Thankful for a Classmate

             I am thankful for Sohrob, he makes the class better. I think that Sohrob always adds a little extra to the class whether it be in his various changing voices or his enthusiastic way of answering questions. English in itself is one of my favorite classes but with Sohrob it is that much better because of his wonderful personality. In writing this blog there was a few people I had to chose between to write about but certain things just put Sohrob over the top. And I hope he reads this so that he can see how much I appreciate his presence in the class and how much I am thankful for him. Everytime we are having a discussion in class Sohrob never hesitates to raise his hand and provide a very intelligent sometimes somewhat eccentric but none the less useful answer. Sometimes his answers give a clearer understanding to something that at first wasn't quite clear to me and in doing so he also provides additional information that one day will come in hand. And then he also amuses me while in the class together when he speaks in a different tone of voice. I can recall once when we were reviewing this excerpt in our text books and he was asked to speak like a preacher and I thought it was hilarious because he did it so excitedly and realisticly. At the end of the day I am thankful for my entire American Literature class but especially Sohrob because to me he is just always so anxious and enthusiastic in participating in class and that makes me exciting to continue the rest of the year with him in my class. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Cormac McCarthy

The theme I chose to focus on was how he closely relates The Road to his own personal experiences with his son. And trying to express how he protects his son and this idea of what a father son relationship should be like. In a wall street journal interview McCarthy talks about how his son was the co-author because some of the conversations that the boy and the man had in the book are exact conversations that he and his son had. In another part of the interview they ask him why the father and son never say " I love you" if this is supposed to be a love story between the two. And he responded that he thought it wasn't neccesary because it wouldn't add anything to the story, but I thought it was a way to indirectly say that actions speak louder than words and if the book is supposed to show how a father would do anything for his son in any circumstance which it does then there is no need for "I love you". And then also he choses not to give the man and boy names. Before discussion and research I thought that was mainly because the  past has been erased and it is gone now and with that goes your name. I also thought that it represented who you were and gave you an identity and now there is no need because all but a few humans are remaining and no one needs to be able to know who someone else is. But know I know that is somewhat because he wants the father and son to represent him and his son or for that fact any other father and son. McCarthy says that his work is often driven by pain because if you don't have something in the back of your head driving you nuts you might not do anything. So along with the relationships in his personal life McCarthy also displays a sense of dark, violent, and painful periods throughout his books and movies. In No Country for Old Men there is violence, depravity and mayhem as in All the Pretty Horses and Blood Meridian and The Road. But overall I think that Cormac McCarthy tends to make his novels personal and always somehow come back to his interpretation of the west or death or religion etc.