I thought that Skunk Dreams was a lot different from Talk of the Town. Talk of the Town was more of an opinion piece, whereas Skunk Dreams was more of a story or collection of events. I liked the part about the skunk, though I’m not sure if she was telling something that truly happened or if the skunk was symbolic for something else. Actually, I have that question for the entire piece. Is it factual or figurative? It could be that different parts of it are each, or maybe the whole thing is both. In any case, this essay really gave me something to think about.
I found Louise Erdrich’s voice to be contemplative, although extremely negative at times. When she talks about the West and how it isn’t wild anymore, she is cynical at best. Personally, I’d rather read something a bit more positive, but she does make some good points about how America has changed and isn’t like it was. We do use lots of pesticides and yes, occasionally unmowed ditches are treated like environmental areas. I’m not saying these are good things, but they are true at times. Still, I think that it would’ve been better for her to either make her criticism constructive, or not criticize at all.
A better part of her voice was that she was very descriptive. I loved the passage, “Rock walls ran everywhere, grown through and tumbled, as if the dead still had claims they imposed.” It seemed like everything she said placed a picture in my mind. It made her essay easier to follow and it was easier to remember what had already happened.
I liked her musings about dreams. Are they real? Can you be in another’s mind? I believe the first is true, at least in your mind, but I don’t really believe the latter. On the other hand, it is strange that she had a dream and then found the place she had dreamt about. I love the way she told how she found the fence from her dream. I was hit first by confusion, then realization dawned.
That brings me to my next point, about the fenced in animals. Erdrich made a very insightful observation when she said, “Animals, much like most humans, don’t charge through fences unless they have sound reasons.” I enjoyed that part and agree with it. Most people just want to get along and not make a big deal about something small. Still, when they have solid grounds, they’re quite willing to charge through that fence.
I also agreed with something else about the animals. She said, “Shooting animals inside fences, no matter how big the area they have to hide in, seems abominable and silly.” I completely agree. It’s cruel to import animals and keep them enclosed, only to have people come in and shoot them. I don’t know much about hunting and I understand that it’s necessary in some cases, but I don’t really care for it at all. I especially don’t like it when the animals have a limited area to run and the people are hunting just because they think it’s fun. Killing animals should not be fun. I know it is to some people but it’s not to me.
I think Louise Erdrich’s essay was mostly very well written, even if I didn’t like parts of it so much. She had plenty of good ideas and a lot of good insights, although occasionally they weren’t presented in the best light.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Response to "The Talk of the Town"
Gun control is a subject talked about often but rarely acted upon. However, it’s a pressing issue that needs to be dealt with.
I thought the story at the beginning of Adam Gopnik’s essay was very effective. Instead of just telling us why gun control needs to be stronger he made me really feel bad for those people and drive home the point that gun control needs to be fixed. It made the issue even more important than just politics.
It frustrated me how the student got the gun in the first place. Gopnick said that he was, “an obviously disturbed student,” and yet was able to buy a gun. It doesn’t take a genius to see a problem here. No one who is mentally ill should ever possess a weapon, especially a gun. It just doesn’t make sense for someone who is mentally unstable to have the power to so easily take a life. Gopnick states, “The United States has more gun violence than other countries because we have more guns and are willing to sell them to madmen who want to kill people.” I’m not saying that the student was a madman, but it’s quite clear that we need to better regulate who can own a gun.
Another point made in the essay is that other countries have had the same problems. We’re not the only country to have mass shootings and people who feel alone and are willing to kill others because of it. But other countries have taken steps to fix the problem, something that hasn’t really been done in America. More often than not, the results of their protective measures have been positive, with few or no repeats of the previous event. I think that we need to start doing something to prevent further tragic shootings. The examples set for us have shown that it is possible to change and get better.
Even with all these problems, I don’t think it’s necessary to ban all guns, just the ones most likely to do the most harm. It’s not all or nothing, and there is a middle ground, a compromise. People can still have hunting guns and certain people should be allowed other kinds of guns. It just has to be better controlled and restricted.
In addition, Susan Sontag brought up an excellent point when she said, “Let’s by all means grieve together. But let’s not be stupid together.” I definitely agree with her. It seems so often that when one person has an idea, others just abandon their own ideas and agree with them. Soon everyone has the same idea and it’s not always a good one. It’s kind of like when your mom asks you, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you follow?” We all hate that question, but it does make a point. Just because people do something, that doesn’t make it right. Sometimes the best decisions are ones that no one else has done yet.
Later on in the essay it says, “Our leaders are bent on convincing us that everything is O.K. America is not afraid…Everything is not O.K.” I think it’s alright for us to be afraid, or to not be O.K. Everything is not always going to be perfect. Sometimes when something bad happens we should be afraid. To not be afraid would be stupid. The important thing is not to be fearless, but to do something positive because on the fear.
I also liked what Sontag said at the end of her essay. She said, “Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be.” Being strong isn’t everything. A person who is only strong is missing out on being so many important things. If everyone was just strong and nothing else there would be no one to be kind, intelligent, or countless other things.
It is clear that something needs to be done about gun control. The only question is: how long will it take, and how many lives will be lost before then?
I thought the story at the beginning of Adam Gopnik’s essay was very effective. Instead of just telling us why gun control needs to be stronger he made me really feel bad for those people and drive home the point that gun control needs to be fixed. It made the issue even more important than just politics.
It frustrated me how the student got the gun in the first place. Gopnick said that he was, “an obviously disturbed student,” and yet was able to buy a gun. It doesn’t take a genius to see a problem here. No one who is mentally ill should ever possess a weapon, especially a gun. It just doesn’t make sense for someone who is mentally unstable to have the power to so easily take a life. Gopnick states, “The United States has more gun violence than other countries because we have more guns and are willing to sell them to madmen who want to kill people.” I’m not saying that the student was a madman, but it’s quite clear that we need to better regulate who can own a gun.
Another point made in the essay is that other countries have had the same problems. We’re not the only country to have mass shootings and people who feel alone and are willing to kill others because of it. But other countries have taken steps to fix the problem, something that hasn’t really been done in America. More often than not, the results of their protective measures have been positive, with few or no repeats of the previous event. I think that we need to start doing something to prevent further tragic shootings. The examples set for us have shown that it is possible to change and get better.
Even with all these problems, I don’t think it’s necessary to ban all guns, just the ones most likely to do the most harm. It’s not all or nothing, and there is a middle ground, a compromise. People can still have hunting guns and certain people should be allowed other kinds of guns. It just has to be better controlled and restricted.
In addition, Susan Sontag brought up an excellent point when she said, “Let’s by all means grieve together. But let’s not be stupid together.” I definitely agree with her. It seems so often that when one person has an idea, others just abandon their own ideas and agree with them. Soon everyone has the same idea and it’s not always a good one. It’s kind of like when your mom asks you, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you follow?” We all hate that question, but it does make a point. Just because people do something, that doesn’t make it right. Sometimes the best decisions are ones that no one else has done yet.
Later on in the essay it says, “Our leaders are bent on convincing us that everything is O.K. America is not afraid…Everything is not O.K.” I think it’s alright for us to be afraid, or to not be O.K. Everything is not always going to be perfect. Sometimes when something bad happens we should be afraid. To not be afraid would be stupid. The important thing is not to be fearless, but to do something positive because on the fear.
I also liked what Sontag said at the end of her essay. She said, “Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be.” Being strong isn’t everything. A person who is only strong is missing out on being so many important things. If everyone was just strong and nothing else there would be no one to be kind, intelligent, or countless other things.
It is clear that something needs to be done about gun control. The only question is: how long will it take, and how many lives will be lost before then?
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