Post #10 Critical Essays of White Noise

In Tom LeClair’s, Closing The Loop:  White Noise, at first his review was very confusing to me, more confusing that White Noise itself.  LeClair begins his review with all sorts of comparisons to many of DeLillo’s other works.  I do not fully understand the necessity of these multiple comparisons.  He then goes on to summarize the story.  He tells us of the family dynamics and setting of the story in part 1.  Then he tells us of the horrifying toxic event and its multiple affects in part 2.  And, finally he tells us about Jack and Babette’s fear of death and all of the weird things that transpire because of this major fear.

While I found White Noise to be a little twisted and difficult to follow at times; I must say that I found LeClair’s review of it even more confusing and difficult to read.  At least the first few paragraphs, after that I mostly found his review to be enlightening.  He pointed out specifics that I hadn’t given much thought to before.  LeClair speaks of the story’s reductiveness, irony and loops to mention a few.  Anyway, a lot for me to take in and attempt to figure out.

Citation:

Delillo, Don. White Noise, Text And Criticism. New York, NY: Penguin Group USA, 1998. Print.

LeClair, Tom. Closing the Loop:  White Noise. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 1986. 387-411. Print.

 

Response to White Noise

Sunset from the Brooklyn Bridge

Wow, Amazing, Abstract, Weird, Strange, Odd, Perverse, Thought Provoking, Colorful, Perplexing, Bazaar, Befuddle, Frustrating, Calculating, Demonstrative, Self-indulgent, Ineptness, Confusing, Scattered; any one or all of these plus many more descriptive words could be used in the analytical process of reviewing Don DeLillo's WhiteNoise.  I found it to be a little twisted and difficult to follow at times; thereby by making it a ‘hard read’ for me.  I also found it to be interesting; although it is not the type of book that I would normally read just for the sake of reading, I found it difficult to put down – I wanted to keep on reading.  I wanted to figure out why Heinrich was so odd – I have worked in Public and Charter schools for a number of years and have never met such a strange teenage boy as Heinrich.  I cannot for the life of me figure out why Murray would want to buy all of his stuff in the white label generic aisle at the store – it has been my experience in trying to save a penny or two that those white labeled items are absolutely tasteless – after having sampled it once why on earth would a person want to go back for more? Of course once I finished the book, those and all my other questions were left unanswered – for now.  But I kept on reading nonetheless.  Now of course comes the research of attempting to find the answers to at least some of my questions.

Mid semester reflections

Dear Professor Cline,

Well, this semester has been interesting to say the least!  Returning to school at my age is challenging in itself.  The last time I was a student in a classroom was in 1995.  Add to it, all online classes (6 classes 14 credits) . . . what a learning curve!  The reason for all online classes is the fact that I live over 50 miles away from the Prescott campus.  With the cost of gas, all online classes for me was purely a monetary decision.

When I was in college 17 years ago, I didn’t even own a home computer.  I remember my ENG 101 teacher taking us to the computer lab in the library and telling us “When we get there, whatever you do, don’t touch the tool bar!”  Leaving the classroom, I said under my breath “what the hell is a tool bar?”  Apparently I said it a little louder than I thought because the next thing I knew the instructor put his hand on my shoulder and said “Oh my God – you don’t touch anything – I will help you.”

I tell you this because – I have come a long way!  When I was in high school and 15 or so years later in college I had never heard of MLA formatting, and now another 17 years later back in college – guess what?  I not only am taking online classes with my own laptop (although a little difficult at times), I am figuring out many things, not the least of which is MLA formatting – well at least I am giving it my best effort.

I have not really enjoyed the items you have had us read so far, although I am learning from them.   I am hoping that I will be able to enjoy White Noise.  My thinking is that maybe my writing will get a little easier and better if I at least enjoy the subject matter somewhat.  My hope is that I can absorb enough knowledge that you are imparting on all of us to earn a grade of at least a ‘B’.  If so, I will feel successful.  Success in our endeavors – whatever they are – is what life is all about.

Have a Great Day!

Thesis paragraph

If we cannibalize our children, then what legacy do we have?  In 1729, Dr. Jonathan Swift wrote an essay entitled “A Modest Proposal: For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick,” a horrendous satire of the predicament suffered by the Irish people.  The ideas that Swift introduces are abhorrent to the intended audience, as well as anyone who would read it.  Swift knows this as he writes it; he identifies various socioeconomic problems, the main one being starvation of the poorest of people in 18th century Ireland.  He exposes the hypocrisy or irony of the atrocities that the English are forcing on the Irish day in and day out through the detailing of his solution for these issues that were currently facing the Kingdom of Ireland. Breeding, fattening and selling babies of the poor Irish for cannibalistic purposes to the wealthy English - Really!?!  With no children, then there is no legacy.

Read more about different types and styles of satire here.

Add chttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:International_Mag_Jonathan_Swift.jpgaption; author unknown