The passage I have molded below represents an opportunity that I have capitalized on in the hopes of establishing a deeper understanding of a character in the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Creative Piece

The man focused on what he perceived to be the wind without answering the boy's statement. He drifted on into his own thoughts forgetting about the boy and the world around him. The man opened his eyes shortly afterwards only to find the boy gone. There was a camp fire set up despite the fact that the man had no tools to light one himself. He quickly arose and began to panic in search of his boy only to have a shadowy figure approach him. The man quickly aimed his flare gun at the figure.

Where’s my son

A young handsome man arose from the shadows with a face that seemed oddly familiar to the man.

Is he important to you

Are you an idiot

I’m whatever you want me to be

did you take my son?

If I did

Then you’ll die

What gives you the right

My son does

He’s just a boy

He’s everything to me

Would you kill for him

It’d be the right thing to do

The fire

What

You carry it don’t you

What kind of bullshit-

Don’t let it consume you otherwise it’ll burn out

Wait who are-

It’s your serah after all

The man awoke to the sound of the boy yelling at him

Papa you’re coughing blood

It’s fine

It’s not

I said it’s fine go back to sleep I have medecine.

The man ignored his own blood in favor of pondering what exactly he just experienced.

Rationale:

My rationale behind the creation of this passage is that I wanted to further define a motif often present in The Road. Throughout the book the boy and man have conflicting ideologies of righteousness and perseverance which leave them at odds with one another. Despite their differences however the man and the boy still agree that they are both “carrying the fire.” This phrase is important to both the man and the boy as it drives them forward in their pursuit of survival. For my passage I wanted this motif of fire to be defined more clearly for the man and thus I had the man have a dream where he comes into direct contact with his own personal “fire.”

For my dream I wanted the man to realize that the fire he possessed was defined as his right to deal justice and his integrity as a human being. To do this I had the man placed in a scenario where he was given the upperhand as a the judge, jury and executioner. I did this also bearing in mind that the man was already recently placed in a similar scenario where his boy believed he made the wrong choice. I had the shadowy figure in dream be one who didn’t seem threatening to the man to have him further question if killing him was the right choice if he had taken the boy. This was important to me because it allowed me to show that the boy’s well being dictated what the man perceived as justice and integrity. The boy was fueling the man’s fire. I wanted this also to be shown as a serious problem for the man which I did by having the shadowy figure mention that the man’s fire could consume him. This was to show that if the man focuses too much on the boy then he could wind up hurting the boy along with himself in the future.

At the very end of the passage I had the shadowy figure mention that the man’s fire could consume him. At this point I had the man refer to the fire as the man’s “serah.” The purpose of this word was to represent the man’s convictions and and approach to life. The man’s serah up until this point in book was to isolate the boy from the world in order to survive. I wanted this be the point in the book where man question if his “serah” was right. The man constantly brushes off the righteous morals of the boy throughout the book and I used this dream to have the man question if the boy was right to have his morals.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk Review

Humans are always touted as civilized creatures who transcend the social and ethical limitations of other animals. Quintessentially, we view ourselves as the epitome of current evolution. David Sedaris in Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk begs to differ. In a heartfelt comical way, Sedaris skillfully illustrates the shortcomings of human interaction and often makes, we, the reader think wistfully to ourselves “Did that really just happen?” Sedaris’ writing, which was seemingly intended to degrade and downplay human success and triumph, causes the reader to feel laughter, joy and a sense of precognition which will hopefully save them from the situations chronicled in his masterful piece of art.

The animals depicted in Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk aren’t really animals. The reader is keen to see this very early on in the book. Each animal represents a paradigm of everyday social life in America. We have the gullible sheep, the two-faced trash talking monkey and the self-absorbed condescending warbler. These stereotypes can easily make the reader laugh and look down upon these characters. However they also allow the reader to understand these characters. The questions we, as the reader, may come to ask are “Why is the sheep gullible? “Why does the monkey gossip about other animals?” “What makes the warblers such douchebags?”

The stories force the reader to have either positive or negative thoughts about the animals in the story. Each character is chiseled out with a unique mold that makes them stick out. Each animal has personal ambitions, wants and fears giving the character analysts in the audience plenty of material to tear into millions of little synthetic pieces.

In real life, most people never take the extra steps to understand fictitious characters. Because the characters in the short stories are animals, subconsciously, we are dotting the lines and making the connections which we wouldn’t normally make. The warbler for example didn’t one day just become condescending and arrogant. It was born into a world which nurtured it with that mentality. Experiences and influences in its life caused it to become what it is. In the end, we can come to the conclusion that we really can’t judge a person for something that was out of their control.

Expanding upon the idea that we can understand and sympathize with the animals in Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, the collection of short stories also makes the reader wonder what animal they are mostly closely related to. When we find the animal we can relate most to we become attached, hoping that everything works out for the animal. However, Sedaris simply won’t allow us this luxury and sometimes gives our characters grimm endings, which not everyone wants to see.

At the same time, we still want to see how everything turns out for the animals because we don’t know which roller coaster ending Sedaris will give us. Though most of the time we can expect the characters flaws to bite them in them in the hiney making them suffer immensely, there are happy endings which puts a smile on the readers face.

To this effect, the entire book is sculpted to have you wonder about how each animals story will end. The reader will want to see some animals succeed in triumph while wanting others to fail miserably. I know that while reading the story of the lazy and selfish bear I wanted him to meet a grimm ending. But the ending I received was a little too sadistic for me bringing to a sympathetic mindset. Sedaris masterfully strums the strings of the human mind making you want to see his characters reach certain resolutions. However, he also makes you question whether or not it was right to wish such harsh fates upon animals when they eventually meet their maker. Characters we may want to die horrible painful deaths because of their flaws, may also be the ones we may eventually come to sympathize with.  

I recommend this book to readers who are infatuated with deep complex characters. Readers who aren’t afraid to have metaphorical jabs taken at their species, should definitely pick up this book. Also, readers who are willing to look in between the lines and uncover hidden meanings. This book’s greatest asset which draws in its readers may also be its biggest flaw. For the reader to absorb as much as they can from each short story in Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, they must be the analytical satirical thinker. Its a double edged sword in that respect.

In spite of this, the several different dynamics rolled into each individual short story that allows the overall product to accumulate into greatness. Each story is chiseled out to incur different emotions and responses from the reader. Its almost as if sedaris expects to receive such a wide variety of responses ranging from fanfare to disdain. Quite simply put, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk is the kind of book that everyone should pick up at one point in their lives because it does what most books today fail to do. It makes us think critically about who we are and what we do in relation to the stories we read about. This book is a must read.

Published by Little, Brown and Company

September 8th 2010

176 pages

Humorous Fiction

Creative Piece Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3QVfBuz4UxCejVNOVp0elNUbXc/view?usp=sharing

What people need to know about the philadelphia community is that it is incredibly diverse. We have west philly, north philly, northeast philly, south west philly, and Center City. Depending on what part of philly your are from your views and opinions can be radically different. Many people deep in west philly know of “the struggle.” They have faced various hardships such as discrimination and hate within the community. However there is also good in community. Within west philly there are many community structures such as community gardens and Enterprise centers to help build small businesses.

People also need to know that Philadelphia is in a bit of crisis. Studies have shown that the Philadelphia School district is subpar compared to districts elsewhere. Furthermore we have an astounding crime rate. Slowly however but surely we are set for improvement and growth. Recently a police station has moved into my neighborhood and more stores and businesses have began to open up in my area. Don’t be surprised if you see articles chronicling Philadelphia as one of the cities with the highest improvement rate.

“The Biggest Tree”

“Shoot slow down will you?!” I yelled as I ran down the streets of the small town.  

The man I was chasing was smaller than me but he was lean and had great stamina. I’d never had trouble chasing people down as a child but this guy was something else. He cleared about 3 fences and then side stepped past several civilians who were confused by the entire situation. Eventually he ran into an old abandoned building and ran up the stairs.

“Dammit!!” I yelled.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out my amphetamines. This was the first time that I had ever pulled them out and at the Academy they told officers in training to only pull them out in dire situations.

“There is no point in running!” I screamed trying to sound as intimidating as possible.

A few seconds after taking the drugs things got very clear. After climbing to the top of the building I shortened the gap between us in half. The criminal jumped from the current building we were in to the next but I was able to jump at the same time and in midair I tackled him right to the ground.

“GRC (Governmental Resistance Control) bitch” I yelled into his ear.

The guy was still struggling trying to wriggle his way out and get out so I picked him up off the ground punched him in the gut knocking him out. Officers stopped getting issued handcuffs standard a long time ago and the reasoning behind it was that handcuffs were not needed when there was no reason to commit crime. I did however have a standard issue pistol which I was guess was for shooting at pigeons but for now it was a means of keeping this guy in place for when he woke up. I carried the guy back to my car in discretion as to not alert any civilians and drove off to the station on my way.

“Did anyone see you apprehend him?” the Señor Custodian officer asked.

“People saw me chasing him but for all they knew I could have been trying to ask him a couple of questions is all.” I retorted

“Did you use your firearm?” He asked.

“No sir I used it to suppress him incase he tried to get away.” I replied.

Without asking further questions walked away talking to someone on his police walkie talkie but I couldn’t make it out. The drugs had weared off and all my senses began to deteriorate. All I could remember was a few Guard Officers all surrounding the patient who had just woke up and everything else after that went black.

I woke up the next day at my house. I was still feeling bad and couldn’t seem to get my vision back in check. I really should stay away from those drugs, the after effect is just too much. I slapped my work uniform back on and I went back down to the station and addressed the clerk.

“Where is the man I captured yesterday?” I asked.

“Yesterday? What are you talking about, you weren’t hear yesterday…” the lady said back to me.

“Check your damn files,” I angrily retorted.

“Alright officer” she said is a calm but patronizing voice.

She busily checked her computer and got back to me relatively fast.

“There is no record of any such events happening on our system records” she said.

“That contraption is full of shit, I very clearly chased down a man and apprehended him” I angrily said.

“Sorry I don’t have it...” she replied.

I left after that and began talking to my fellow officers in the building.

“Excuse you do you remember me capturing a criminal yesterday?”

“Sorry I didn’t see anything”

Again and again I asked everyone and anyone if they saw anything and I got nothing. I ran down to the Chief Officer’s office and bribed some security guards to let me in.

“Sir I caught a criminal yesterday why are their no records? Officers I know saw me capture the criminal are denying seeing anything.” I said.

“Do you know what we do for living?” He asked?

“We suppress any incoming threats to society?” I replied.

“Suppress… That is the key word, we seize, detain and erase and threats, anything that ever so slightly alters the morale of our fair people is a threat.” He said.

“What are you trying to say sir?”

“I’m not trying to say anything. I can’t talk that which no longer can be deemed a threat.”

“But all threats are erased how can we learn and grow?”

“Why grow when we are the largest tree in the forest?”

“The tallest tree is the most likely to fall” I retorted.

“Good bye Officer Kelly.”

“But wait!” I yelled.

Armed guards came and roughly escorted me out. So many questions erupted in me. What is my government? What is crime? Can we exist in a world where crime isn’t addressed as crime? My head began to hurt. My vision began to get blurry again. I tried my best to get my grip back on reality. I remembered the wallet I picked up that the suspect dropped. 4556 North Spooner St. I had something left of this mystery man.

The cab driver refused to drop me off directly at house. The area was too high class. Each house was a stand alone and was at least four stories high. They paint of each house glistened in the sunlight and the lawns were lush and green. The house of the mystery man was very nice just like the others. I carefull knocked on the door. Someone quickly responded. It was a woman at least 35-40 years old.

“Excuse me Madam how are you today?” I asked.

“I’m doing fine, may I ask why you are here?” She replied.

“Well I’m here on behalf of the GRC now don’t get alarmed I was just wondering if anyone you know has gone missing?”

She gave me a very blank stare and didn’t respond.

“I know talking when your back is against the wall is hard but its time like these when words are the only express yourself.”

“Why are you here?” she finally said.

“To find what shouldn’t be findable. I’m guessing this man was your husband?” I said as I showed her the wallet with the ID.

“He is my husband, he died 12 years ago why are you bringing him up now?”

“The expiration date on the drivers license expires next year, no point in lying now”

“Why should I tell you anything?”

“Because people seek closure, and it seems that I’m the only man who is trying to get it for you at the moment”

“Can I trust you?”

“Who else can you trust?”

“Come inside.”

I sat down on a couch in the living room as she brought forth some coffee and some papers.

“My husband was a doctor, specifically a surgeon. He cared deeply for his fellow man and it pained him to see that they were dying. Lack of organs for transplant was a rampant problem. So he began dabbling with the wrong people, they supplied him with organs for transplants. He saved many lives… There was a rat who sold him out. And then the GRC “dealt” with him.”

“Do you have any idea who the Rat was?”

“A coroner who worked at the morgue, only person with the evidence against him.”

She exchanged what little information she had for me and I was off on my way. I grew up trusting the government and the GRC. They were keeping us away from anarchy. Keeping us safe from chaos and allowed children to have a safe bright future. I still had faith in them. I arrived back at the station and I proceeded to confront the Chief Officer. I made it down to his office. But something hit me on the back of the head and everything went dark again.

I woke up in a poorly lit small room. I was tied down to a chair and there was something metal slapped across my wrists. Probably handcuffs. Two men walked in the room. One of them started punching me in the face presumably leaving my face swollen as I could barely open my eyes.

“When Adam and Eve ate the apples from the garden of eden do you know what happened?”

“Pigs started shitting gold bricks?” I said trying to be smart.

The man punched me in the face. He was wearing a gold ring making things all the better.

“They were cast out from paradise. What we have here is paradise. No crime, no hate, no disdain for anything.” He said.

“Utopia’s are not real” I quickly said.

“Well I can tell you that we are as close to a utopia as humanly possible, what holds us back is people like you. Words are mans most powerful tool. A single man could an uprising. You never truly believe in the GRC, you believed in the image they posed of a society where everyone could co exist.” said the Chief Officer as he looked me in the eye.

“Isn’t that a world everyone wants to live in?” I asked.

“But its unattainable, someone is gonna mess up the perfect society no matter what we do. I’m trying to suppress those people, that is the GRC’s goal, to ensure that peace stays” He replied.

“Well then I don’t want to live in this word anymore, But just remember that for everyone of us naysayers that dies two more of us will rise to fight your cause,” I said as my final words.

“Duly noted, we shall see if your beliefs out survive mine”

Even though I didn’t live to make as much of a difference as I wished I could have I’d like to believe that others will inherit my will and try to abolish dystopian thinking and establish true peace between all men and women.

Education is all I’ve ever been worried about, not because my parents would tell me that education is the key to success or that I wanted to get the most money when I found my ideal career, it’s just that my pursuit of of all things knowledgeable willed me to want to know everything about everything, even the smallest details.

Jackasses who go to school for other reasons are people I can’t really stand. “Oh I’m only in school until my football career takes off and I become the next Peyton Manning Cuz I’m Just that good.” Sit your ass the fuck down Kyle Carter who’s going to community college later this year, you are not that good and the statistical chance of you getting into the NFL is slim-shit cuz you can’t run or have the proper arm to be a quarterback. But all fun aside I hope the best for Kyle who will probably bald by the time he is 30 and will spend all of his days in a cubicle, yeah good luck throwing footballs with typist's cramp.

Speaking of Athletic, I’m 6’3 220 pounds, I can bench press more than my own weight. People always ask why I don’t become a linebacker or something but the answer is simple, playing sports does nothing for nobody. When was the last time that the guy who threw the discus farthest got up and saved the life of a newborn baby suffering from anemia? Or a wrestler like John Cena, when did he save a family of four stuck in a burning building? I feel like my physical body is just a bonus in life, my real saving grace is obviously my mind which allows me to comprehend and understand material better than the rest of the world.

It’s 3 a.m and I’m packing up to leave for my flight to Massachusetts. This is the last day I spend in Bozeman, Montana. From the day you step out of your house you get two choices, conform and become like everyone else have friends casting away any shots at being successful, or cast aside any social interactions I… crap I mean you will ever make. Yes I took the more saddening option but I refuse to be tethered to the ground by idiots who will never pass high school. They’re all so close-minded… The struggle of having both an academic and social mind is just impossible. But screw all of that.

I’m going to go to Harvard and eventually go to graduate school for law. That way when I become a Prosecutor I can berate people for their asinine actions and get paid for. Its a pension, great salary, and health benefits all for the price doing what I love. I’m going to see all those jerks in court on trial for committing stupid crimes like muggings and robberies. In that moment all of my social suffering will have been worth it.

I know what you guys are thinking “But there is so much more to law! helping people, giving out second chances!” second chances and help are for those who can make a difference in other peoples lives, not some drunk driver who ran over a mother and 2 of her three children orphaning the third one. Sometimes there are just too many reasons for people not to receive that second chance, and as a Prosecutor I plan to find out whether or not people deserve one.

I’ve got too many gripes with people, I throw up in my mouth a little every time something hypocritical happens, its amazing if I keep my breakfast down for more than a few hours.

I know you all have seen those people outside wearing the the T-shirts that say “Non-Conformist” or “Retro” or some shit about saving some obscure animal which is clearly not fit to survive in today’s modern environment. Those people have always ground my gears. They act as if they are outside of society because they aren’t conforming to the norms when in reality they are just the trendsetters changing the norms around which eventually everyone will catch on to.

I am going off on a rant. I never fit into social groups, not even the subpar ones. They all seemed so beneath me. That’s why I sit alone at lunch. That’s why people rarely talk to me. That’s why I’m rarely noticed even though I’m a physical behemoth. But that’s all gonna change, because people in college will be just as sophisticated as me, no more being forced into one group of one type of person. I won’t have to be all alone anymore. I’ll be with equals just like me, right?

While attending Charles Drew Elementary School for three full years, I don’t believe I made any good friends. After my time at Drew I had to leave to attend a better public school called Penn Alexander. It was a considerable upgrade from my old school, but at the same time it was even more daunting. I was notorious for having a stuttering problem taking what seemed like days to pronounce the easiest of words, not only to add to that but I had seemed to adopt a sort of “ghetto” accent as black people from west Philly are known for having. This made changing from Drew school to PAS very difficult because it was a mix of several races meaning that my speech didn’t fit in anywhere in particular.

Interracial mingling was something that I had never seen before. I’d only ever known black people and had only seen white people on rare occasions with my mother. The idea of a white kid being able to talk to a black one was like cats and dogs hugging it out. People could have spoken anything from the “ghetto” english I had heard to the standard white one that I had only just recently heard of. Transitioning into this new mixed environment was a hard experience even then I didn’t feel adjusted until 9th grade. Transitioning from PAS to SLA was very smooth because the atmosphere between the two was very similar so I felt right at home after years of adjusting to PAS.

My dad always was a forgetful person, so it wasn’t surprised when he told me to walk down to the local grocery store to pick up some food supplies.

“Get up and go! I don’t have time for this I need to finish cooking!” said my dad angrily.

“Ugh, alright fine I’ll go just stop bothering me,” I retorted.

I slapped on whatever clothes I just took out of the wash and went outside. Now stepping outside I noticed a few things. The first one was that it dark outside and it seemed like it was about to rain soon. Secondly I had seen some people standing down the street in the direction I was going of whom I had never seen before. Being oblivious to how things looked I just kept walking staring at my feet.

“Hey young bull slow down let me talk to you,” said the second biggest one of the group.

I didn’t respond and simply kept walking. The guy looked at least 17-18 and I didn’t want to deal with him so I ignored him. The guy got distracted by one of his friends and didn’t realize I had walked off.

“Hey young bull! Hey young bull!” He kept calling as if he expected me to walk back.

I reached the grocery store which was about a block away from me house. One of the cashiers who worked at the grocery store said that the groups of guys were calling me.

“I’ve never seen those guys in my life,” I said.

“Ignore them; they are trying to mess with you,” he said.

I bought my stuff at the store and continued on my way and then went to go talk to the security officer about the people. He casually shrugged off what I had said and told me that they are just a bunch of punks messing with me. Feeling I could do nothing else I walked back to my house.

At first I hadn’t seen anyone but as I neared closer my house I saw the group of guys walk about of a driveway right near my house. They immediately circled around me; two of them frisked my pockets and took the money I had left over and the groceries. Another one punched me in the jaw and then they all counted up the money they had taken and checked the groceries I had. I quickly sprinted to my house and rung the bell as fast as possible. They saw what I was doing, dropped the groceries, and immediately ran.

The whole event changed how I view black people and made me want to disassociate myself with them while at the same time allowing myself to be able to act freely around them. I tried to act more like other black people to try and fit in and give myself some peace. It got to the point where some of my friends wanted to disassociate themselves from because they didn’t like how I was acting.

“Hey Rafi did you catch the fight between Velasquez and Lesnar” my friend said.

“Naw man shit I don’t keep up with crap like that these days, I’m busy with my other bro” I said back.

I tried so hard to emulate an accent and dialect that wasn’t really mine my friends saw right through it and didn’t want anything to do with me after that. I ended up making things worse for myself. I made an environment I felt was hostile because of who I was even more hostile towards myself as I lost friends.

Similarly, in the Comedy Central show Key and Peele, there is a skit where the two black males purposely tried to seem tougher as to assert a feel of dominance and masculinity. However when they walk away from each other the tone completely changes and one of the Men says to their friend over the phone “Oh my gosh Christian I just totally almost got mugged just now!” The two men were completely harmless to one another but because they didn’t know that about one another they automatically try to toughen up to seem more dominant as to avoid any unwanted confrontation.

I effectively judged an entire race of people because of the handiwork of a few individuals. It made me into a very judgmental person who was very paranoid. It was only after many months that I realized that my impressions were all wrong. I learned that code switching was not solving any of my problems as it only further distorted what I actually wanted to be which was a person who could speak in whatever way, shape, or form that they wanted.

The key to feeling safe and comfortable in society was for me to find middle ground where I could act the same around everybody. Only after letting go of my fear and trying to cope with my fear of getting mugged was I able to stop trying to act so intimidating when it really was not my suit. I stopped trying to talk like other stereotypical black people after being mugged because I realized it was only escalating the situation as shown in the Key and Peele skit and that I should only speak they way I wanted to.