1. I learned that the paragraphs increase in size as the essay went on, short and choppy in the beginning and then larger at the end, adding to the structure of the essay.
2. I wished we had discussed the lonely women more. I think that the type of loneliness that they have should've been contrasted/compared at length with the homeless man.
3. I wished I had said that I don't believe the The Boxcar Children was a proper comparison and that the homeless man could possibly be very selfish or proud in the sense he did not want to accept help or get out of the way.
I agree with you on the fact that we should have discussed the women in greater detail, as they played a vital role in the passage as well. Their situations were included perhaps to demonstrate that even if some lead more normal, conventional lives than a homeless man, their lives can still be plagued with undesirable conditions.
ReplyDeleteWe share the first point so I agree 100%. I also wish we could have discussed the women more, they seemed practically ignored compared to the box man. I have never read The Boxcar Children so I am unsure how they compare to the homeless man but I think that the author only wanted a limited comparison due to the difference in age, location, and apparently mental health condition between the orphans and the homeless man.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the Box Car Children was not the best comparison to use. It sort of trivializes the fact that he is homeless. They were children that didn't want to live with their relatives. They could have chosen not to be homeless. I must add however that we do not know the reasons for the Box Man's situation. All we know is that he chooses to live in solitude.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the addition of the children was not appropriate for the comparison. Though it does say "to b ingenious with simple things." when describing the children. That sentences, post discussion, changed meaning for me, as the box-man is portrayed as a much happier individual than perhaps even we are. He understands the simple things when everyone tends to desire for a complicated life, wife lots of cars and a fancy job and fancy foods.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should have discussed the women more or at least compare their loneliness to that of the Box Man's. We did touch that in that we discussed that they were a comparison, we just didn't go in depth as to how or why they were. I myself have never read The Boxcar Children so I believe that any comment I say about that is false or ill-judged.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the length of the paragraphs! I missed the discussion, and I hadn't noticed that at all, so I appreciate it. The fact that the Box Man's motives could have been something like pride or a certain kind of selfishness is interesting. It seems possible, and it ties into the idea that we do not actually know the box man's thoughts, as much as the narrative makes it appear that we do.
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