linking blog

1. Alma Singer and Oscar are similar due to the primary reason that they are both on a search. Both of their searches are due to the death of their father. In both cases the search was driven by the love and admiration of their father. They both admired their father’s ways for their own reason and wanted to find some way to cope with the loss of their loved one. Probably the main reason that Alma Singer and Oscar are similar is their search for self. Though their method of searching may be a little different, the main reason and is exactly the same. Some of the differences which are present between Alma and Oscar. The main difference that I noticed between Alma and Oscar was the relationship with their mothers. I noted that Oscar was more unenthusiastic with his mother obtained a new boyfriend, while Alma actually tried to find someone for her mother.

2. The way that Binx can be put into the context of HoL is the similarities in the search. Binx is unsure of what he is really searching for, and in History of Love, Alma is on a search. The similarity is the search, while the reason and source of the search is different. The similarity however is the search for self, and the fact that both are searching for “something” in order put themselves in context with the world.

3. Leo Gursky is is old man who is living in New York and living as a blacksmith. Leo tries to get noticed as much as possible so that people are able to notice him, Leo’s greatest fear is not dyeing unnoticed and what he gave to his is a lot. He really seemed to love his son and if the situation was right, would have been a great father.

Hol connects to other readings

1. Alma and Osker are similar in that they both share a child's naivety among other things. Through their stories they grow to become much more mature thanks to their searches. They both have lost a parents which fuels their search yet in the end they find something much different then what they initially began looking for. They are different because Alma doesn't quite go the extremes that Osker does in his search. Alma also seemed more generally satisfied with the result of her search than Osker did.
2. Binx's search is very similar to Leo's search. They both are searching for a purpose or greater meaning in life. After Leo lost his love he spent the rest of his life doing mundane things like Binx but in the end finds that his life had great meaning all along just like Binx finds his life's meaning or purpose was right under his nose the whole time.
3. Leo Gursky is a grumpy old man when we first meet him. He's also a one-love-for-life kind of man which may have fueled that grumpiness but he is also a good man with normal desires. He wants to be remembered and loved like anyone else. Leo gives his son inspiration and pride. Leo's son has a father who wrote amazing literature that touched many lives, which no doubt helped inspire Issac when he discovered that. Leo has years of experience from around the world which any son would be grateful to have a parent share with him.

The Last Blog By hesham

1. How are Alma Singer and Oskar similar? Different?

Alma Singer and Oskar are some what similar in their attitudes and circumstances. They have similar circumstances in that they both lost their beloved father at a very young age. They both idolized their fathers for their traits and seek to become like them. Oskar loved his father’s engaging scientific mind, while Alma loved her adventurous traveling father. They both have mothers who love them very much, who seem distracted, but underneath they were trying to cope with the loss of their husbands. The difference between Oskar and Alma was while Oskar hated his mothers boyfriend, Alma was trying to find the “perfect man” for her mother.

Attitude wise, they both have very curious young minds. Both Oskar and Alma just happen to know all these trivial facts that no one tends to notice or think about. For example Alma knew the edible test along with Oskar’s many trivial facts. They both have a thriving passion in their lives. Oskar was an inventor, idolizing many great figures in that field. While Alma loved traveling and nature, idolizing the paleontologist from her father’s book.

And the most obvious aspect of similarity was there search. Oskar was set out to discover the meaning of the mysterious key he found in his father’s closet, to get know more about his father. Alma set out to unite her mother with the mysterious man that asker her to translate The History of Love. But underneath they went through this search for their own self development, and to try to cope with their realities. Weather it was Oskar trying to cope with his father’s death, or Alma trying to cope to her mother’s unhappiness.

2. Can you put Binx's search in to the context of HoL?

Binx’s search can be incorporated into the context of History of love in that the main narrators (Leo and Alma) are on their own searches as well. In all the three searches, they are all trying to find their place in life. Binx is confused and stagnant in his routine of going to the movies and dating his secretaries, so he is trying to find a more meaningful life for himself through his search. Leo is trying to a find his place as well toward the end of his life; he is trying to find his place in life and preserve it, so that he can die knowing that he is still alive in people’s hearts. And Alma is trying to find herself in the world by searching for the Alma in the book, which will help her cope with her father’s death and her mother depression.

3. What kind of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his son?

Leo Gursky is a desperate loner. He senses that death is closing in on him after his heart attack incident, thus he is always thinking about his own death in every context he is in. He feels that if he were to die now then no body would notice his death, so in order to get noticed he would create as many scenes as possible. For example he would go out to movies, buy a bucket of popcorn and just spill it to get people’s attention.
Leo Gursky is a lonely due to his feeling of an unaccomplished life. He had lost his family in the war. He lost his one and only love and was forced out of his son’s life. He spent the rest of his life working as a locksmith, a job he never saw himself ever getting in to. He is a refuge who was forced to flee to his native country. All these events lead him to this unhappy life, full of emptiness and loneliness.
Even though Leo Gursky seems like an old senile person I believe that he is a great man. He is a great writer, with great heart. He was man enough to back out of Alma’s life for her own wellbeing. I believe his heart always belonged to her and his son, putting their well being against his own happiness. I believe in the event of Leo raising up his son, he would have been a great father. He would have been a role model for his son’s writing passion, and would have greatly assisted his son’s writing skills. He would have been a compassionate father, teaching his son about love through the stories of himself and Alma. And he would have been the supporting backbone of every obstacle in his son’s life, teaching him through his own unfortunate past.

4. Am I gonna miss blogging in here?
yes and no.

Yes, because it was fun reading all of my peer's opinions and discussing them in class.

No, it was very a tedious task for me that I always did last on Sunday nights.

History Of Love Questions

1. How are Alma and Oskar Similar?

Alma and Oskar are similar in a few different ways. Both are mourning the loss of their father, they both try to emulate their father, Perhaps most importantly both are on a mission to find out more about their fathers. Oskar is on a quest to find out what the key meant to his father. Alma on the other hand begins her quest in an attempt to find her mother a new love towards the end she is trying to find out what the significance the book had to her father and what type of a person he was.

2. Can you relate to Bonx's search to the History Of Love Context?

I think the two stories are similar. Binx had never felt more alive then when he nearly died in combat in the Korean war, now Binx Bolling is trying to find a meaning to his low key life in Louisiana where life and death are not a daily issue. Leo Gursky was once deeply in love with someone who he felt would never leave his side. After all of his family and all he knew was exterminated by the Nazi war machine he moves to America to find that the person who he thought would always love him and moved on and that he couldn't have a relationship with his son. Now he is looking back on his life trying to find a purpose. Leo wants to know how he impacted the world. He wants to know that his son knew him and wishes that his writing could have some how impacted him. What he finds is that his writing impacted his son and others. Bird lost his father at a very young age and is looking for a meaning for his life through a religious mission. His older sister fills his mind with these great stories about their father and he believes that his purpose it to be the messiah or at least one of the 36 lamed vovnik. Alma begins by searching for some way to make her mother happy again but in the end she is just trying to find more out about what type of person her father is and what Gursky's book "the history of love" had to do with her/her father. All the characters are searching to find them selves and their purpose. Binx searches as an existentialist. Leo searches as lover, writer, and father. Bird searches as a son / person of devout faith. Alma searches as a daughter.

3. What type of person is Leo Gursky? What does he have to offer his Son?

Leo Gursky is a lonely person who feels that all his life's work was for nothing. He believes his novel was lost and that his son didn't even know that he existed. It is not until the end of the book when he meets Alma in central park that he sees that his writing impacted the life of his son and of others. Gursky like his son is a talented writer by writing the history of love he is able to tell him why he wasn't a part of his life. This however isn't all that Gursky has to offer. I think that Leo could have been a great father to his Son had be been given the opportunity. He obviously cares about him very much and I believe that under normal circumstances he would have been able to raise him and even mentor him with his writing.

4. Is Bird a religious fanatic?

Yes!

Big macs and karma stand up show

At first impression I was skeptical of the going to a “school” show, especially when it was an alleged “comedy” show. Somehow I never knew that “funny” and “school” could fit together in so much harmony. But it was up to Vijay’s Big Macs and karma show to convince me otherwise. I didn’t have much background as to what the show was about and who it was by; all I knew was that it was a female performer. As the show started I expected a white or black performer to come on, but rather it was an Indian young woman. She dressed in a very “mixed” way; she wore jeans along with a native Indian top. As I later found out it was a way of symbolism to represent her assimilation into the American culture; half Indian, half American.
The show was about Vijay’s life in America. She started out telling us about her background and her parent’s background. She told us that her parents were very old fashioned and religious people. They were Hindu so they don’t eat meat, but the first thing they did in America was to eat at McDonalds. During the show Vijay described her mother as the religious and superstitious person while her dad was an atheist and very carefree. She then continued to humorously describe events of her younger years, and her conflicting up bringing. She always saw events with two very different perspectives; an American way, and an Indian way.
She then concluded the show with a traumatic event; the loss of a loved one. That loved one was her father; whom I have come to admire through the numerous representations in her stories. I was truly saddened and shocked by the introduction of such a depressing event to a “comedy” show. But I also believe it was a brilliant technique to wrap up a great stand up show that mixed various aspects of religion, morals, traditions, and acculturation.

Linking novels

(I was surprised upon learning that Nicole Krauss (The History of Love) and Jonathan Safran Foer (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) are married. Its just that they both wrote good novels - by "good" I mean fun to read and has to be read between the lines for they have deeper meanings. )

1. Alma and Oskar are similar in such a way that they are both in search of something tangible and concrete. Alma is searching for Alma Mereminski, the lead lady in the book her mom is translating. She is also hoping to unite with her mom the mystery man who asked her mom to translate The History of Love. Oskar is searching for a certain "Black" who could have owned the key he found from his dad's things. He is also eager to find out what object the key opens because of the hope that he'd learn more about his dad. Alma's search is for her mother; to try to cure her mom's loneliness and Oskar's search is for learning more about his father and is for indentifying who he really is. Both Alma and Oskar lost their father. Alma lost her father due to pancreatic cancer 7 years ago and Oskar lost his father from the 9/11 attacks. Both struggled not only to search for whatever they were looking for but also in coping with their fathers' deaths. Both Alma and Oskar have adventurous spirits. Alma enjoys the thought of survival and the wilderness. In fact, she writes How to Survive in the Wild. Oskar loved playing treasure hunts, puzzles, etc with his father. Both were discreet and did not give up easily on their search.

One of their differences is that Alma is a teenaged girl and Oskar is just a young boy. Another is that Oskar not really witnessed his father's death but he was the only one who heard his father's phone calls on the day of his death and Oskar kept it, carried it as a burden while Alma lost her father in a disease and has no one to blame. Another difference is their relationship with their father. Oskar was really close with his father and I am guessing that Alma isn't because she did not really mention her father very much. Last is the way they reacted to their mother's feelings toward their father's death. Oskar was not happy that his mom found somebody new and was able to cope with his dad's death while Alma tried to cure her mom's loneliness by finding someone for her mom.

2. Binx is a guy who prefers to stay in the background, watching movies. He is uncertain who he is and where he belongs. He feels that his life lacks substance and would rather date girls and watch movies than do something noteworthy. He felt the need to answer questions, make decisions, and live with the effects those decisions have on other people's lives. His search is unknown. I think I can only relate his search in The History of Love's context in such a way that he is searching for something that is lost - something that has been lost due to the fast-paced lives people choose to live. In The History of Love, Alma is searching for the girl Alma who has been mentioned several times in the book her mom is translating. Leo, the author of the said book is also searching for his lost book. At the same time, he is searching for his place or role in the world and in other people's lives which is why he does everything to be noticed.

3. Leo Gursky is an old man who works as a locksmith in New York. When he was younger, he loved his good friend Alma Mereminski. After the Nazis threatened Poland, Alma left Poland. She had a baby with Leo but married another man. Right after the war, Leo felt invisible. He felt the need to be sure that he existed and that he had to be seen at least once a day. He did everything to be noticed and to seek attention. He feared dying alone in his apartment with no one seeing him. Looking at him deeper, he is a man who lost a lot in life; he lost his young love, he lost his book The History of Love which is a book of his love for Alma, and he lost the opportunity of being a father to his son. It could just be summed up that Leo Gursky is someone who lost his life completely after a sharp turning point in his life. Thinking of what Leo has experienced though, I think he has a strong spirit. He also loves true and deep and is a forgiving person. What Leo can offer his son (literally) is his book which is his and Alma's love on paper. Another is love itself; his love for Alma, Isaac's mother. I also believe that Leo is very proud of his son being a writer like him. So maybe another thing he can offer is his passion in writing.

Platanos & Collard Greens

Issues among races, cultures, and traditions always amuse me. Although differences among people are infinite, only one similarity could bind and unite them.

Platanos and Collard Greens is a play about the relationship of Freeman (an African-American) and Angelita (Latina). Angelita's mom disapproves of her relationship with Freeman because of the mere fact that he is black. It reached the point where Angelita's mom pretended to have a heart attack when she and Angelita were arguing about Freeman. Angelita was then forced to break up with him. The issue which plays on Angelita's mom is her beliefs being deeply rooted from the traditional thinking of the Latinos.

I think I enjoyed watching the play because the issue tackled was interesting and is very typical in today's world. Not only was the play funny but it also made some sense. The cast was pretty good. Freeman's friend (I forgot his name!) is the best, not as a friend but as a stage play actor. He sure has the talent and was fun to watch. I liked it when he rapped and danced. He and Freeman was a good duo in such a way that they were so natural and real in terms of acting. Freeman's dad was fun to watch as well, especially when he tried to demonstrate to his son how he danced to impress Freeman's mom and how he dreamed of the "hot" Latinas. Freeman's mom, by the way, is a Latina - a Dominican. Melody and the other Latina had not-so-big parts in the play but their speeches made sense. It was so funny when both girls were dancing- the typical Latino and the African-American style.

What I didn't like about the play was that the setting did not show much creativity. It was just the stage and six chairs. The music and light effects tried to made up for the lack of a stage back-drop or something. Also, there wasn't costume change - this may not have been as important but I think their clothes could have added a little "spice" to the presentation.

I know the main theme of the story but I don't get what the playwright is trying to imply in the end. Is he trying to point out that relationships among African-Americans and Latinos/Latinas work out as long as they remain discreet about it? or that African-American and Latino/Latina relationships just don't work because of their cultural differences?

And stupid as this may seem, I don't know why the title was such. Do platanos & collard greens represent the African-Americans and the Latinos?

Binx's philosophy of life

I think that Binx searches for his own personal meaning in life, through the lives of others. He goes to the movies to detach himself, but also to continue his search in an artificial world, in one that is essentially not real. He seems to recognize the fact that his physical place in the world has nothing to do with any outcome of his search, and he even seems to somewhat recognize the fact that his compulsive romantic relationships are not the answer either. However, he cannot break the cycle of his own monotony, which he is ultimately seeking to do. I think that while Binx seems like an interesting, eccentric character, he's simply a human being, and we feel different from him because we cannot see our own thoughts written down in a novel. Perhaps if we could we would recognize that Binx's search is every human being's search; that going to the movies is his alternative searching medium, while for some it's drugs or alcohol or food or relationships or shopping or being obsessed with finding some ultimate truth, etc.

Binx's philosophy

1. Binx Bolling is an alienated, anxious young stockbroker, who is seeking meaning for his existence. His philosophy in life is to just pass through his lifecycle without making any meaningful interactions with anyone. His philosophy resembles that of a critic, standing on the sideline watching people and judging them. He judges most the people he interacts with, and describes them in his own point of view, yet he never describes himself very often. But compared to critics he doesn’t think that he is superior, but instead he feels he is inferior especially from his families’ point of view.

2. In order to cope with his alienated self, Binx goes to the movies as an escape of real life. He escapes the realities of his life through engulfing himself into the story of the movie. He somehow wants his life to have meaning just like all the characters in the movies. He also uses his critics’ philosophy into judging the characters of movie which give him a sense of connection into this fantasy world.

Binx's philosophy of life

1. Binx's philosophy for life is similar to that of any movie patron. He sits back and watches, analyzing life while being detached from it as much as his mind will allow. He seems to only get involved in family issues when more or less forced to do so. He completes his responsibilities then enjoys his own past times like reading, going to movies, and enjoying days away with his lady friends. In this way he's like most people.
2. I think going to the movies has helped Binx feel more normal when everything else around him makes him feel different. The movies, like for us, provide a picturesque view of life and Binx's inability to obtain a life similar makes the theater a perfect getaway. Early in the book Binx accounts a movie he saw about a man losing his memory but how that experience allows him to basically start his life over and settle down with a nice lady. I think this particular movie description depicts his desire to forget his responsibilities and ties in this world. The fact that the author chose to describe this movie early in the story leads me to believe that Binx wishes he could be the one starting over.

Binx Blog

1.
Binx does not really have a set philosophy in life. The entire novel speaks about how Binx is on a search, even though the search is never reveiled in the novel, I belive that it is a search for purpose. Binx is looking for a reason to exsist, and so his philosphy is not yet discovered. The most important element for Binx is a purpose. If I was to make up some catagories for which Binx may be aimnig for (not knowing for sure) i would guess that he is aiming for: pupose, love, religion or a notworthy object.

2.
In my opinion, Binx goes to the movies to get away from his own life. I think that going to the movies enables Binx to partake in adventures that he would not have in his own life. I think one interesting part in the novel was when it was mentioned that your city or town is important when it is mentioned in a movie. Perhaps this is what Binx is looking for also, for something relating to him be found in a movie. An example that I found in the text was when it was mentioned that Binx goes to different movies with his secretaries and gives him a chance to get away from the norm of his life.

Philosophy & Movies

1. I don't really think I'd say Binx has found his philosophy yet. His whole search is to figure out what there is to life. Can someone who doesn't know what they're looking for have a solid philosophy? Maybe that's a philosophy in itself, I just don't know what it's called. Binx is searching for something to search for, and that just might be his philosophy... what's life without a search?

2. Binx gets a sense of contentment out of going to the movies. He isn't content in his life. The movies though, clearly state a search, clearly state the journey, and clearly state (usually) how the search ended, if at all. It's probably easier for him to live in the intense joys and hardships of fake people than to face the mediocrity and ho-hum-ness of his own life. He enjoys the escape the movie gives, and the promise the people at the movies give.

Binx and Movies.

1. Binx is on a search throughout the whole book. It is the way he lives his life. Contrary to what I thought after my first read through the book, looking back, I don't think Binx is trying to discover what path he should take with his life, but what path, he is set on. What is the reason for his existence? Is there meaning, or importance to anything he does? He has tried money, and women but both seem to lack substance. Binx refuses to believe in God under any circumstance, even though he acknowledges that God might be the answer to his search.  Binx is very aware of the fleeting nature of life. He lives a life of minimalism, he has a bare apartment, he is not very social, he has several flings with women he knows, he goes to work, goes to the movies, and goes to his apartment. Binx view on life seems to only skim the surface, I feel he thinks he is owed something by the world, some permanance, and because thats not the way things work, he is having a hard time coming to terms with that.

2. The example in the book that spoke most to me about who Binx was as a character, was the example where Binx talks about a movie where a man loses his memory and has to make it through life in his "new city".  To me this is kind of what Binx's journey is. He has this awakening that he is on a search for something greater than himself, and is trying to learn to cope with what is happening on this search. Binx has a great emotional connection to the movies. He finds a deeper meaning in them than most people. I think he wishes and tries make his life like the lives he sees on the big screen.

Binx

Binx lives his life by taking the path of least resistance. That is to say, he doesn't so much seem to live his life as to float along through it, carried along by the expectations of his family, his job, and his status as a well-to-do bachelor. Binx's philosophy seems to fluctuate between the search for some kind of meaning, or rather, some kind of permanence, a way to impact the world, or if not to impact the world, to at least experience the world's own impact, and the sort of simple fortune-building that many can identify with. Essentially, I believe the both to be a search for the same thing-- Binx wants to exist, and keep existing, he wants to be sure that his actions have a reason and purpose greater than the banal routines of the every day people he's known throughout his life. Because he cannot yet find his meaning in the search, he is defined by his skill with money. The women he chases after are momentary distractions, self-assuring conquests that he quickly grows bored with and discards. Many people hide their true intentions, their true fears and dreams and disappointments in plain sight-- Binx just does this by appearing so normal as to be practically invisible. He fights with no one, he doesn't argue, rarely talks about himself, does not have strong convictions that he voices, has very little responsibility, etc. Binx isn't married for the same reason his apartment is bare-- the prospect of living a life requires a "thereness" and cohesion he hasn't yet attained.

Moviegoer~April 26

1. Binx is on a search for normalcy. The book never specifies if his search is for himself or a life partner, but all I know is that he is indeed searching for something. I think after the war he started to realize that the things that once made sense to him like an education and a job, just did not matter anymore. The troubling thing that he's battling with is the fact that now that he knows what's not important, he has to wonder what is important. This search for normalcy is making Binx question his sense of belonging. Nobody in his family can truly relate to what he has been through and what he has physically seen in the war. Binx puts on this facade as to say everything is ok, but it's not and the only person that can see that is Kate. Although Kate may not be able to completely relate to Binx, she is quite familiar with the troubled look that Binx has and that no one will notice.

2. I think that Binx gets a sense of carelessness when he goes to these movies. He gets to sit in a room where he has full access to someone's life and he can pick-and-prod his way through the character's issues much easier than his own. But when the movie is over, I feel that Binx tries to make certain moments of his life exactly like a movie scene. For example, in the beginning you find out that he is a stockbroker who often dates his secretaries. There were a lot of movies that came to my mind when I read the first couple of pages such as "Someone Like you" starring Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman; "What a Woman Wants" starring Mel Gibson; and "What's the Worst that Could Happen " starring Martin Lawrence and Danny Devito. In all of these movies some male character ends up treating females really badly and the female character makes them pay for what they did. But in the end someone eventually finds their happiness with the right person. At the end of the Moviegoer, Binx does end up marrying "a girl for him", but it does not exactly correlate with the movies that he has seen. Another example is how Binx always seems to take long strolls on the beach either by himself or with one of his flavors of the month. Now, there are people in the world that actually like to take strolls along the beach, but most of the time they do this every once and awhile. Binx does it all the time and I just figured that maybe this particular activity is either one of his favorite scenes in a movie or if this is just a recurring scene in the different movies that he has viewed. Copying or reliving these is movies is how Binx makes sense of the world that he has left to live out. This after-war life is very new to him and I feel that the movies are teaching him how to live out the rest of his life.

Binx's Outlook and Movie Importance

1. Binx certainly has a very existential outlook to life at times. Existentialists focus most of there attention to the concrete and less to the abstract or supernatural realm. Binx fits the part on many occassions but one in particular stands out where he shows of his angst and malaise. "On its way home the MG becomes infested with malaise...Thousands of cars are strung out along the Gulf Coast, whole families,and all with the same vacant headachy look... A beautiful boulevard, ten thousand handsome cars, fifty thousand handsome, well fed and kind-hearted people, and the malaise settles on us like a fall-out"(Percy 166). The Korean War more than likely played a large part in fueling this outlook, as well the loss of his older brother Scott and eventually, his half-brother Lonnie . The author's vernacular and syntax and imaging also ensures existential feel to the book. Binx's search also plays a role in his existential mindset. Binx states, " The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not stuck in the everydayness of his own life... To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair". Ultimately, Binx's fascination with all that he can be concretely aware of is finite and will be appeased, focusing his search back to the supernatural answers, or in his mind, questions.
2. Binx's infatuation with the movies is his drug, escape, and coping mechanism. It enables him to see past the visible, touchable, thinkable part of his life and dream a little. The movie's give Binx a reason to dream in a entirely existential world he has created for himself. It allows him to have hope despite a somewhat hopeless outlook on life. By relating his own life to the movies he can help realize his dreams, or at least fantasize. His dreaming is very evident on page four when he talks of a movie about a man who lost everything including his memory and had to make a "fresh start" in a "strange city".

Binx

1.What is Binx's philosophy of life? List his categories/elements and elucidate their importance.

I agree that Binx’s story is based in existentialism and I believe the event which catalyzed it was his near death experience during the Korean War. Afterword he is often stuck searching for himself in an “absurd and meaningless world.” Binx tends to try and make himself feel more human in order to escape the absurdity of his life. He doesn’t feel he fits in so he tries to make himself more like everyone else. For example, he begins a search, not for a certain object, but just to have a search like everyone else. Binx is just looking for something to start making sense for him in the world due to the fact that he finds it so hard to re-immerse himself into society.

2. What does Binx get out of going to the movies? Use an example to illustrate your point.

Binx uses the movies as a remedy for his problems in the real world. While watching a movie he is able to enter what he calls, a heightened sense of the world, where he actually feels free. Binx is always combating “everydayness” or normalcy. He is always seeking to step outside an average day in order to fully experience it. The movies are somewhat of a coping mechanism as they allow him to not feel overwhelmed with daily life. For example Binx takes his dying half-brother to the movies in order to deal with the situation of his condition (spinal problem) and at the same time, escape to his own world, the world where he feels a heightened sense of self. In a way it allows him to deal with the pain and accept it as it seems only half real.

Binx: philosophy and the movies

1. Walker Percy's work "exhibited a unique combination of existentialism, southern sensibility, and deeply-felt Catholicism" (www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Walker_Percy) so I am guessing that his main characters' philosophy are parallel to his own. Binx is most probably an existentialist. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. Even if Binx is somehow living life as people usually do, he still deviates from the norm. His aunt tells him what is expected of him or what he has to do in terms of being part of their family but he does what he chooses to do. He'd rather live in Gentilly, he'd rather sit and enjoy the movies, he'd rather live a relaxed life wherein he moves in his own pace. His search according to him is "what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his
own life" which proves that he is not the kind of person who is sunk in the everydayness of his life. He is obviously free.

2. Binx enjoys watching movies because he says that the movies are "onto the search but they screw it up". Maybe watching the movies makes him reflect on his own life and his search. He also learns alot from going to the theater to watch a movie. In one point he says that before he sees a movie, it is necessary for him to learn something about the theater or the people who operate it. I like what he said that he learned from talking to the theater's manager, "I have discovered that most people have no one to talk to, no one, that is, who really wants to listen." I think this is very true and this only shows how people are so caught up in their own lives that they do not slow down or have time to think and even listen to other people just for the sake of listening.

Binx The Movie-Going Existentialist

1. I think Binx's philosophy is most inline with existentialism. Existentialism was a 20th century philosophical movement which embraced diverse doctrines but concentrated on the analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without certain knowledge of what is right and wrong. An Important quote that for me was on page 109 Binx, claims that he "Believes in the freedom and sacredness of the individual." Another fact that makes me believe this is how Binx does not align himself with any major religion. Through out the book he says that he is not religious. One example on page 14, Binx talks about how he does not want to say that a god exists or that he doesn't but that in America there is "not a single percentage point for a seeker". Binx, like a true existentialist is more concerned with his journey then if there is a supernatural power. Another thing that makes Binx an existentialist in my eyes is how he is always searching for the right way of life. Since Binx returned home from the Korean War he has dated different women, become a successful broker and attended a lot of movies but he never really feels alive. He has never found the purpose that he had as a lieutenant in the Army. His new battle he does not find himself fighting for mortality but fighting to avoid the malaise. He continues on his search with not much care for an uncomprehending god, or the rest of the world but he continues to look with in himself and his life to make things better.

2. I think that since Binx's combat experiences in The Korean War he can no longer relate to the normal civilian life that he has returned to in Louisiana. After having a job where his life and the life of his solders was on the line he just doesn't feel alive anymore being a successful businessman in Gentilly. However, Binx does find a life in the movies. He compares his experiences and explains his life through the events in movies. Movie's were obviously something Binx enjoyed prior to his enlistment. We all enjoy movies. However, to a person who is not satisfied with reality will look for fullfilment else where and this is where Binx has found it.

Nick and Binx

I think there were a few similarities between Nick Adams and Binx Boling. The main similarity as well as the theme for our class is their search for self. Nick continually searches for his place in the world through his adventures. He has one foot in one world and through the course of events he realizes he doesn't belong in that world. He is constantly looking for his place. The way that he breaks from his reality is by separating himself from the world and imerssing himself in nature and fishing. Binx is searching for his place in the world. He feels like there are bigger and better things for him to accomplish and achieve. He's searching for his purpose. His way to break from reality is by secluding himself from reality in the movies. He forgets about the world when he's in the movies.

Binx Bolling and Nick Adams

There are numerous similarities between Binx in "The Moviegoer" and Nick Adams who is a character in Hemmingway's short stories. The primary similarity that I found was the "search" that was found in both stories. In "The Moviegoer", Binx is searching for himself, he wants to put himself back into the social world after returing home from the war. At the same time, Nick Adams is also searching forhimself. Both Binx and Nick Adams use different methods to come over their isolation and aid them in their search. Binx seems to endulge in watching numerous movies and while Nick Adams turns towards nature to help him. Another similarity between Binx and Nick Adams is that they both try to go outside the normal ways of society. I found that both of the characters used different methods to aid them in their search for self, through movies and through nature they both found peace in what they were doing.

Similarities of Binx Bolling and Nick Adams

Binx Bolling and Nick Adams are two men with one major thing in common: they are both searching. Thier searches are both large-scale and have an objective that isn't well defined. Binx Bolling searches for he knows not what, he just feels an overwhelming urge to search. Nick Adams may not even realize that he is searching, but he is searching for where he belongs. Both men may never complete their searches due to the non-specific nature of them. If they do not ultimately feel that their search is over, that they've found that unknown something they search for, it will never be over.

Another thing that Binx Bolling and Nick Adams share is that they seem out of place in their lives. While everyone seems to be a part of the story, the events of the day as they take place, they always seem off in a separate place. What I mean is, Nick Adams always seems to not have much stake in the conversations he's having and the people he's with. He may have friends or meet strangers who threaten to harm him, but he just always has a sense of detachment. The stories detail what's going on when he's near others, and what they are saying, and normally not much of anything about Nick Adams himself. In The Moviegoer, when Binx Bolling is having conversations with someone, it most always veers off into him thinking about something mostly unrelated, sometimes for pages, before a line of dialogue from the middle of a conversation pops up to remind you that he's talking to someone. This makes you feel like he is detached from his surroundings, and doesn't belong, just as Nick Adams feels out of place in the stories of his own life.

Binx Bolling vs. Nick Adams

Nick Adams is very distant from reality and very naive in his daily life. Binx Bolling is isolated from his life and unable to reconnect with his home life after his return from the Korean War. Both try and use outside sources to make sense of their isolation from society. Binx Bolling uses the movies or movie theater as a place of escape, while Nick uses nature. Binx commonly enters into superficial relationships with his secretaries or visits the movies in order to distract himself from his issues re-inserting himself into society. Nick chooses a less social route by taking long isolated fishing trips. The similarity between both is that they seem to both be searching for themselves. Nick is seeking maturity and the feeling that comes with adulthood while Binx is simply trying to reinsert himself into society.

Hemingway vs. Percy's character

Binx and Adams share a desire to get away from the norm of life. Nick seeks out nature and seclusion to cope with his insecurities with life. Binx uses movies to find the same sense of seclusion and to forget the rest of the world exists. Binx and Adams both suffered traumatic war experiences which they both do their best not to remember. Nick and Binx both have no friends outside their family (Binx has Sharon but she's barely a friend). They are both loners searching for purpose in their life.

Nick and Binx

The main similarity between Nick Adams, Ernest Hemingway's character, and Binx, the main character in the novel The Moviegoer, is their lack of social proficiency, and the measures they take to compensate. Each character uses external pursuits to cover their inner turmoil and a sense of social inadequacy. Binx uses the movies he attends, the secretaries that he has affairs with, and his concern for Kate to mask his sense that his life is meaningless; later, he uses “the search” to attempt to gain a sense of fulfillment. Nick uses his communion with nature to mask his lack of social proficiency, and later to block out the memories of the war that he participated in. Both characters are constantly running from their problems, and attempting to obtain their own versions of the “perfect” life, which in the end is hopelessly idealized and unobtainable. Each strives to belong, even though they are unsure what it is exactly that they want to belong to, or how to ensure their acceptance.

Binx & Adams

Personally, I found both of these characters to be boring and lifeless.  I guess that was the point of the stories though.  They are both looking for something more.  Binx is a guy who loves movies and seems to put everything after that.  He ends up being his own worst enemy.  In the same realm of things, Adams is on a search for something more than the home-from-war man with seemingly nothing left.  They just kind of roam around.  Honestly, I missed a lot of the meaning and symbolism because I was so lost in the emptiness.  There are two ways to read these stories-- read into its symbolism and connect to it, or feel distant and lost, only to discover that in that way, you are connecting to it.  By the end of the stories, I felt just as lost as they did-- for them more than with them.  They both make the reader question what they're doing in life.  It all goes back to the point of all of our books this semester- where is the meaning and what is it?

Similarities Between Binx and Nick

There are many similarities between the two main characters in our latest reading. Binx, from The Moviegoer, And Nick Adams from Hemingway's many short stories. It seems like their biggest thing in common is their lack of direction. Both are disillusioned, by what most people see as important. Things like family, friends, war, love, money and power, have a decreased sense of importance. Nick finds immediacy and importance in nature, it is where he retreats when he hits rock bottom. It was where he went as a child and as a young man to find himself and relax. Binx, on the other hand, finds immediacy and importance in movies. He is on a search for possibility, allowing things to come to him as they please while he finds importance in movies. They both have a bit of disdain for societal norms, and are trying to find peace. For  Nick it seems as though it is through Nature, and for Binx it is through the cinema. Both of these characters are multileveled, deep characters, who are on a search for self.

Similarities between Binx and Nick

Binx Bolling and Nick Adams are similar characters in multiple ways. Of course one can say that they share a common quest for self-actualization or self-recognition, but then again who is not looking to find who they "really" are. Both men go through life trying different things and experiencing life in multiple facets; from boyhood, to fighting wars(Nick has a bad experience in WWII,Binx serves in the Korean War but comes out less fazed) , and finally adulthood/living and contributing to society. Ultimately, I think both men fail to "find" themselves completely, or make sense out of life in general. However, both men use defense mechanisms that not only distract their attention from their own lives, but also enable the men to relate and reminisque their life storys. For Binx, this comes in the form of a modest movie theater. For Nick, this manifests itself when he is fishing on the water. Both men also share similar views on love. In the MovieGoer, Binx states that when nothing is said and there are long pauses of silence between sentences that the relationship is over. Nick ends his relationship with Marjorie in a similar way after an unusually quiet day of fishing. Normalcy, something both Binx and Nick fight for and against is a common theme in both stories. In the MovieGoer, Percy uses symbols such as the different secretaries that Binx has over time at his branch of his uncle's brokerage firm. All the secretaries have affairs with Binx, and he states all have names that are very common such as Linda, Sharon, and Marcia adding to the normalcy, or commonality theme that is employed by the author.

The main character similarities

The main characters of the Moviegoer (Binx) and the Hemmingway short stories (Nick) share many traits in common. One of the bigger focuses is their search of self (And so is every other character in this course). Even though it is never clearly stated the purpose of their searches, we understand that somehow through these searchers they will grow and change. There sense of confusion in life is what drives them toward this search. They are both trying to figure out a reason to live or simply to belong. For Adams, he is trying to figure out what he wants from life. He came back from the war and is now trying to cope with his new learned experience. He tries to find peace in the forest with nature all by himself. Blinks went through a war as well, but weren’t dramatically changed from it. Binx is also trying to find peace; he moved from this New Orleans city life to live in a peaceful suburb all by himself. In that sense both the characters are trying to isolate themselves from their societies. Thus they both have their life escape habits. For Nick it is fishing, he always loved fishing whenever he had the chance, even when in the company of other he would go fishing. Nick’s ultimate wish is to go fishing with his idols. The same is true with Binx with movies. He loved to escape from reality by engulfing himself in the movie’s fake reality. He enjoyed watching the actors act out their roles in the movie. But on the contrary he did not wish to act out through his real life, but rather just live in his old routine.

Nick v. Binx

Nick Adams and Binx Bollings are two young men that have very affluent backgrounds. Nick's Dad is a doctor and Binx is a stockbroker. Each man struggles with an idealistic view of how they should live their lives. Nick struggles with the woes of becoming a young man with boyish characteristics. At one point, Nick is living a wild life hopping from train to train thinking that he can take his life into his own hands and do as he pleases. Then on another note, he ends a relationship based on his friend's jealousy/advice as if his friend has all the answers to love and life. Letting a friend Binx has this view of life that is only seen in movies i.e. having the beautiful (almost perfect) women, taking long strolls on the beach, and having a happy ending everyday of his life. Both men have conflicted views on love and relationships. Nick's problem was listening to a so-called friend and ruining a good thing. After his break up, Nick really didn't know how to behave or feel real emotion towards the break-up. Binx on the other hand, is in search a good thing, the one woman that'll make him fill the empty void in his life. He goes out with a lot of different women thinking that they are potentially the one, and somehow down the road, the scene changes and he is with a new catch of the day. One symbol that Percy uses in his book that relates to Nick, is how Binx does not want to get caught up in "everydayness." My interpretation of everydayness is that same old routine/ song-and-dance of life. You go to school, get a job, find a mate, and settle down. Neither one of these characters want to settle for less or settle for the same expectations in their environments. I feel that Nick does not want to fall into his father's footsteps of being a cold doctor/Dad. At some point, I feel that Nick looked to his mother for some kind of guidance and affection, and he never received it. So now, he's on this journey searching for change, love, and direction with no where to really turn to. Binx does not want to fall into the trap of becoming a researcher. Everyone around him is saying that he is this hot shot stockbroker with a calling to be a researcher. I feel that Binx's choice in his occupation was to avoid being held up to what he was expected to do. But at the same time, his life is being pulled into everydayness. He always seemed to be with some beautiful woman (that just so happened to be with his secretary), he always wanted to take long strolls on the beach, and he always used some scene from a movie or some actor/actress to relate to events in his personal life.

Binx and Adams

The characters of Nick Adams and Binx Bolling share several interesting similarities. Both are "men in search of..", though neither seem to be able to succinctly define what it is they're seeking. Nick seems to seek a sense of comfort, or nostalgia; a place and time where things made more sense to him. Binx, on the other hand, seems to seek a reassuring distinction of himself with respect to his surroundings. In other words, Binx believes that without a uniqueness to define who he is and where he is at all times, he could simply dissolve into the ether. Neither man finds exactly what they seek, but both seem to reach minor mile-markers on the road to themselves. Nick finds his comfort in nature, as well as a way to work through the trauma of the Great War. A bit at a time, he is able to slowly realize the effects of the war and how it has changed him. With time, he can perhaps come to terms with himself and the society he felt compelled to leave. Binx is able to BE discovered, to have his life reexamined by those closest to him and be accepted on those terms. He, almost without conscious effort, follows a path that he must know will lead to conflict with his Aunt and great change in his personal life, but follows that path nonetheless, even so far as to marry Kate, a woman he may have always loved, but avoided because of his (and her) commitment and stability issues. Both men come from upper class families (Binx by his father's marriage into the upper class, Nick because of his father's position as a doctor), and both have fought in a war (WWI in Nick's case, the Korean War in Binx's), and both are single men without children of their own. Interestingly, both also stand hidden in the shadow of their fathers achievements, though neither seem to bear any grudge against their fathers. Both men also seem emotionally distant, not necessarily by choice, but by a confusion or misunderstanding of how human interaction works. It's interesting to see the significant changes in Binx's life, and one can guess that Nick's life could take a similar turn in his future.

Binx and Nick

Some of the similarities of Binx Boling and Nick Adams are:

a. Both witnessed and experienced wars - Binx, the Korean war and Nick, the World War II -but the wars were not the ultimate struggle in their lives but their search of who they are.

b. Both are uncertain of who they are and where they belong. In The Moviegoer, Binx constantly talks about his aunts, uncles, and cousins but it seems that he is not emotionally attached to them which is ironic because usually, people feel belongingness in their family/home. Also, he considered it important to identify himself with a fraternity when he was a freshman. He became a part of one, was happy about it and in the year book, that was the only known thing about him. It seems like he doesn't have his own identity. Also, he states how he prefers riding buses than cars because riding a car makes him invisible to people. He feels so proud and happy having an identification card and such documents, "...so to speak, one's right to exist." He seems overjoyed that somehow he has been identified. As with Nick, the biggest influences in his life, his mother and father, have contrasting beliefs which makes it hard for him to identify himself with them. He follows his friends advice about Marge and have second-thoughts on it. He goes to places to search for something he cannot find within himself.

c. Both find comfort in activities they usually do. Binx enjoys watching movies because he says that in movies, the actors are usually in search for something which could mirror him in search for something as well. He frequently attempts to answer questions and to explain things as if he was the director of her life - he seems to enjoy doing so. Nick enjoys fishing so much. He fished with Marge, with Bill, and by himself. Fishing seems to take the problems in his life off his mind, at least for a while.

d. Both prefer to search for "something" by themselves, or alone and they both find peace in nature. Binx decides to move to Gentilly all by himself. Gentilly is a middleclass suburb and it hardly resembles the modern New Orleans. The place, according to him, is a peaceful one which is why he prefers to live there are do business there. In the Big Two-Hearted River, Nick comes back to Seney after the war. He camps out all by himself and then goes fishing. Reading his thoughts, especially his detailed observation of the littlest things in nature, it is as if he was searching for peace, comfort, and freedom from nature.

McGoddess: Big Macs, Karma, and The American Dream

The show was definitely worth seeing/watching. Reading the title, I had an idea of what the stand up comedian would talk about but her focus was not really on how fast food has affected her life.

She spoke American English really well, she looks so much Indian, and her clothes was a combination of both cultures - her top was an Indian traditional one and she had jeans on.

She (okay, I don't know how to spell her name. It is something like "Viji") was Indian and came from a Hindu family. She was born here in the United States and has two older sisters. For Hindus, animals are very sacred for it might be the reincarnation of people they knew who has passed away. When their family came her, their dad instantly loved McDonald's Big Mac and her family embraced the fast food instantly. Her mother kept on reminding their father of their religious/cultural belief but he just insisted that it was old-fashioned. She talked about her long hair (which is really pretty) and how her sisters envy her hair. How at a certain time, Hindus are to offer their hair (yes, they should cut it or shave it off) to their gods. How she didn't cut her hair because it was pretty and how karma acted upon her - her hair was stuck in this certain ride at Chuck-E-Cheese. Her dad had to cut it. So one part was long and the other was chopped off. She had to have a hairstylist fix it. The hairstylist fixed her hair. The funny part about this is that the gay hairstylist's name was Jesus (pronounced Hesus because he was Hispanic) and he "saved" her from the Karma. Jesus is then considered her Savior - double meaning here. There are some parts which may sound funny because of how she delivered it (she sometimes had this weird English accent which was intentional) but there are parts which makes sense and has deeper meaning - their family questioning God or their gods or Jesus' existence, their religious beliefs and cultural traditions, immigrants adjusting to the American way of life. I was expecting on the last part, when her dad got sick that he will be treated and joke about it being tax payment day or something or him having two lives left (he believed he was a cat with 9 lives and has used up 7 of it) but he didn't make it through.

So the show was about her family's life here in the United States as immigrants; how India's and America's culture clashed.

In the end, when questioned, she actually said how she loves McDonald's - how it has become "home" to her and her family. Also, she said that until now she is still uncertain about her religious and spiritual beliefs. She said this line which I think is a good one, "I think it is a good idea, believing that you have someone like God behind your back but I believe that here on earth, it is your family."

Schlosser blog

The speech that was given by Schlosser was i think extremely interesting. He stated points that I would have imagnied, but i expically enjoy the WAY that he gave the speech. I think that he is a interesting nidividual and even though he has these strong viwes and opinions, he tries not to pass off his opinions onto others. I liked the point he made about "making us think" instead of telling us "what to think", which arouses ones own personal feeling and decisions about fast food.

When we had the round table, i think that we were more ablr to see Schlosser as an individual. Throughout the whole question section, he seemed very calm and confident in his answers. He also discussed alot about the book that he was writing about prisinors which i think kind of went off topic from fast food. There were many interesting questions asked throughout the round table and I think that there was a lot of important and knowledgeable information shared by Schlosser about what he feels. Overall, Schlosser seems like a realistic and down to earth individual and I think it was a great expereince hearing him talk.

FFN's author

The only thing I expected of Eric Schlosser's speech was that it was about his book. I thought he would basically just talk of the same things written on his book. It wasn't really all that. Honestly, his speech/talk was interesting and inspiring. I someday want to become an author and a glimpse on him is a glimpse on who or what an author is and does. He is a pretty cool one, for an author of a book such as Fast Food Nation. He spoke of truth and he made me think really hard about what he wrote and about writing itself in such a subtle way. What I mean is, he did not spoke of these things the way a scholarly person would -- which would be pretty boring. He was very comfortable and confident of his words.

I found the question and answer part and the second part, the one in B 214, more interesting though. For one, the students' questions were quite brilliant and well thought-out. Though some of Eric's answers did not directly answer some of the questions, it was still interesting. Some of the parts that I remember clearly were when he talked about him trying to quit smoking and when he kept mentioning that he likes eating fast food. These are things a typical person does, but hearing it from a person who wrote a book about the fast food industry's negative side made these things quite different. One thing that still makes we wonder though is what the main theme of his book is. There were various important topics discussed and what he said when a student asked him what is the real main theme of his book is, I believe he said it was about the immigrant's and meatpacker's life working in the meatpacking industry. It just does not seem to me like the real main theme.

Schloss blog

After listening to Eric Schlosser come and speak about fast food nation I have a some what different view on the book its self. When he came and spoke to us about his book in the auditorium I didn't really feel like I had gained much. I felt that his talk was geared more towards people who have not read the book because all that he spoke about was already covered in the book. However I felt that both question and answer sessions were very interesting. I liked how he said that he does not care to be a celebrity and aspires to be a writer like homer in the sense that no one knows anything about homers life we only know about his writing. This gives us the chance to be unbiased and take his work for what it is without any other distractions. I also thought it was interesting about how he said his goal is not to have people agree or disagree with him but to get them thinking. Often times people are too concerned with other people agreeing with them. Its nice to see somebody who just wants people to think for them selves and nothing more. When I first read Fast Food Nation I thought that it was an interesting book, now that I have finished the book and have had a chance to interact with Mr. Schlosser I look forward to reading some more of his work.

chrisz's questions

1. Do you think Barack Obama's administration will push legislation regulating food safety and working conditions in the fast food industry?
2. Do you think American culture will always support fast food? Or do you think its a dieing fad? Somewhere in between?
3. What authors have inspired you?

Questions

1. How much of the information you uncovered during your writing process surprised you?
2. What were your thoughts on fast food prior to beginning the research attributed to FFN?
3. How did you choose the subjects of the anecdotes that make up FFN?

Schlosser Questions

1. When you were doing your research for FFN, how difficult was it to get in touch with the higher level business people?  Were they reluctant to give you information, or did they gladly welcome your questions?

2. When you got the personal stories, which you mixed in with research, did you become emotionally attached to any of the people and their stories?

3. During the writing process, how did you decide what thing to research next?

Hesham's Questions

1. Honestly, do you believe that these companies should be diminished from our society?
2. Were you ever bribed to include specific facts about competing restaurants from the major fast food companies?
3. Do you think that Chick-fil-a is the same as those big fast food franchises or do you think that chick-fil-a is striving for the better in the industry.

FFN Questions

1) During the writing process for Fast Food Nation, or at times after publication, did you feel pressured or threatened by representatives of the fast food industry? Can you give an example?

2) In the years since you wrote Fast Food Nation, have you revisited any of the people or places you mentioned in the book? If so, were there any notable changes, good or bad that you feel warrant special mention?

3) Do you honestly feel like we as consumers have the ability to "turn the tanker around", or have we irreparably damaged the agricultural or service industry in America?

Questions for Schlosser- Muzamil

1.  During your research was there an interesting story or event that was not mentioned in your novel? What was it ?

2. Since giving up somthing you love is not an easy task, Do you think that a majority of the people who read this book will significantly change their eating habits with regard to fast food? 

3. Growing up, did fast food and the uprising of this huge industry have a major effect in your life? Did your past enspire you to write this book, or was it the you wanted to educate others of the  realities of fast food? 

FFN Questions

1. How did you pick the people who's personal experiences you included in your book?
2. Were there any anecdotes that you decided not to include because they might have been too extreme and not marketable?
3. This book portrays the fast food industry in an incredibly negative light. Did you recieve threats from the fast food companies in any way while you were writting this book?

Joe's Questions

1. How would you reconcile an increase in the price, and quality of fast food, with a decrease in wages or positions open at franchises all across our country?

2. If Americans did stop eating at fast food  restaurants, and started eating locally, do you think local business people would be able to handle the influx of new customers. What about the millions who would lose jobs in fast food to a loss in patronage? 

3. In writing a book on a polarizing topic like the fast food industry, how hard was it to fairly and accurately represent everyone in the book from CEOs to blue collar workers in meat packing plants? 

Bryan's Questions

1. Did you intentionally write the book so it would provoke the reader to be appalled by what the fast food industry is doing to the country and around the world? Why?
2. How can local farms and food industries succeed in this world dominated by corporate reigning with no end in sight giants with no end in sight?
3. Are organic grocery chains such as Whole Foods really that much better then regional or national chains in purchasing food from local markets, farms, etc. or are they even more of a culprit to the failure of local industry?

questions for schlosser

1. Do you think the presence of factory farms in small towns has any mental or emotional impact on its residents?

2. Did you plan out the different topics/chapters before writing, or simply let your research lead you in the process?

3. What makes you so passionate about this specific issue rather than another?

Bill's Questions

1. Throughout Fast Food Nation you include the personal stories of people deeply involved with fast food, along with statistical information about the industry; was this a conscious effort on your part or did this writing come from your experiences while researching the topics?

2. Was Fast Food Nation written gradually, while collecting research for the book, or did you begin writing the book after all the research was complete?

3. Was there any information that was cut from the final copy of Fast Food Nation? If so, why did this information not make it to the published edition?

4. In Fast Food Nation you state that fast food restaurants, which have turned into multinational corporations that span the globe, should become relics of the past. You also say that, “Whatever replaces fast food should be regional, diverse, authentic, unpredictable, sustainable, profitable, and humble”. Have you ever considered founding such an institution? (This question was not really on the topics you asked us to discuss but I was interested anyway.)

Three Questions for Eric Schlosser

1) Content- Is there one person in the book (among the anecdotes that you included) that you were particularly fond of/interested in?

2) How did you choose what areas of the fast food industry to focus on?

3) How did you decide when to include personal anecdotes vs. when to include research?

Questions

1. How is the rapid expansion of businesses overseas not a sign of economic strength but of underylying weakness at home?

2. How do you think the way you wrote the book - incorporating personal experiences with research - affected the way the readers embraced your book?

3. What chapter do you consider your "favorite" in such a way that it was the most interesting for you?

3/19 Three Questions for Schlosser

1. What were your motives for writing Fast Food Nation?
2. What do you feel that you have accomplished after writing this piece?
3. Our teacher has asked us, what impact does fast food have on our lives and I am curious to know how fast food affects your life? Did your views on fast food change before, after, or during the formation of Fast Food Nation?

czink's anecdote

Pizza Hut Anecdote

When I was going through Pizza Hut’s management training program I worked in many different stores in many different areas. One store I worked at was in a lower class community and most of its employees were from that community. The manager this particular location was very tight with his labor spending. He never gave raises to his employees. He’d often ask employees to stay after their shift off the clock in exchange for a ride home. None of his employees received any benefits from the company because they all would either quit or be fired by the time they were eligible. He would work his crews ragged by short staffing almost every shift, disregarding the effects it had on his customer service and the welfare of his employees. I went back and visited that location two years after I left it and one of the employees was surprisingly still there. When I had worked with her the general manager had her managing shifts for new hire pay. I asked her if she had received a raise in the two years since I’d been there and she said no. I asked her how many hours she was working a week and she said around fifty five or sixty. She was getting paid overtime but after two years and increased responsibility she still made minimum wage. Many of the big fast food companies give bonuses to managers who run lower labor then they were budgeted for a period of time. In some cases, like the one I described, general managers will abuse their employees for the sake of extra money to line their pockets. According to investigations, this company’s labor abuse has spread throughout the world. In China a study was done showing that employees of companies like Pizza Hut, KFC and McDonald’s were being paid up to thirty percent less then their country’s minimum wage. Part time employees were being worked shifts up to thirteen hours long when their region’s laws permitted no shift longer than five. It’s a wonder that a business with such little concern for its employees can manage to be so successful.

Glionna, John M. "China's Carnivorous Eating Habits Become Food for Debate." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] 4 July 2004, A3 sec.

In John Glionna’s article about China’s meat-eating habits the major issue is not the morality of meat-eating, or even the harmful effect on the environment, but the effect on those consuming the animal flesh. Glionna notes the peculiar and sometimes dangerous foods eaten in China, such as scorpions, silkworms, snakeheads, cats, and badgers. There have been many food scares in China, and outbreaks of illnesses that have been caused by the animals in the Chinese diet. Glionna says that the SARS outbreak in China is believed to have come from the consumption of Civet cats, a species commonly eaten in southern China. Unlike the American take on vegetarianism, Glionna points out that in poor areas of China the meatless diet is not exactly an option. He says, “In poor areas, residents have adapted their diet to whatever staples they can find, including cats, and even rats.” An issue in China that is not relevant in the U.S. is the slaughtering and consumption of rare and even endangered animals, such as turtles that are cooked in many high class restaurants. Another problem is that many of the delicacies in China are the most dangerous. A prime example is the savory treat known as “drunken shrimp”. The shrimp are dipped in alcohol and eaten alive after the head is pinched off. Shrimp carry many parasites that can be harmful if eaten raw, but this issue is made less important than the taste of the delicacy. The Chinese are promoting vegetarianism to develop a healthy food environment, not to protect the rights of animals.

I thought this article was so interesting, not only because of all the crazy foods that the Chinese consider delicious, but because not eating animals is not a moral issue to them as it is to us. Since we don’t experience a fraction of the sickness and disease that comes from animals as they do, we don’t consider much the health related reasons for a vegetarian diet. I think that even not eating certain animals is a priority in China rather than giving up meat altogether. What is interesting is that the argument against meat eating presented here is almost the opposite of Peter Singer’s argument. This argument simply considers the human needs and effects of meat, not the effects on the animals. It actually has nothing to do with the wellbeing of the animals. In China abstaining from meat is seen as something one might do to protect him or herself from disease, while in the U.S. it is immediately seen as a cry for animal rights.



Freston, Kathy. "Vegetarian is the New Prius." AlterNet. 7 Feb. 2007. 15 Mar. 2009 .

In Kathy Freston’s article “Vegetarianism is the New Prius” she explains the numerous environmental reasons for altering one’s diet to exclude meat. Freston says that "The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” She mentions the amount of crops we are required to grow in order to feed the animals we raise for slaughter, and the amount of transportation required to distribute the meat all over the country. According to the article, animal agriculture takes up about seventy percent of all agricultural land, and over thirty percent of the total land surface of the planet. Freston also takes into account the harmful gasses produced by factory farming such as methane and nitrous oxide. She notes that the U.S. slaughters over ten billion land animals each year. At the end of the article, Freston sort of hints at a society where there are more vegetarians than meat-eaters. She believes that this information about meat production’s harmful effects can be used as a tool to help save the environment.

I believe that Freston brings up shockingly relevant information about what our food culture is doing to the environment, but I also believe that any sort of expectation for a large quantity of people to change their diet to meatless because of this news is too high of an expectation. I think that, as of now, this information is not inaccessible, but that people are simply ignorant to the fact that their diet has any effect on the environment. The fact is that when we use today’s factory methods of raising animals for slaughter we waste a huge amount of food in the process and loose nutritional value. In many cultures a vegetarian diet would be almost impossible, so I think that many Americans might rebel against the idea if it were somehow enforced by saying that their meat eating must also be considered a necessity. It is a hope of mine that someday the majority of people will change their diet of their own accord, after realizing the effects of their meat consumption on the world



Singer, Peter. "Equality For Animals?" Practical Ethics. Cambridge UP, 1979. 1-14.




In chapter three of Peter Signer's book Practical Ethics he discusses the morality of the treatment of non-human animals and the ethics behind our food choices. His philosophical argument breaks down into two different parts: why it is wrong for animals to suffer and why it is wrong for us to kill and eat animals. He believes that we have a moral duty to extend the principle of equality to those animals that are non-human, and that if we do not, we are practicing a form of racism. He calls this type of discrimination "specieism, " and believes that we believe it is okay for us to use animals for our benefit for arbitrary reasons. In his words, "Specieists give greater weight to the interests of members of their own species when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of other species." Singer believes that our discrimination towards animals is no different than whites discriminating against blacks and so on. SInger believes that the only factor of important when it comes to considering a being's moral rights is that being's ability to suffer and/or experience pleasure. He describes how you cannot defend a lifestyle that causes animal suffrage by saying that they lack knowledge or skill, because there are many human beings who lack these things, but we consider it morally unacceptable to kill these humans. Singer explains how meat is not necessary for good health and therefore meat is, for most, a luxury. Therefore we are inflicting this suffering on animals in order to obtain something that we don't truly need. Singer makes it a point to recognize that there are many primitive cultures who may not be able to survive, at least in their current state, without the consumption of meat. He talks about eskimos, and tribes who hunt for their own food. He points out, however, that hunting for one's own food is a better method than today's mass production techniques that do not take the animals into consideration at all and simply treat them as objects to be sold. Singer ends the essay with a comparison of humans and animals, and notes that most of the differences between the two are differences of "degree rather than kind."

I believe Singer makes many relevant points in the essay, but that his argument has a fundamental problem. The debate Singer is attempting is one, I think, that cannot be won by philosophy. The argument presupposes that the "principle of equality" is a universal good; that if things are equal somehow they are better. Singer says, "having accepted the principle of equality as a sound moral basis for relations with others of our own species, we are also committed to accepting it as a sound moral basis for relations with those outside our own species." I, personally, accept this principle of equality, but there are many people who have not, and so we cannot ask them to consider extending a principle which they do not accept. I think that the exceptions to his rules are too many, and could be made more numerous by the ambiguity of words like "necessity" and "luxury." Every person has a different conception of their own needs. Singer believes that most animals are capable of suffering, but that if we cannot know if they have this capability, we should give them the benefit of the doubt and still try to eliminate their suffering even if we are not sure it exists. I think that if he would give the "benefit of the doubt" to animals like ants, then considering whether any animal suffers is irrelevant. We could give the benefit of the doubt to any living thing, like a plant, and then we wouldn't be able to eat anything. I tend to lean more towards Singer's arguments against factory farming and the way in which meat is produced, because of the environmental and nutritional consequences. I also agree with him that humans should not assume that animals were simply put on the earth for their benefit, and that we have a right to kill them because they don't have the skill or intelligence that we possess. I think that it is impossible to make any philosophical argument that is one hundred percent right or true, but I also believe Singer should re-evaluate the principle of equality and it's universality.



Anecdote:
The car I drive around (my brother's) has a bumper sticker that reads, "toss my salad, i'm a vegetarian!" Usually I neglect to remember that it's back there, but occassionally I'm reminded when I get a honk or a creepy stare from a fellow driver. I was a vegetarian for a little over a year between the ages of sixteen and seventeen. My main reason: my brother was a vegetarian and I wanted to be just like him. Other reasons included being disgusted at the thought of biting into flesh and caring about animal rights. After researching the moral arguments for vegetarianism I think that now I would choose the lifestyle not because of any moral argument, but because of the environmental consequences. Now whenever someone positively responds to the bumper sticker I wonder about their reasons for choosing a meatless diet; whether they're environmentally conscious, care about animal suffrage, or simply want to have a peace-loving, earthy, hippyish image.

3 Sources by Hesham

1. CAVANAUGH, JACK. (1987, September 27). SLEEPING OFF THE JOB IN CLASS. New York Times (Late Edition (east Coast)), p. A.4. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from ProQuest National Newspapers Core database. (Document ID: 957171421).

This article is focused on a couple of schools who have noticed that part time work has been affecting the performance of student on their academic progression.
This article’s main focus was on reports from school systems in Fairfield and New Haven Counties and Hartford that high school students have been snoozing in class due to fatigue or sheer exhaustion from after-school jobs. The author of the article derives his information through interviews with some of the school’s board members. The author finds out that this increase of part time jobs with schools is usually due to children trying to help their parents or just rather trying to buy things for themselves like boom boxes and clothes. And some of the employers are offering incentives for the kids to stay. And these children are being encouraged to work these part time jobs; for example, McDonald's gives $50 to every kid working there who brings in another employee who stays at least three months. Not only are the kids being tired in school, these part time jobs diminished the number of volunteer work done by students. Also it took away time from after school extra-curricular activities, such as sports bands etc. And with the increase of opportunity for part time jobs this trend will not diminish but rather be boosted to cover a bigger population of young school kids.

2. David Sterrett. "McDonald's opposes Obama on unions | Crain's Chicago Business." Chicago business news, analysis, rankings, and more | Crain's Chicago Business. 08 Dec. 2008. 16 Mar. 2009

McDonald’s USA President Don Thompson urged 2,400 franchisees to "contact your U.S. senators and representatives to oppose" the Employee Free Choice Act. This act will greatly help workers to form unions, which will threaten the McDonald’s Corporation labor strategies.
This EFCA, or "card-check" bill, would enable unions to organize a workplace by obtaining the signatures of a majority of workers on authorization cards. It would also establish a bargaining process that could lead to binding arbitration for labor contracts. If this act is passed then the 600,000 employees of McDonalds corp. could unionize and demand higher pay and stricter work rules in McDonald's kitchens. Unions have been almost nonexistent in fast food in the past 25 years. Removing the secret ballot requirement would have a particularly strong effect on the fast-food industry because of its high turnover rate and large percentage of young workers who may be more easily pressured by co-workers to sign union cards. Now thinking on the other side of this if the employees get better wages the higher the prices will become for fast food. This will completely diminish the aspect of “cheap” fast food. This really will destroy the franchise money making strategy. But on the other hand it will help out with the wages for the people dependent on a fast food job.

3. Selliott. "When teens have jobs, schoolwork suffers | Get on the Bus |Observations on schools, kids, teachers, teaching and education by Scott Elliott, Dayton Daily News." Dayton Daily News | Dayton, Ohio, News and Information. 285 Apr. 2006. 16 Mar. 2009 .

This article is describing the author’s finding about the effects on part time jobs on teens derived from an argument from a study done by a Cleveland State University professor.
In this article the author told us that after school jobs are bad for kids by lowering their grades, affecting their behavior and in some cases even forcing teachers to lower their expectations. The author lists some statistics that he has found from the professor’s study. One of the statistics was that most adolescent part-time work is in the fast-food sector with few skills to acquire or transfer to other jobs; these jobs are filled by adolescents only to meet the demands of the sector through minimal wages. Another statistic would be how teachers lower their expectations if they have a large number of students working long hours, therefore having a spill-over effect on the overall teaching-learning environment, including those who do not work. And finally how only in the U.S. is part-time work widespread among high school students; while it is rare in other industrialized countries, where students are only expected to continue their education. This article is a great complimentary article with the “SLEEPING OFF THE JOB IN CLASS” because they both combine to give a bigger picture to the youth part time work.

Anecdote

I was constantly being pressured by people all around me to get a job. One of these people would be I, who desired many things for me but with financial issues due to the $5 a week allowance. Yes I only got $5 a week. My parents though that all I ever needed in life was to have roof on top of me and a lunch box. I would have to save up for so long to be able to buy anything for myself. So I finally took the initiative and applied for a job. My first job was at a Chick-Fil-A fast food restaurant. It was what was expected as the fast food industry is highest employer for teens between the ages of 14-17. I started out with a pay rate of $6.00 an hour; also expected from the industries usual minimum wage pay rate. Even though I was able to achieve what I wanted; I have drastically increased the responsibilities in my life. I would go to work 4 times a week; shifts starting directly afterschool to about 9 pm or sometimes later. This left me with a measly one and a half hours to do my homework, which I never did. Even in the days I was off I was too lazy and tired from the week’s work to do anything productive. I was simply too tired. This is a problem for me till this day; it is extremely hard for me to manage school, work, and personal life all equally and in a timely manner. This is why I am writing this at 2 am in the morning.

Anecdote

As a kid, I remember sitting in the cool basement family room when it was too hot to do anything outside. I would turn on Cartoon Network, or Nickelodeon. I wouldn't have thought that this many years later I would remember the commercials more than the shows. It's not that I remember the commercials specifically. But I remember, Fruit by The Foot, Dunkaroos, and Pop-Tarts. But food lends it self to advertising. Over 80% of food in America is branded. I always new about foods that sounded good and looked good on tv, so it was up to my parents to wage war against the television and still try to have me eat healthy. This can be very difficult. It was estimated that during that time, around 1999, 7.3 billion dollars was spent on food advertising in America. Compared to 300 million dollars on nutrition education. I wonder how much advertising has effected my life even to this day. Would I be any different without it?

Bibliography and Anecdote

Vikki Sloviter. . "So That's Why My Kid is Overweight. " Pediatrics for Parents  1 Jul 2008: 5. Health Module. ProQuest.  Community College of Baltimore County, Essex. 15 Mar. 2009 

This is an article that was found on Proquest; it is about advertising toward children and fast food. I found that this was a perfect fit for my topic and saw that it contained a lot of good information. The text it about how advertising is divided into two different age groups and that a majority of advertising seen by children is about food and restaurants.

This article is more geared toward advertising food to children in general rather than just fast food. In this article it is explained the facts from a study done at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at University of Illinois, Chicago. In the study, kids are broken into two different age groups since advertising is age specific: Children (age 2-11) and adolescents (age 12-17).  There are some very good facts given in this article with regard to advertising toward children. For example: it was found that 36.4% of the products advertised to children were food related (30% for food products, 2% for non-fast food restaurants, and 4.4% for fast food).  The article also gave similar numbers for adolescents: 26.3% of advertisement was food related; 18.3% for food products, 1.5% for non-fast food restaurants and 6.0% for fast food restaurants. I found in this article that it was not useful for me that there were two different categories. I felt that the “children” category was a lot more useful to this project and the topic that I chose for this project. One fact that was astonishing was that “all the food products advertised to 2-11 year olds, 97.8% were high in fat, sugar or sodium.”I think that this a key concept to talk about in advertising to children and that healthy choices are not being advertised enough. Finally I found that It was necessary and important that the article touch upon the point that these children are easily influenced by what they see and that they have the power to influence their parents’ spending habits.  Overall, I think that this is a useful article and presents a lot of good useful information that can be used in this particular project.

Karen Collins. . "Is Fast Food the Problem? " Au - Authm Action News  [Scottsdale, Ariz.] 1  Jan. 2008,27. Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW).  ProQuest Community College of Baltimore County, Essex.15 Mar. 2009 

This article was also found on proquest and the particular article is taken from a newspaper. This article talks about fast food and the choices that are present on the menu. The author argues that the choices on the menu have very high concentration of calories and that the serving size is also quite large.

            “Research links frequent eating at fast food restaurants to greater weight gain and an increased tendency to be overweight.” This is the main point that this article argues; fast food is usually high in calories and makes people unhealthy and gain weight. This article touches upon the fact that people who eat fast food regularly have a extremely high BMI and intake more calories then those who don’t eat fast food often. The article also states that fast food chains classify large servings as “medium”, and this adds to the impact of calories and diet onto our weight. In this article, there are a few facts given on different experiments that were done in the past, and shows the correlation between fast food consumption and weight gain. At the end, this article gives a few alternatives to fast food and suggests how you can keep away from this negative impact of fast food. Overall, I think that this article presents only a few good points that can be used in this project. The main point was repeated plenty of times which I thought was a down side to this article. Another negative about this article was that it did not have many statistics, rather a lot of broad statements and conclusion to different experiments.

 

Rouse, James "Fast Food Advertising to Children." Fast Food Advertising to Children. 6 Nov. 2008. EzineArticles.com. 15 Mar 2009 .

I found this article on-line and I thought it was a good article because it relates fast food and advertising to children. This article starts out by giving a few facts in the introduction and then explain the tricks that are used to market to children. One part that I fond interesting was that it mentions how internet is now used for fast food advertisement.

            In this article, it first explains that there is over 10 million spent on fast food advertisement to children annually. Most of these commercials are for high fat and high sugar food that are unhealthy for children.  It explains how certain times and shows are used to target children of certain age groups for products that best fulfill their wants. After this, the article speaks about “sneaky tactics” and how advertisers use different kinds of ads to make children scream and beg to their parents to get what they want. “This is all about providing for their children and the guilt that comes with not being available enough for their kids.” Then there was also a paragraph that I though was interesting as it was about advertisement on the internet. Here, it states that advertising on the internet is more cost efficient than television. It also states that marketers know how kids use the internet and love how they like to click on links (such as “click here” or “win this”) Another point made about the internet is that  marketers now use email addresses to advertise their products. Overall, I think that this is a very good article and presents some interesting points. Though this article doesn’t have many specific facts and statistics, it gives a good ides on how advertising is used. I especially like the part on internet advertising and I believe that this is sometimes overlooked by many people. Things like email and flashing link is a good way to capture the attention of kids and convince them to do or buy something.

Personal Anectode: 

As a young child in North America, I didn’t exactly know what advertising was but I knew what I wanted and I knew that my parents were the people who could get that to me. My first experience with fast food was when I saw a McDonalds play place and decided that I HAD to go there. Bright colors and a tall swirly structure was what first caught my eye. When we went inside, I saw that there were numerous colors and characters that made the place seem like paradise for a kid. Now, as a young adult I realize how I was manipulated by these chains, and that these mechanisms are used by many companies to influence children.  When I see my little sister watching television I now notice why I was so stuck on going to McDonalds as a child. There are many advertisements targeted toward child; “on average children view over 40,000 commercials a year most of which are for candies, cereals, toys, and fast food restaurants.” It is no surprise then that so many Americans are obese and overweight. When a company is able to hook a consumer as early as childhood, they can be sure that they have obtained a “regular customer”. Children today have more purchasing power because they are able to use different tactics to get what they want. From kicking and screaming to guilt; it seems like children influence the economy more that we think. “Fast food businesses will claim that this is to provide a more pleasant visit to their store for the parents but in reality it is baiting children to desire fast food.”