Relationships

1. I thought of exploring the relationship between Skeetah and China vs Big Guy and the narrator. These two relationships are extremely different yet they share the same intense passion. Skeetah cares for his dogs quite a bit throughout the story, and it is easy to tell. His bond with the dogs (especially China) is very prevalent and obvious because of the great lengths he goes to to make them happy. Big Guy and the narrators relationship is built on a mutual trust and love as well, but they express is a little more subtly. Over all they both share love for the other companion but the way in which it is explained is much different.

2. A second idea I had was the idea I discussed in my last blog post. The calm tones that both Salvage the Bones and The End of Something use. These are used to describe the climax of the story in both cases. Of course STB has a much more chaotic climax, but regardless the style is similar. This tone highlights the actual more intense actions that are happening.

3. Relationships between lovers can be very complicated. Esch and Manny are a great example of an unhealthy relationship. I wouldn't even go as far as to call them lovers, due to the way that Manny treats her. In the short story "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" the relationship between the parents to be is already withering before they even wed. These issues are less expressed than they are between Esch and Manny but the same idea is present in both relationships: They are not meant to be. They both have problems within their relationship that are unsolved and hurtful towards others.

The Calm in the Storm

Salvage the Bones isn't what I would call a "setting rich" novel. Though this is the case, there is still a lot of meaning associated with the settings that are discussed. The way that the hurricane is described by Esch is a very peculiar one. She describes it in an almost calming and cool way. This chaotic event does not seem like one that would be taken lightly. Esch and her family are in the midst of a crisis and she is explaining deathly and dangerous things in a cool and collected tone. This tone also seems to be the case in "The End of Something". This whole short story is written in a very nonchalant fashion. The words flow together in a somber way and though the story is not all that eventful, the tone is unusually calm and straightforward for what is going on between the girl and the boy. It seems as if using calmer and relaxed voice can intensify the danger happening around the characters. Too much emotion can ruin the moment of the story and make it seem almost cheesy or unbelievable. If the story is told in just the right way,  the emotion is controlled but used when needed. Of course robot speak would make for a very boring character or narrator, but sometimes there needs to be a lack of emotion. These two stories have extremely different plots, but one thing they do have in common, is that they both lead up to a crucial moment that the reader is constantly waiting for. It is the one moment that you are always anticipating to happen next. When it finally arrives you are eager to see how it is put together (i.e. how it was written) and often times it is with restraint of emotion.

I Will Never Be Famous...

"Full of it" is a very interesting piece indeed. Baxter basically explains writing on a more personal level that directly relates to his experiences as a writer. A lot of the points he touches on resonate very clearly to me. The main idea that I captured from this piece was that there are always going to be times when life seems meaningless, you're going nowhere, and it feels like an enormous black hole. In short, you feel stuck. He explains how these feelings of despair are commonplace in a writers life, due to constant rejection from publishing companies and critics etc. My apologies for being so optimistic and cheery, but there's more...


These "nights" (as he mentions in the story) are inevitable and will most likely find you at some point in your life.


Once you fall into a routine life, where you are busy and occupied these nights are not very prevalent, however once you find yourself out in the real world, alone, and trying to pursue your dreams: everything becomes real. At this time in my life, my early 20's seem far away and I have very high expectations for myself, much too high for my own good. Of course most of us want to accomplish something in this world, and of course this is not possible. This mentality is what causes the nights of loneliness and disparity in which we stay up all night listening to sad piano music wondering what could have been...

Conclusively, his advice (it seems like advice and a personal story at the same time to me) is very useful for anyone looking for a realistic approach to life as a writer or any profession like it. Baxter highlights his ability to take criticism well which I also believe is a crucial part of life. To improve, one must understand the pain that goes hand in hand with reward.

Yourself vs. Others

In day 7 of Salvage the Bones Manny makes his infamous appearance in the girls bathroom. He basically waltzes into the bathroom, finds Esch, and takes advantage of her without really thinking about anything else. Of course Manny is an example of a rude and careless character yet he does show some similarities to Big Guy from "The Most Girl Part of You". These two characters are very different yet they share the same quality of carelessness. Manny shows his careless traits when he urges Esch to go along with his reckless ideas and coerces her into having sex with him often; taking advantage of her affection for him. Big Guy is very careless as well, but in a very different way. He shows no concern for himself as he runs around doing dangerous and cavalier things, such as cracking his teeth or getting hit by a bus. They both have little regard for what they are doing but the reason for this behavior is very opposite for them. Manny's actions are never fully explained as he just comes off as a ruthless and irresponsible person. However, Big guy has his reasons for doing these harmful things. He has experienced immense loss in his life, and the careless things he does are only to himself, not to others. The main difference is that Manny can hurt others without a care but not himself, while Big Guy does not want to hurt others, but has little problem hurting himself.

The Revision Process: The Ups and the Downs

What do you like best about what happened in your revision?

My favorite part of revising is when I restructure a paragraph or even sentence, and when I read it over I understand it very clearly. There are just some sentences that I revise and when I go back and check my work, they sound beautiful. This is what motivates me to keep revising (often a tedious task for me) because my ultimate goal is to make the whole essay sound this appealing.

What was most frustrating during your revising?

Revising is generally frustrating to me most of the time when I am not writing about a topic I am particularly interested in; this goes for most people. I find it hard to read over a piece of writing that I don't find all that riveting over and over again. I often lose my place and forget what I was revising for, and end up just reading words with no meaning. In the end, I have to read my paper over again which just makes it even more arduous. I always get through it though, and I'm very glad I do because it is a very important part of the revising process.

What helped you most during your revision? What step was most useful?

I think the peer reviewing actually helps a lot. It is one thing to read over your paper yourself and give your own feedback to yourself, but it's crucial to get another opinion from your audience. Someone who can understand what the assignment is yet has a different perspective. It's beneficial because maybe they'll understand the prompt better than you and they can then explain what needs to be done in order to fulfill the criteria. They can also add a better creative spin to your writing. Multiple perspectives are important and can only improve your writing!