, they learn better.
The third tool that Baker uses is examples. Baker never delivers a point without evidnece to proove it. Whether it is the use of the "that-comma" or the irritating simleys, Baker always has an example up his sleeve. This gives Baker great credibility, another quality that most people look for in a teacher.
With this complete arsenal, Baker is able to easily proceed to destroy any idea that you had over punctuation being something concrete making you doubt your own language. What are the actual standards of punctuation? Will these change in the future? What about the Oxford comma? Will there be someone who will calm all this chaos? Not likely. Baker has proven that this is a quite difficult task since "a full explanation would have to include everything -- Gustav Stickley, Henry Ford, Herbert Read, Gertrude Stein, Norbert Weiner, Harold Geneen, James Watson, Saint Strunk, and especially The New Yorker's Miss Elanor Gould"(15), and with that evidence, Baker's argument is going to be pretty tough to beat.
Baker introduces the topic in a tangible manner by starting out with common terms such as the comma, space and capital letter. By doing this, Baker makes us put our image of punctuation in our head. This helps Baker's ideas of punctuation's change easier to understand since the reader simply has to compare the image that he already has in his head with the image that Baker is going to impose.
Baker begins the comparison in a simple manner by picking the most recent mark first: the semicolon. Since it is the newest, it has the least history. In fact, most of the history isn't even about the semicolon itself but previous symbols that looked similar. A relationship based mostly on appearance helps the reader by giving him an easy comparison while he develops the mentality necessary for what is to come.
Another tool used by Baker is comedy. By inserting small, humorous segments in his writing such as the emoticon rant and the describing of legal punctuation as fashionable, Baker becomes more likable to the reader, and by gaining the favour of his readers, Baker facilitates the understanding of his teachings. People are generally more interested in what people they like say, and by paying more attention, they learn better.
The third tool that Baker uses is examples. Baker never delivers a point without evidnece to proove it. Whether it is the use of the "that-comma" or the irritating simleys, Baker always has an example up his sleeve. This gives Baker great credibility, another quality that most people look for in a teacher.
With this complete arsenal, Baker is able to easily proceed to destroy any idea that you had over punctuation being something concrete making you doubt your own language. What are the actual standards of punctuation? Will these change in the future? What about the Oxford comma? Will there be someone who will calm all this chaos? Not likely. Baker has proven that this is a quite difficult task since "a full explanation would have to include everything -- Gustav Stickley, Henry Ford, Herbert Read, Gertrude Stein, Norbert Weiner, Harold Geneen, James Watson, Saint Strunk, and especially The New Yorker's Miss Elanor Gould"(15), and with that evidence, Baker's argument is going to be pretty tough to beat.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Cover Up
If there is an experience that all of us surely have shared is that of the internal conflict. We've all had that moment where we can't really determine whether we like something or not. We can't exactly label something as good or bad without some doubts. After being taken out of the intensive care unit, Brent fases the exact same problem. This happens during the telethon that is held in the hospital that he is staying in. Brent decides to stay in his room due to fear of being asked what happened, but his parents decided to go down anyways. Brent turns on the TV and sees his parents being interviewed and witnesses the words that would end up greatly troubling him.
The interview is pretty basic with the interviewer asking Bren't parents about their son's treatment and time spent in the hospital, but things start getting messy for Brent when the interviewer asks his parents how their son got burned. They answered by saying that he was burned in an accidental house fire a few months ago. This lie made Brent have the reaction of "Right. Okay. Okay. We can say that. We don't have to tell anyone what really happened. ... Why did they lie? I mean, I don't blame them, but id they have to? But I'm glad they didn't say the truth. I don't know." (121) Brent isn't sure whether his parent's lie was a good thing. This is due to the conflict between his old, naive nature and his new, mature nature. His naive nature is one that involves not wanting to discuss feelings and reasons behind actions. Brent used to preffer leaving questions unanswered. In the other hand, his new, mature nature shows to be a lot more approachable with a desire to let out the truth. Brent himself has become curious of his own feelings and has to open up in order to satisfy his new desires. This conflict over his parent's lie shows that these two natures are balance as none seems to have a dominance over Brent. The pull of the old nature towards the lie being good and the pull of the new nature towards the lie being bad are equal at the moment when Brent sees the interview. However, shortly afterwards, a slight upper hand is shown.
When a woman came to visit Brent in order to convince him to buy the products of a cosmetic company, Brent shows his choice of the two natures. The woman shows Brent a girl that had suffered from burns but now looks healthy thanks to the base that she is selling. It's supposed to raise self esteem through better appearance and seems pretty effective. However, Brent seems decided when he chooses to deny the offer. His reasoning is "I'm not going to cover anything up. This is me." (121) Brent has decided to stop running away from himself and has accepted his new, mature nature. He wants to know who he really is and has oppened up in order to achieve this. There will be no more lies and secrets in Brent's life leading to a possible closure between Brent and himself.
The interview is pretty basic with the interviewer asking Bren't parents about their son's treatment and time spent in the hospital, but things start getting messy for Brent when the interviewer asks his parents how their son got burned. They answered by saying that he was burned in an accidental house fire a few months ago. This lie made Brent have the reaction of "Right. Okay. Okay. We can say that. We don't have to tell anyone what really happened. ... Why did they lie? I mean, I don't blame them, but id they have to? But I'm glad they didn't say the truth. I don't know." (121) Brent isn't sure whether his parent's lie was a good thing. This is due to the conflict between his old, naive nature and his new, mature nature. His naive nature is one that involves not wanting to discuss feelings and reasons behind actions. Brent used to preffer leaving questions unanswered. In the other hand, his new, mature nature shows to be a lot more approachable with a desire to let out the truth. Brent himself has become curious of his own feelings and has to open up in order to satisfy his new desires. This conflict over his parent's lie shows that these two natures are balance as none seems to have a dominance over Brent. The pull of the old nature towards the lie being good and the pull of the new nature towards the lie being bad are equal at the moment when Brent sees the interview. However, shortly afterwards, a slight upper hand is shown.
When a woman came to visit Brent in order to convince him to buy the products of a cosmetic company, Brent shows his choice of the two natures. The woman shows Brent a girl that had suffered from burns but now looks healthy thanks to the base that she is selling. It's supposed to raise self esteem through better appearance and seems pretty effective. However, Brent seems decided when he chooses to deny the offer. His reasoning is "I'm not going to cover anything up. This is me." (121) Brent has decided to stop running away from himself and has accepted his new, mature nature. He wants to know who he really is and has oppened up in order to achieve this. There will be no more lies and secrets in Brent's life leading to a possible closure between Brent and himself.
Regret
One of the wonders of the mind is how it can wander off while the body stays put. This can end up growing as a necesity if there is a lack of liberty for the body. You can be stuck in a room, but your mind can go anywhere imaginable. This helps Brent during his stay at the hospital since there isn't that much to describe and think about in a hospital room. He runs out of ways to connect himself to his surroundings and decides to let his mind free. Brent chooses to do this in a way that is strictly towards the past. While in his hospital bed, Brent remember past events and reacts upon them in order to keep himself occupied. Brent remembers many things such as dreams and cruises, but he does something interesting after some time.
Three months after his accident, Brent finally brings the topic up again and shows his reaction to it. Brent has finally decided to delve into the memories of his attempted suicide and tried to make sense of it. This shows a drastic change from his previous approaches involving quick distractions or the act of completely ignoring.
As Brent recalls the accident, he shows the first signs of something else: regret. For the first time, Brent regrets the actions that he has made. Brent remembers when had the gas can and the matches as he sat on the toilet and thinks, "That's when I should've realized how stupid I was being. That's when I should've stopped it." (105) Brent has seen how naive he has been, and, in order to realize naiveness, one has to have matured. Brent has grown and is able to see his previous predicament with new eyes. He sees how things would have changed had he not set himself on fire and how it wouldn't have been terribly bad. Brent thinks of how if he hadn't done it and told Craig instead, "He would've gotten me help and made sure Mom and Dad weren't mad at me." (105) This is drastically different from his initial approach where he saw the expulsion as the end of the world and reacted accordingly.
Brent even thinks of ways he could've gone through with the burning in a different way. An alternative that he thinks of is burning part of himself as a test of whether he should burn his entire body or not. He would've realized that it was a terrible idea, still met all the people in the hospital, and gone back to school in just a week. This proves to be a much more mature approach compared to the emotional teenager who decided to burn himself whole without any second thoughts. These second thoughts would appear later though, as Brent now looks back on the event thinking, "I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish. I wish I'd stopped. But I didn't."(106) Runyon uses repetition to show just how strong Brent's regret is and how much he's grown to hate his previous, younger self.
Three months after his accident, Brent finally brings the topic up again and shows his reaction to it. Brent has finally decided to delve into the memories of his attempted suicide and tried to make sense of it. This shows a drastic change from his previous approaches involving quick distractions or the act of completely ignoring.
As Brent recalls the accident, he shows the first signs of something else: regret. For the first time, Brent regrets the actions that he has made. Brent remembers when had the gas can and the matches as he sat on the toilet and thinks, "That's when I should've realized how stupid I was being. That's when I should've stopped it." (105) Brent has seen how naive he has been, and, in order to realize naiveness, one has to have matured. Brent has grown and is able to see his previous predicament with new eyes. He sees how things would have changed had he not set himself on fire and how it wouldn't have been terribly bad. Brent thinks of how if he hadn't done it and told Craig instead, "He would've gotten me help and made sure Mom and Dad weren't mad at me." (105) This is drastically different from his initial approach where he saw the expulsion as the end of the world and reacted accordingly.
Brent even thinks of ways he could've gone through with the burning in a different way. An alternative that he thinks of is burning part of himself as a test of whether he should burn his entire body or not. He would've realized that it was a terrible idea, still met all the people in the hospital, and gone back to school in just a week. This proves to be a much more mature approach compared to the emotional teenager who decided to burn himself whole without any second thoughts. These second thoughts would appear later though, as Brent now looks back on the event thinking, "I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish. I wish I'd stopped. But I didn't."(106) Runyon uses repetition to show just how strong Brent's regret is and how much he's grown to hate his previous, younger self.
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Bath
As the story progresses, the idea of denial and avoidance becomes more apparent by the greater amount of examples that Runyon chooses to reveal. This provides the reader with an easier understanding of Brent's character by taking the conflict from something complex and abstract such as the mind and adapting it to a simpler and more relatable situation. In this post, I'm going to be focusing on the bath that Calvin makes Brent have.
When the scene starts, Brent is watching Cops without a care in the world when Calvin comes in to tell Brent that he has to go take a bath. Brent asks Calvin for permission to finish the episode of Cops before taking a bath, but Calvin, annoyed, insists. Now, this could be seen as a completely normal scene that is not special at all, but then there would be no reason for Runyon to include it in the book. In fact, every scene has its own importance and meaning. I'm just focusing on those scenes in which I find the most significance. In order to find the true meaning behind this, one has to stray from the literal. A typical reader could simply see a kid that doesn't want to bathe. I see a kid trying to distract himself from something necessary and important. Brent knows that he has to bathe for his own good but he would rather spend his time watching a tv show. This forms a parallel with his internal problems as he too wants to avoid these and uses distraction as a tool to do so. This would explain his strange behavior in the past as he is simply trying to distract himself from the conflict that he has to face at some point. What was once wearing all black and appearing to worship a card is now the simple task of watching a tv show. However, as the scene unfolds, Brent shows a change in character.
After talking with Calvin, Brent finally decides to take the bath but is immediately faced by another problem. The water stings. The conflict that Brent has to face won't be easy. Whether it is the emotional pain of his personal conflicts or the physical pain of his body's problems, Brent will have to suffer in order to surpass it. Because of this, Brent decides "No. I can't go in there--it hurts too much."(95) Now, if this was the Brent of the beginning of the story, this scene would've ended here. However, as mentioned before, Brent's character has changed. Brent seems to have matured during his stay in the hospital as he is convinced by Calvin to go through with the bath and take the pain like a man. This is not a smooth cruise as Brent crudely overuses the word "fuck." Nonetheless, he goes through with it and apologizes for his swearing. This gives the slight possibility of Brent doing the same with his more personal problems. Hopefully, Brent will learn from this and face Dr. Rubinstein (now known as Dr. Bitchenstein) in the same manner. Brent must learn that the pain he will face is only temporal and necessary for his own good.
When the scene starts, Brent is watching Cops without a care in the world when Calvin comes in to tell Brent that he has to go take a bath. Brent asks Calvin for permission to finish the episode of Cops before taking a bath, but Calvin, annoyed, insists. Now, this could be seen as a completely normal scene that is not special at all, but then there would be no reason for Runyon to include it in the book. In fact, every scene has its own importance and meaning. I'm just focusing on those scenes in which I find the most significance. In order to find the true meaning behind this, one has to stray from the literal. A typical reader could simply see a kid that doesn't want to bathe. I see a kid trying to distract himself from something necessary and important. Brent knows that he has to bathe for his own good but he would rather spend his time watching a tv show. This forms a parallel with his internal problems as he too wants to avoid these and uses distraction as a tool to do so. This would explain his strange behavior in the past as he is simply trying to distract himself from the conflict that he has to face at some point. What was once wearing all black and appearing to worship a card is now the simple task of watching a tv show. However, as the scene unfolds, Brent shows a change in character.
After talking with Calvin, Brent finally decides to take the bath but is immediately faced by another problem. The water stings. The conflict that Brent has to face won't be easy. Whether it is the emotional pain of his personal conflicts or the physical pain of his body's problems, Brent will have to suffer in order to surpass it. Because of this, Brent decides "No. I can't go in there--it hurts too much."(95) Now, if this was the Brent of the beginning of the story, this scene would've ended here. However, as mentioned before, Brent's character has changed. Brent seems to have matured during his stay in the hospital as he is convinced by Calvin to go through with the bath and take the pain like a man. This is not a smooth cruise as Brent crudely overuses the word "fuck." Nonetheless, he goes through with it and apologizes for his swearing. This gives the slight possibility of Brent doing the same with his more personal problems. Hopefully, Brent will learn from this and face Dr. Rubinstein (now known as Dr. Bitchenstein) in the same manner. Brent must learn that the pain he will face is only temporal and necessary for his own good.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Flashback
Brent has previously shown that he prefers to ignore his problems and simply look away. As the story progresses, this starts becoming more literal through what Brent reveals. It all starts as Brent is taken into the OR for a surgery that takes the skin from his stomach and hips and places it on his back. While Brent is in the waiting room, he starts showing great fear of the possibility of waking up in the middle of the surgery and that if it happens he is screwed.
As he tries to remind himself to not wake up during the surgery, Brent says that "I've got to remember not to wake up this time, not that I've ever woken up before in the middle of a surgery, but really, wouldn't that just be the worst?"(78-79) What Brent doesn't realize is that he has waken up in the middle of something in the past. However, it wasn't a surgery but something that is similarly scary for him.
Soon after the surgery, Brent recalls an event that happened to him when he was younger. Brent remembers the brown wallpaper of his room when he was younger and a nightmare that he once had. In this nightmare there were some olive green silhouettes against a brown background: one big, one medium-sized and one small. The big one had a voice similar to that of his father, and the medium-sized one had a voice like his mother's. The two silhouettes would talk and progressively get louder and angrier. At times the little one would try to interrupt but the other silhouettes would just continue talking. This shouting would get to a point where it would scare Brent and wake him up, but "the voices would still be there."(81) Brent could try and go to sleep to run away, but there was no way to avoid the fact that his parents were fighting. Perhaps Brent was paranoid about waking up in the middle of the surgery because he had previously woken up during scary times and had possibly been traumatized by that. This could be another possible reason behind Brent's strange behavior.
Another hint to a possible family problem is when Brent is preparing the surprise for his mother in her birthday. His dad helps him prepare it and thanks him by addressing him as DF which stands for designated father. Despite the mere mention of the title is strange, Brent's reaction gives away his true thoughts. Brent realizes that his father is probably going to tell Dr. Rubinstein and gets angry. Since Dr. Rubinstein represents the part of him that he has to face, this reaction is Brent realizing that his family is also part of his emotional problems. He gets angry because he doesn't want to confront this but at least he realizes what is the problem making a little process in the trial of overcoming his inner self.
As he tries to remind himself to not wake up during the surgery, Brent says that "I've got to remember not to wake up this time, not that I've ever woken up before in the middle of a surgery, but really, wouldn't that just be the worst?"(78-79) What Brent doesn't realize is that he has waken up in the middle of something in the past. However, it wasn't a surgery but something that is similarly scary for him.
Soon after the surgery, Brent recalls an event that happened to him when he was younger. Brent remembers the brown wallpaper of his room when he was younger and a nightmare that he once had. In this nightmare there were some olive green silhouettes against a brown background: one big, one medium-sized and one small. The big one had a voice similar to that of his father, and the medium-sized one had a voice like his mother's. The two silhouettes would talk and progressively get louder and angrier. At times the little one would try to interrupt but the other silhouettes would just continue talking. This shouting would get to a point where it would scare Brent and wake him up, but "the voices would still be there."(81) Brent could try and go to sleep to run away, but there was no way to avoid the fact that his parents were fighting. Perhaps Brent was paranoid about waking up in the middle of the surgery because he had previously woken up during scary times and had possibly been traumatized by that. This could be another possible reason behind Brent's strange behavior.
Another hint to a possible family problem is when Brent is preparing the surprise for his mother in her birthday. His dad helps him prepare it and thanks him by addressing him as DF which stands for designated father. Despite the mere mention of the title is strange, Brent's reaction gives away his true thoughts. Brent realizes that his father is probably going to tell Dr. Rubinstein and gets angry. Since Dr. Rubinstein represents the part of him that he has to face, this reaction is Brent realizing that his family is also part of his emotional problems. He gets angry because he doesn't want to confront this but at least he realizes what is the problem making a little process in the trial of overcoming his inner self.
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