I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the Nick Adams stories. I fully expected to struggle with Hemingway's iceberg technique and not be able to understand what was going on in each of the stories. One of the stories in particular made me think the most and that was Cross Country Snow.
Being a story that is about taking responsibility and truly becoming a man, the story hit close to home with me because I feel like I am so close to have to do that on my own. I am sure it wasn't just me feeling this as well. Most of us are going to have to go out into the real world and get jobs and become contributing members of society in the near future. This, like most of the Nick Adams stories, was definitely a coming of age story. Something that completely reflects my life today.
This story also seemed to be more frank about what the reader was supposed to take away from it. Hemingway tends to leave out all of the details and descriptors that would make solving the puzzle to the moral of the story easy, and instead he makes the reader work for it. This story however seemed to be easier to grasp the moral than most.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Meeting Number 4: The Final Meeting
Mansour and I met for the final time today. After a full semester including 3 failed meetings, and 3 good meetings, we reached the end of the semester. Obviously I did not get to meet with Mansour for the full eight times and I am kind of disappointed. Unfortunately I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. We met the first time at the end of September and everything was looking great. Then Mansour didn't respond to my emails for a good three weeks. Finally we had three meetings that were scheduled but Mansour didn't show up for, strange but I guess we had miscommunication.
Regardless, our last meeting went great. We talked about what each of us did over thanksgiving break and agreed wholeheartedly that the break was too short. He told me about the turkey he had cooked himself, it was the first time he had ever had turkey.
We also got on a random tangent of the Internet and the differences between here and Saudi Arabia. I was very interested in this because I spend so much time on the Internet. Mansour told me that the government in Saudi Arabia has certain sites blocked for the entire country, for example adult content and anti-government blogs. I found this interesting because it causes the citizens of Saudi Arabia to only use the Internet in sparing fashions because it is so limited. I, on the other hand, have a completely different view of the Internet. Yes, there are sites out there that are explicit in nature, but I see the Internet as a bridge to success that has never been there before. With the computer access in the US, just about anyone can start a company on the web and be on the road to success for a low barrier to entry cost. Needless to say I was a little disappointed when Mansour explained how limited the Internet is in Saudi Arabia.
Mansour and I also discussed how different the education experience is here. In Saudi Arabia, you can learn as well from the textbook as you can from the professor. Here, the classes are much more interactive and less lecture. Mansour told me that his plans to get a degree from a university in the US was a daunting task because of how much harder the schooling is over here.
Overall I felt that I had a great experience meeting with Mansour. I wish that we could have met more often and that we hadn't had so many issues scheduling meetings but I'm glad we got to meet at least four times. Mansour is a great guy and I wish him the best of luck.
Regardless, our last meeting went great. We talked about what each of us did over thanksgiving break and agreed wholeheartedly that the break was too short. He told me about the turkey he had cooked himself, it was the first time he had ever had turkey.
We also got on a random tangent of the Internet and the differences between here and Saudi Arabia. I was very interested in this because I spend so much time on the Internet. Mansour told me that the government in Saudi Arabia has certain sites blocked for the entire country, for example adult content and anti-government blogs. I found this interesting because it causes the citizens of Saudi Arabia to only use the Internet in sparing fashions because it is so limited. I, on the other hand, have a completely different view of the Internet. Yes, there are sites out there that are explicit in nature, but I see the Internet as a bridge to success that has never been there before. With the computer access in the US, just about anyone can start a company on the web and be on the road to success for a low barrier to entry cost. Needless to say I was a little disappointed when Mansour explained how limited the Internet is in Saudi Arabia.
Mansour and I also discussed how different the education experience is here. In Saudi Arabia, you can learn as well from the textbook as you can from the professor. Here, the classes are much more interactive and less lecture. Mansour told me that his plans to get a degree from a university in the US was a daunting task because of how much harder the schooling is over here.
Overall I felt that I had a great experience meeting with Mansour. I wish that we could have met more often and that we hadn't had so many issues scheduling meetings but I'm glad we got to meet at least four times. Mansour is a great guy and I wish him the best of luck.
The Man Who Was Almost a Man
I guess I have something for coming of age stories because "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright was another story that I really enjoyed this semester. When I was younger, I always looked up to my Dad and wanted to be a man just like him. I would follow behind him while he mowed the lawn pushing my toy lawn mower and when he went to weed eat the grass I would flip over my plastic nine-iron and cut the grass behind him with a buzzing noise from my mouth. I can relate to the main character in this story because I wanted so badly to be grown up that I would do anything to get there. Ironically, I now wish I could go back to the simple times of being a little kid. A time when a piece of string could entertain me for hours.
I like the ending of this story because Dave makes the normal choice but not the expected choice. While that may sound confusing, my point is that in most stories that I have read the main character seems to eventually settle on the "right" answer. In The Man Who Was Almost a Man however, Dave chooses to run from his responsibilities after shooting Jenny the mule.
This was another one of those stories that was true to actual life and not dolled up or anything. Those seem to be the kind of stories that I enjoy most in this class. Stories that I can relate to on a personal level and that don't seem too farfetched to have actually happened.
I like the ending of this story because Dave makes the normal choice but not the expected choice. While that may sound confusing, my point is that in most stories that I have read the main character seems to eventually settle on the "right" answer. In The Man Who Was Almost a Man however, Dave chooses to run from his responsibilities after shooting Jenny the mule.
This was another one of those stories that was true to actual life and not dolled up or anything. Those seem to be the kind of stories that I enjoy most in this class. Stories that I can relate to on a personal level and that don't seem too farfetched to have actually happened.
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