Susannah+J+-+efolio0708

DONE Bradford Portfolio Project #2 - Quarter III

I am covering the Arts Section of the New York Times for the week March 10-16.

//March 10, 2008//: So Many Characters, Yet So Little Resolution At Art Fair, The A-List Includes Rembrandt Music Ripe to Remix 'The Ten-Cent Plague' The View From Uptown: American Dreaming to a Latin Beat [|Theater Review | 'Tim Minchin': Daffy Songs of Fish Feet and Tumors][|Music Review: After a Glitch, on the Road to California][|Dance Review: An American Dance Form Fluent in Many Languages][|Television Review | 'High School Confidential': Their So-Called Lives: Documenting High School Years][|Bridge: In Detroit, Pinpoint Bidding on the Way to a Pairs Title] __[|Irène Némirovsky’s Early Fiction]__ __[|‘U.S. Drag’]__ [|Casting Light on Early Cultures in the Americas] [|Being a Housewife Sans House or Husband] [|Author Admits Memoir Is Fantasy] [|A Wild Welcome to a German Teen-Pop Band]

The article, "A Wild Welcome to a German Teen-Pop Band," talks about a concert that hosted a teen-obsessed German pop band in America for the first time. The response to the over-seas band seemed something parallel to The Beatles welcoming. One way we could incorporate this article in the Bradford is by writing about "The Beatles of our time." We could survey the student body somehow and come up with a list of the most popular foreign bands or singers. To couple the survey, we could list free or reasonably-priced concerts that are near by as a way to broaden the scope of the arts section.

The other article I read, "Gang Memoir, Turning Page, Pure Fiction," the New York Times reports that the author, Margaret B. Jones, they recently profiled along side the release of her memoir, turned out to be a complete phony. This 33 year old, really named Margaret Seltzer, wrote in her memoir that she was raised by a black foster mother, and during her teens she was pulled into the drug and gang world. After the New York Times' profile, her sister read the article and called her sister's publisher to expose the lie. This story reminded me of the story from a few years ago when a Harvard student published her book at the age of 19, except she was also found of plagiarism. An interesting story for the Bradford may look at plagiarism at the high school/college level, and how it is managed, and whether teachers nationwide have seen an increase or decrease in plagiarism cases now with growing number of programs created to detect plagiarism and the intense punishments.

//March 11, 2008//: On the Comic Docket, Probing the Question ‘Which Is More Evil?’ Who Will Stop a Tyrant if His Enemies Just Sit and Sulk? A $100 Million Donation to the N.Y. Public Library Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Madonna Formula for ‘Idol’: Popular Yet Predictable The Spoils of War in Peaceable Sweden 'The Age of American Unreason'

The article "Formula for 'Idol': Popular Yet Predictable" speaks to exactly what the title says - the predictability of the show that once drew anyone from 7 to 80 year olds to their T.V. set to tune in on the performances of amateur singers. I think an argument can be made that the show took on a predictable streak well before the commencement of the seventh season. It would be interesting to interview different people in the high school on their opinion of the show, both in the past and present. We could also interview a middle schooler to see if our age group has simply grown out of the 'Idol' saga. We could also have an article discussing what the producers could do to spice up the show, mentioning what the paralleled British show does. Another story idea could be an article that examines the effects of the writer strike on some shows - can America take any more reality shows, or does the addiction remain? The article could talk about the shows that were lost due to the strike, and whether die-heart LOST fans are fulfilled by the present season.

The article 'The Age of American Unreason' discusses a book published by Susan Jacoby. The book looks at the United States' falling educational standards, attributed to numerous things such as our shortened lack of attention span due to video games and the like, as well as the developing American Dream over the past century. This article can trigger a number of different articles, not all of which can be placed in the Art Section alone. First, pertaining to the Arts Section of the Bradford we could include a book review, which this article demonstrates great guidelines to writing a book review. We have to keep in mind that we barely have time to read all of our school work, however, we could include a short blurb where we list books/plays/etc. people may be interested in if they enjoyed a certain book from their English Class curriculum. This would require discussing and collaborating lists with both students and teachers but I think it would be a useful reference, especially near April vacation and summer break when students may have more time to read on their own. Another story idea pertains more to the Opinions section; two articles could support the pro and con view on the United States' educational rankings amongst other leading nations.

//March 12, 2008//: Mars and Venus Dissect the Spitzer Scandal on the TV Talk Shows Who Will Stop a Tyrant if His Enemies Just Sit and Sulk? Tentative Lovers, Embracing Darkness 'Human Smoke' The Spoils of War in Peaceable Sweden Museums: A Special Section On the Comic Docket, Probing the Question ‘Which Is More Evil?’ Studios Announce a Deal to Help Cinemas Go 3-D

The article "On the Comic Docket, Probing the Question 'Which Is More Evil?' " discusses comedian Lewis Black's new show on Comedy Central. I have watched numerous Lewis Black shows, usually on the Daily Show, and I find his completely uncensored, blunt humor hilarious. I think it would be interesting to write a review of his new show for a couple of different reasons- first, it may introduce students to the comedian and his humor, and his humor definitely has its own style. As the New York Times appropriately advises, his humor is not for the easily offended. The best part of his routine for this new show is that he is comparing pop culture icons to determine which is the more 'evil,' so whereas students who do not stay up on news may be confused about John Stewart's jokes, they'll definitely know the jokes about Oprah or Tila Tequila, and perhaps will be entertained by his commentary.

The 'Studios Announce a deal to Help Cinemas Go 3-D' introduces one of the most recent technological ideas that always seem to be brewing- the plan to produce films completely digital to minimize transportation costs of film and so box office hits like Miley Cyrus's 3-D Tour can be shown in theaters everywhere. This is a pretty big decision for Hollywood, because our generation especially has seen the rapid development of animated movies showing the individual hairs of animals' bodies sway in the wind to the unreal sound editing of the Bourne Movies, and to now see 3-D movies at the AMC theater down the street is a pretty big landmark. I think it would be interesting to have an article that examines and highlights the technological landmarks of our time (from childhood to high school) by looking at anything from Disney's 1991 'Beauty and the Beast' to this spring's 'Horton Hears a Who,' to just show the significance of technology (pertaining to movies) in //our// lives versus perhaps when our parents were growing up.

//March 13, 2008//: Coin. Smile. Click! The Art Is in the Detail Heights Before Broadway Saving Who-Ville Is a Big Production Blowhard, Patriot, President 'Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq' TV Review | 'John Adams':Blowhard, Patriot, President

'Coin. Smile. Click!' examines the history of the photo booth. In Europe, as well as China, photo booths are very popular. I think the article highlights the revival of photo booths in America, and what the photo booth represents - artistic, amateur poses, indelible kisses, life-long friends. I think we could write an article suggesting a photo booth for the school, or somewhere in Town. We could talk to students, put out a poll determining the interests of the student body. But we would have to make it clear that we are not announcing a plan, more so proposing an idea that a class could possibly take on as a project. We could make the argument that we have a juke box, and we don't even use that every single day.

The T.V. review of HBO's //John Adams// series, premiering this Sunday, is rather interesting. The reviewer, Alessandra Stanley, claims that "John Adams is the weakest part of 'John Adams.' ” The series produced by Tom Hanks, is based off of the biography written by David McCullough - //the// David McCullough who visited our school at the beginning of the year to speak about his book //1776//. Stanley accredits Laura Linney's portrayal of Abagail Adams; however, makes it clear that Paul Giamatti - known for his role in //Sideways// - was a fatal choice to play Adams. I think it will be interesting to see how the reviews of the series will balance with the ratings. I think a student should write a review of the series from more of the historical context stand point, because they could suggest the series for American history classes to watch. The great thing is, we have the chance to speak to both Mr. McCullough (the teacher) and possibly his father to hear their opinion of the series to go along with a student review.

//March 16, 2008//: Eddie Izzard’s Master Plan Stories From a World in Motion Twombly in the Land of Michelangelo Return of the Rock Lobsters The Housewives Are Now Desesperadas Questions for Laura Linney: Dear(est) Abby

"Eddie Izzard's Master Plan" is a feature article of the British comedian Eddie Izzard- but the problem is he doesn't want to be known just for his comedic acts. No, he is trying to make it as a serious actor. Izzard is one of the most animated, engaging, talented actor-comedians out there. Most of his comedy tours are shown on HBO and BBC America, so students might not be as familiar with his work. But he also stars in "The Riches," a dramatic, edgy show about a family of travelers or con-artists who take on the lives of a family called the Riches- a move which complicates their lives just a bit. The first season did not draw a huge crowd, however FX is allowing a second season to premiere this Tuesday. I think we should write a review of the series because its controversial look at the "American Dream" goes great with the Sophomore English curriculum, and I think the edginess of the show will draw the attention of high schoolers, but only if we //bring it to// their attention that there are other shows other than LOST and Grey's Anatomy.

I am always excited to read the interview that is written up in the New York Times Magazine every Sunday. This week Deborah Solomon spoke with Laura Linney about "why Abagail Adams trumps Martha Washington, whether acting requires intelligence and why not winning doesn't always mean losing." These interviews are always entertaining and creative, and I think the //Bradford//, and especially the Arts section, would benefit greatly from the publication of an amusing, light-hearted, intriguing interview with either the artist of the month, or a musician or other performer. The student does not even have to win an award, but simply demonstrate talent and enthusiasm for their subject- and believe me, Wellesley High School is not running on a short supply of these type of students.

DONE (January 10, 2007)

Bradford Portfolio Project #2 CSPA Critique Write-Up Susannah Johnson ’10

I believe the Bradford has the ability to expand its balanced coverage of our community with simple additions to each issue. I think we do a good job writing stories that relate to the students; however, I think we can definitely expand the amount of national and international reporting. NPR and the New York Times, for example, report interesting and sometimes random stories, but I think that these types of stories captures readers’ eyes and pulls them into actually reading the article as well as surrounding new stories. The stories can be about an interesting discovery of some sort, and undoubtedly we can find interesting international news that interest high school students. If we study how NPR finds these interesting stories or just search the web, I think it would be really interesting to do blobs or news fillers throughout the publication. I think this would also lower the predictability of the paper and increase the enthusiasm of our readers. Another way to attract readers’ attention could also be to write articles that span across issues. The article could be a developing story we follow, or we could publish poems and short stories that are submitted by students that might not be on the Bradford staff. Finally I think we should start publishing polls and their results. By conducting polls, I think this would improve our balance of the entire community and I think we could come up with some really interesting topics to do polls on.

We should try to strengthen our leads so they are more interesting and captivating. The staff should also shorten paragraph length and make better use of active verbs so we have a stronger and more sophisticated voice in our writing. I agree with the judges’ critique to keep articles short in order to keep the liveliness. If an article does run long, I think we should try breaking up the article with “pull out quotes” to make the story more inviting. In terms of our graphics, I think that we should use more action and candid photos, as well as balance out the photos by incorporating graphs (as an example) that we either find online or create ourselves.

I think we should work on our overall organization. We could have meetings that include just the editors but also meetings where the entire staff discusses ideas. I think this would convince people to put some effort into story ideas rather than just treating it as another homework assignment to complete. Our discussion of different possible topics to write about will in many cases strengthen the overall finished product of the article.

My final suggestion is that we add to our editorial section of the paper. As the critique packet suggests, opinion articles are one of the most fomenting instruments to stir ideas within our student body. The additions to this section, on top of continuing to strengthen the existing writing, would be letters to the editors and unsigned editorials. We would have to advertise to students that they should feel free to send in suggestions, letters, poetry, short stories, and editorials.

DONE (November 30, 2007)

Nightmare of reruns Susannah Johnson ’10

While lounging listlessly on the couch during the weekdays of winter break, most students have become immune to watching reruns of favorite shows such as Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scrubs. The nightmare of reruns, however, has recently become a pressing matter in the lives of many since the beginning of the writers’ strike on November 4, 2007.

The writers began their strike after Hollywood refused to increase their paycheck when the writers guild requested an increased salary to account for DVD sales and other merchandise.

Sitting in class with the only thought in mind of watching the unfolding lives of the Grey’s Anatomy’s cast for another 30 minutes has been extinguished by the utter fear that people will never come to see the end of the season as the dispute remains unprogressive.

As a compromise remains to unfold, some writers have taken the liberty to self promote short skits on YouTube. The SNL cast produced their own show on an off site theater to an audience of less than 200.

With little progress in this stressful dispute between writers and Hollywood, the standstill situation may come to change the reading statistic of the average person between ages 15 and 24 spending two and half hours watching television and only seven minutes reading.

Only 30% of the thirteen year olds read almost everyday.

With the unprogressive writers’ strike, there is also a chance that the reading levels of the population will also remain at a standstill, or even drop, if people begin dedicating the previous television time towards the internet. The population may even flock towards their iPods and iTunes, with the special holiday prices on Apple items, all in an effort to create a society where a simple conversation is overrated.

The question, however, is whether students, and adults alike, are more willing to mindlessly watch rerun after rerun versus simply opening a book. Only time will tell.

DONE (November 1, 2007)

What does our future hold? Susannah Johnson ’10

October is known for brisk fall days slowly descending into bleak winters. But within the recent months of autumn, wild fires, insufferable heat, and threatening droughts have all been the nation’s focus climate.

On October 7, 49 runners were hospitalized, 250 were treated on site and one fatal incident occurred during the record 88° F heat of the Chicago Marathon. Georgia officials announced two weeks earlier that within 80 days Georgia might not have water at all due to their drier-than-normal summers and less-severe hurricane season.

Only last week were California firefighters battling raging, uncontrollable wild fires throughout the state that left more than a quarter of a million people homeless. The week before, homes from the Midwest down to Pensacola, FL dealt with extreme tornadoes and rainstorms.

Are these unexpected weather patterns a consequence of global warming? Worldwide there are thousands, both weather and climate experts, who believe global warming is primarily a result of natural causes and is cyclical. In fact, some recent scientific studies indicate that the Earth in nearing the end of a warming cycle, and is about to enter a cooling cycle that could last several decades.

On the other hand, from a satellite image taken in September 2005, NASA concluded that the sea ice extent had dropped to 2.05 million square miles. An estimated decline in Artic ice was set at 8.5% per decade.

Just as an increased amount of freshwater from the melting ice entering our oceans is harmful to the balance of fresh and salt water, the rising ocean temperatures have proven irreversibly harmful. Although a two-degree increase in temperature does not seem too detrimental, the warmer waters have been one factor that has destroyed some renowned reefs found in Fiji. Where a reef is destroyed, innumerable sea life also dies because of the loss of the symbiotic relationships between the reef and sea life.

With gas prices above $3 a gallon, one effort to delay the quickly changing climate and the economic affects is producing corn fuel, or ethanol. Ethanol can be made from plants into a kind of alcohol used to power cars. Corn fuel is biologically renewable, promotes a cleaner environment, produces a “cleaner” burning engine with less carbon build-up, lowers the net carbon dioxide emission, decreases the dependence on imported fuel, and expands market opportunity for farmers and economic opportunities for rural areas.

In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was written to encourage countries to commit to reducing collective emissions of six key greenhouse gases by at least 5% or more by 2008-2012. The only major developed countries that have failed to ratify the document are Australia and the United States. As of 2005, the United States was the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. However, it is speculated that China has now surpassed the United States and now stands as the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Perhaps the Earth is leaving a warm period, and only natural cycles have caused the inharmonious weather of the season. Or perhaps the natural causes have been exacerbated by industry. Although the future of our world remains ambiguous, many societies do not see any drawbacks in trying to accommodate the warmer temperatures. Perhaps soon Toyota Priuses will outnumber Hummers and eco-friendly schools will stand in place outdated, inefficient schools of the past.

Wellesley High School greens up Susannah Johnson ’10

Although only a few years old, the Wellesley High School’s Green Team has some ambitious goals set for this year to make not only the building but also the students of the school more environmentally conscious.

The Green Team, advised by Earth Science teacher Theresa Green, meets every day six during first block to discuss their projects. A goal this year is to visit schools to increase the environmental awareness of elementary-middle school aged students. They hope to express the significance of recycling, for example, and expect the students to pass the word to their parents.

Another main objective of Green Team is introducing green technology to Principal Keough and superintendent Bella Wong as suggestions for the possible new school.

The Green Team has proposed ideas such as installing daylight sensors in classrooms that adjust to the amount of natural light already in the room. This idea then lends to the expectation of placing more windows, especially south-facing windows, within our school. This will increase the amount of natural light as well as improve the efficiency of our poor existing heating system that tends to have us opening windows in the winter.

These proposals will add fixtures to our school that will serve in the long run and lower the price of utilities. Obviously, the greatest benefit is the environmentally friendly factor.

Although building green costs 3% or more at the beginning of construction, there are foundations that support and encourage building green that will grant 1-2% or more expenses back to schools.

Green Team’s belief is that if you start small, in the manner of building green schools or informing young students about their environment, the idea and will to save our surroundings from ourselves will mushroom and the idea will pass on to others.

“If everybody makes some effort to make small changes, I think we can at least slow down the climate change. A lot of destruction has already happened, but I think we do have the time to slow any future destruction,” remarked Green Team leader sophomore Missy Kinch.

Unless… Susannah Johnson ’10

Speechless. There were no words to describe what I felt as I gaped at miles and miles of ice that formed the Mendenhall Glacier. Though loss for words, I was torn by emotion— the grateful feeling that I was touching one of the most phenomenal monuments our planet has to offer, but also the horror and disgust of how far the glacier had receded within a few months of having seen a photo of the glacier’s previous position.

As the threat of climate change is pressed deeper everyday, the only way to make changes will be to start small. To conquer both shifts in our life styles as well as spreading the awareness of our environment, where else is more effective than schools?

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the Massachusetts School Building Authority have notified the public of new funding that will aid and encourage communities to conserve and use clean energy technologies to power schools.

$15 million dollars will be available through Green School Initiative as design and building grants for schools that are approved for MSBA construction assistance.

Schools such as Ashland High School, Dedham Middle School, Falmouth High School, Newton South High School, and Woburn High School have all taken the initiative to build green, as have many other schools within Massachusetts. The Town of Wellesley is muddled within a heated dispute over repairing the existing school, or building an entirely new building. No matter the outcome, Wellesley should join the list of schools making an effort to adjust life styles to evolve with our changing climate.

Utilizing the natural lighting is a major key in building green. Maximizing the amount of windows, especially the south facing windows, artificial lighting can be monitored and the inside temperature of the school can be controlled more efficiently.

Carefully designed heating, ventilation, and cooling systems are another key green idea because the system improves the overall air quality of the school for the student body and faculty. Adding energy efficient technologies to the school is also another way to environmentally improve the school.

These improvements offer healthy and productive environments, while at the same time lower costs for operating the utilities of the school, as well as the greatest achievement of reducing the impact on our environment.

Although the initial price at the beginning of the building process appears more expensive rather than building a straight forward traditional high school, the outcome will turnout more beneficial as the newly placed utilities lower operating costs.

As countries and their governments become more active in building green, eventually costs of necessary materials will decrease; however, we have no time to wait for others to lower the cost— we are the ones who have to make the initial step today for others to follow.

What people internationally have to do cannot be stated any simpler than Dr. Seuss’s Lorax’s message, “Unless someone like you…cares a whole awful lot…nothing is going to get better… It’s not.”

//***The pictures and charts that go along with my double truck will be on my layout drawing that I am going to hand in on paper. However, I wont be able to hand in the layout until Monday because of my absence on Friday, November 2.**//

___

DONE

The Kingdom by the Sea ~ Book Letter #1

Dear Ms. Brown,

I am reading The Kingdom by the Sea by Paul Theroux. The book is an account of Theroux’s journey around the coast of Great Britain. After living in Britain for eleven years, Theroux realizes he has never experienced the United Kingdom and that he has not developed his own opinion of the people. Theroux states that you may have read twenty books on England, but you still do not have the slightest idea of the place. As in many of Theroux’s travel books, he desires to travel by the ‘best trains — the slow, sweet branch lines.’ And if the doomed, old trains are out of service, his plan is to walk. Theroux’s goal is not to visit the numerous castles and other popular attractions around the coast, but to investigate what British people are really like. So Theroux begins his epic trek clockwise around the UK coast– a coast he describes as being the shape of a witch riding a pig. He begins in Margate, a typical place for English people to spend their Spring Bank Holiday, as Theroux remarks, “The English were creatures of habit. And that was the reason I chose Margate.” I chose to read this book mainly because of my initial reaction that I would like to try travel writing one day. Whenever I go places, my grandmother, an avid traveler of her days, reminds me to keep a journal, saying it is always important to remember the places you visit. Within the first few pages, I learned some significant advice as a traveler, a growing cosmopolitan and as a journalist. At the very beginning of his trip, Theroux was encountering grim graffiti and the fowl language of skinheads along his path, but he did not stop walking, and by doing so he eventually came across the very scenery that inspired the writings of Charles Dickens as he stood outside the coastal house Dickens at one point resided. This is a valuable lesson of finding light in places where it may not shine as brightly. It also demonstrates his perseverance as a journalist to continue researching and digging deeper into a story. Whenever Theroux enters a new town he usually explains what he has heard about the town, as seen in the following, “I was happy, going to places I had never been, that had only been names to me, or descriptions in books that had falsely fixed the place in my imagination. In Rural Tides, William Cobbett had said, ‘Deal is a most villainous place. It is full of filthy-looking people. Great desolation of abomination has been going on here… Everything seems upon the perish…’ And I had assumed it was like that, the judgment was so strongly expressed. But it was a small mild town, without a seawall or much of a beach, and a few trees, and open to the breezes form France” (26). Although this is the typical outline of each journal entry, Theroux succeeds at keeping the reader’s interest through his humor and brilliant descriptions. I aspire to develop the relaxed yet sophisticated voice in writing like the one of Theroux. Theroux has the interesting opportunity to record his observations of the British people’s reactions to the Falklands War. In some instances, an elderly man who went through the two great wars might criticize Theroux for being an American and therefore representing the incompetent U.S. government. In other cases, Theroux only watches, like an observer of a fishbowl, as British citizens watch the unbearable news of more British troops dead in a war Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges described as: “It was like two bald men fighting over a comb.” In those cases, Theroux describes the room going silent and a look of fear and exasperation washing over the faces of people living in one of the greatest kingdoms of the world. Theroux truly captures people’s values, especially in a time of war. These descriptions of the Falklands War remind me of what foreigners might of felt when they watched as Americans saw the footage of the Twin Towers collapsing on 9/11.

Sincerely,

Susannah J.

The Kingdom by the Sea ~ Book Letter #2

Dear Ms. Brown,

As Theroux continues his journey, slowly making his way north to Scotland, he continues to encounter an endless number of interesting, talkative, taciturn, grumpy, and jolly folks beside the sea. Theroux makes his way from his launch point in Margate, up to a surprisingly pleasant Deal, continuing to Hastings, trudging through Bognor Regis, and further north he proceeds to climb. One of the most interesting aspects of Theroux’s account is his goal to interact with British people. At one part of his journey he encounters a women, a walker just like him, and his amazing style of writing really explodes their moment of connection: “ She did not look at me. She drew level and didn’t notice me. There was not another human being in sight on the coast; only a fishing boat out there like a black flatiron. Hetta Poumphrey [He likes to name people he sees, calling it a talent] — I could see that was the woman’s name — was striding, lifting the hem of her coat with he knees. Now she was a fraction past me, and still stony-faced. ‘Morning!’ I said. “Oh.’ She twisted her head at me. “Good morning!’ She gave me a good smile, because I had spoken first. But if I hadn’t, we would have passed each other, Hetta and I, in the clifftop meadow — not another soul around — five feet apart, in the vibrant silence that was taken for safety here, without a word.” (28). This is one of my favorite passages so far because I remember my fourth grade teacher having my class practice ‘exploding moments in time’ with our writing, and I think this is a great example of doing so. I also like the concept of the passage of the simple connections you can make with people not only in foreign lands, but even right at home. Another personal connection I made to this book was when Theroux shared a long conversation with an old man during one point of his walk. Desmond Bowles, an eighty-six year old man, had decided to walk seven miles home seeing as it was a rare, beautiful day on the English coast. Theroux stumbled across this stubborn man and eventually had the old man recounting his days with his father and when he was in service, and so forth. In some cases, Theroux is unable to crack a taciturn, aloof person to relinquish some interesting story; however, Theroux does possess the talent to carry conversations with strangers. This is a key trait for journalism in order to make interviews a safe and insightful environment. It is also a beneficial talent for people desiring to become more of a cosmopolitan and less of a tourist. I remember when I was in Juneau, AK this summer for three weeks of community service when I shared a similar experience as Theroux had with the old man. One day I walked in to a quaint bookstore and I started talking the garrulous shop owner. He began recalling stories about tourists and Alaska in general. Some may say that the man just wanted to here himself talk, but I think it was a simple example of connection between two strangers, a connection forged by the important trait of being able to listen. Listening helps in journalism with interviews and it helps in real life when you are holding conversations with people. A clever catch of travel books, this one in particular, is that you experience what is going on inside Theroux’s mind as he interviews different people. As he describes his interviews he also slips in a humorous thought or opinion that coincides with at the response of his interviewee.

Sincerely,

Susannah J.

The Kingdom by the Sea ~ Book Letter #3

Dear Ms. Brown,

As Theroux nears the end of his three-month journey, his reoccurring theme of the sea haunts his thoughts. He continues to analyze his observations of Londoners drifting towards the sea, the elder resorting to the quiet villages to sit on chairs and stare at the endless horizon, or the overall lull the ocean places over people, as they appear to drift off to another world. Theroux finally realizes that the entire time: “The British seemed to be… forever standing on a crumbling coast and scanning the horizons. So I had done the right thing in traveling the coast, and instead of looking out to sea, I had looked inland” (351). Theroux edges closer to the origin of his trek and realizes that now he himself was walking into the sea. After a strenuous three-month trek, Theroux portrayed many of his enlightenments to the reader. He realized that as the amount of people he watched mesmerized by the sea, Britain continued to change in unalterable ways. Perhaps this is why people are captured the constancy and solace offered by the sea during a life of great change. I think this is a very interesting insight of Theroux’s because England was the kingdom of the world at one point, but after trekking along the coast of this weathered island Theroux has accounted for the general reaction of the people of England not being at the top of the heap anymore. Yes, these people have different political views and respond to foreigners in different ways; however, Theroux has successfully captured the some indistinguishable values of the British society that endure today such as they all suffer the loss of young men in the Falklands War, despite political parties. Another point Theroux enlightens his reader with is the uniqueness of traveling, “And yet it is every traveler’s conceit that no one will see what he has seen: his trip displaces the landscape, and his version of events is all that matter. He is certainly kidding himself in this, but if he didn’t kid himself a little, he would never go anywhere.” (352) I like this quote because reminds people of the excitement of traveling, and I can personally relate because when I was looking across Berner’s Bay in Alaska I felt like I was the first and only person to experience such beauty, and despite the lack of reality in this feeling, I agree that people would find very little reason in wanting to travel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book for numerous reasons. The significance of listening was reinforced to me, and I enjoyed reading the connections Theroux would develop with strangers. I am inspired to create a more relaxed yet mature voice in my writing, and I was impressed of Theroux’s talent to keep the reader engaged using his keen humor and unique observations. Finally, Theroux’s account has further inspired myself to take a trek across England and other countries in search of my own opinions and discoveries.

Sincerely,

Susannah J.