Is Eustace the ‘last American man’? Why or why not? Is that idea a good or bad one?
I don’t think that Eustace is the last American man because at the end of the book it talks about Eustace’s new dream to have a big house with “walk in closets.” It is apparent that Eustace is starting to gradually becoming like many modern-day Americans. Anyone with this dream should not be given the name “The Last American Man.” I think that the idea of “The Last American Man” is a good one because of how people today think that they need things that are really a luxury to have. It is nice to create a view of what people used to be like in early history.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Last American Man Chapter 8
• Blog – Why do the apprentices dislike Eustace so much? Would you want to work for him?
The apprentices dislike Eustace because he wanted more out of them then they could do. According to Eustace’s program manager 90 percent of his apprentices left “under of angry and bitter circumstances.” (Pg. 201) Eustace wanted his apprentices to do everything he did, which was everything. Eustace knew he worked hard to keep Turtle Island the way it is, but he was unaware of the unreal hours that he worked, and no one “was willing to work all day on building a barn and then sit up all night making phone calls and writing land deeds.” (Pg. 198) Even Eustace’s best apprentice, Jason quit before his two-year commitment was through. Jason had quit because he was unhappy of Eustace’s leadership.
I personally would not want to work for Eustace for mostly the same reasons as the people who actually worked for him. I agree that it would be fun to do for a little bit, but all day everyday I just wouldn’t be able to do it.
The apprentices dislike Eustace because he wanted more out of them then they could do. According to Eustace’s program manager 90 percent of his apprentices left “under of angry and bitter circumstances.” (Pg. 201) Eustace wanted his apprentices to do everything he did, which was everything. Eustace knew he worked hard to keep Turtle Island the way it is, but he was unaware of the unreal hours that he worked, and no one “was willing to work all day on building a barn and then sit up all night making phone calls and writing land deeds.” (Pg. 198) Even Eustace’s best apprentice, Jason quit before his two-year commitment was through. Jason had quit because he was unhappy of Eustace’s leadership.
I personally would not want to work for Eustace for mostly the same reasons as the people who actually worked for him. I agree that it would be fun to do for a little bit, but all day everyday I just wouldn’t be able to do it.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Last American Man Chapter 7
• Blog – Why does Eustace want to ride his horse across the country? What is one significant thing that happens to him on the trip?
In this chapter the reader discovers Eustace’s love for horses. Eustace would use his newly purchased horse named Bonnie to do farming and hauling. Eustace was “fascinated with the idea of taking a horse on the road for some serious distance travel.” (Pg. 153) However, in order to do this Eustace needed a better horse. Once, he bought his new horse he went riding from the mountains to the North Carolina coast.
Having had traveled all over America by foot, the idea of taking a horse across the country intrigued him. It intrigued him because it would allow him to see a different way of traveling. Eustace wanted to push himself, his brother, and his horses to their limit. He did not want to take a slow steady pace; this trip would be all about speed. A significant thing that happens while on the trip was when Eustace wanted to go one why but Judson and Susan wanted to go the other way. Eustace said that it would be burdensome to the horses and when they met up again he saw that he was right. Another to event that took place while on his coast-to-coast adventure was him fighting a mule. The owner from which Eustace bought the mule from told him of the mule’s intent to kill people if they ever touched its ears, belly, feet, or for no reason, but Eustace would have none of that. He fought that mule until it finally saw him as the one who would make the decisions.
In this chapter the reader discovers Eustace’s love for horses. Eustace would use his newly purchased horse named Bonnie to do farming and hauling. Eustace was “fascinated with the idea of taking a horse on the road for some serious distance travel.” (Pg. 153) However, in order to do this Eustace needed a better horse. Once, he bought his new horse he went riding from the mountains to the North Carolina coast.
Having had traveled all over America by foot, the idea of taking a horse across the country intrigued him. It intrigued him because it would allow him to see a different way of traveling. Eustace wanted to push himself, his brother, and his horses to their limit. He did not want to take a slow steady pace; this trip would be all about speed. A significant thing that happens while on the trip was when Eustace wanted to go one why but Judson and Susan wanted to go the other way. Eustace said that it would be burdensome to the horses and when they met up again he saw that he was right. Another to event that took place while on his coast-to-coast adventure was him fighting a mule. The owner from which Eustace bought the mule from told him of the mule’s intent to kill people if they ever touched its ears, belly, feet, or for no reason, but Eustace would have none of that. He fought that mule until it finally saw him as the one who would make the decisions.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Last American Man Chapter 6
In chapter six the reader learns that Eustace was starting to get tired of running Turtle Island. “Working seven days a week, all hours of the day for a year now.” (Pg. 129) That was a year after establishing Turtle Island; two years after his purchase of Turtle Island “Eustace was starting to burn out.” (Pg. 137) However, as tough as it was running Turtle Island, Eustace still wanted to purchase more land. He wanted to purchase the land surrounding his current property so that the land around him wouldn’t become polluted. He especially wanted the land called the Cabell Gragg Land. He had to work with David Kaplan who had recently bought a piece of land adjacent to Eustace’s and who had built a resort called Heavenly Mountain. Eustace and Kaplan were not exactly friends with each other but when Eustace asked Kaplan to buy the Cabell Gragg Land and then sell it to him, he agreed.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Last American Man Chapter 5
• Blog – What does actually starting Turtle Island do to Eustace? What does it allow him to do?
To Eustace, obtaining the loan from his father in order to purchase part of Turtle Island was a life changing experience. Eustace’s father, of course, loaned him the money on “at a competitive rate…” (Pg. 106) So, on October 15, 1987, Eustace Conway bought his share of Turtle Island. He immediately started to build a tool shed with, surprisingly, his dad. Eustace loved the dense forest, and even before purchasing the property he began mapping out the whole 107 acres and figuring out were to place various structures that he would later build. So actually starting Turtle Island and creating it into a camp where children could come to learn about the wilderness excited Eustace, as did anything and everything about nature. He wanted “Turtle Island to be the setting of colossal utopian experiment in which he would try to do nothing less than change and save America.” (Pg. 95) He loved the experience of taking the children into the forest and explaining how the forest floor was ‘alive’. He would bury himself in the moist ground and then describe what he felt, this made all the kids wanted to buried. That is why Eustace wanted to purchase Turtle Island.
To Eustace, obtaining the loan from his father in order to purchase part of Turtle Island was a life changing experience. Eustace’s father, of course, loaned him the money on “at a competitive rate…” (Pg. 106) So, on October 15, 1987, Eustace Conway bought his share of Turtle Island. He immediately started to build a tool shed with, surprisingly, his dad. Eustace loved the dense forest, and even before purchasing the property he began mapping out the whole 107 acres and figuring out were to place various structures that he would later build. So actually starting Turtle Island and creating it into a camp where children could come to learn about the wilderness excited Eustace, as did anything and everything about nature. He wanted “Turtle Island to be the setting of colossal utopian experiment in which he would try to do nothing less than change and save America.” (Pg. 95) He loved the experience of taking the children into the forest and explaining how the forest floor was ‘alive’. He would bury himself in the moist ground and then describe what he felt, this made all the kids wanted to buried. That is why Eustace wanted to purchase Turtle Island.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Unit Essay Blog
• Blog – What are your preliminary ideas for your essay? How to those ideas relate to your own life?
I plan to write about the Special Olympics and how it helps people. Not only does volunteering at the Special Olympics make the lives of many intellectually disabled people better, it also batters your own life. It gives everyone the chance to build character and further their social skills. These ideas relate to my own life because last year I volunteered at the Special Olympics Bowling. I met new people and the athletes who participated were all happy and friendly. Volunteering for the Special Olympics doesn’t take much of your time and it is also fun. I am looking forward to volunteering again this year.
I plan to write about the Special Olympics and how it helps people. Not only does volunteering at the Special Olympics make the lives of many intellectually disabled people better, it also batters your own life. It gives everyone the chance to build character and further their social skills. These ideas relate to my own life because last year I volunteered at the Special Olympics Bowling. I met new people and the athletes who participated were all happy and friendly. Volunteering for the Special Olympics doesn’t take much of your time and it is also fun. I am looking forward to volunteering again this year.
Friday, October 3, 2008
End of Book Blog
• Blog – This is a novel about one slave’s quest for freedom. What other groups today still suffer from confinement as Linda did?
The novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl as the title suggest, about a slave and her troubles. Linda, the main character tells all about her hard times as a slave trying to escape to freedom. Although most people tend to think that discrimination against blacks is gone, it is not. It still lurks around, but not as much. Today minority groups are the ones that suffer from confinement. Groups such as the Klu Klux Klan are looked down upon by a majority of people. Everyone in American has the same rights, and chooses how to live their life.
The novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl as the title suggest, about a slave and her troubles. Linda, the main character tells all about her hard times as a slave trying to escape to freedom. Although most people tend to think that discrimination against blacks is gone, it is not. It still lurks around, but not as much. Today minority groups are the ones that suffer from confinement. Groups such as the Klu Klux Klan are looked down upon by a majority of people. Everyone in American has the same rights, and chooses how to live their life.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Chapters 35-41
• Blog – How does Linda eventually gain her freedom? Why does she have mixed emotions at the end of the novel?
Linda gains her freedom when Mrs. Flint, now Mrs. Dodge came to New York and wanted Linda to pay her for her freedom or to go back to the south. When Mrs. Bruce hears of this she hires a lawyer to negotiate with the Dodges. “He proposed to pay three hundred dollars down, if Mr. Dodge would sell me…” (Pg. 250) Linda thought that in a free state her freedom should not be bought so when her freedom was bought she objected to it; but at the same time was deeply grateful to Mrs. Bruce bought her to be released. However soon after Linda gains her freedom she hears the news of her grandmother’s death. Also she receives an obituary notice of Phillip’s death. While two people close to Linda die Linda still has comforting memories of her grandmother, who helped her endure everything that Linda went through.
Linda gains her freedom when Mrs. Flint, now Mrs. Dodge came to New York and wanted Linda to pay her for her freedom or to go back to the south. When Mrs. Bruce hears of this she hires a lawyer to negotiate with the Dodges. “He proposed to pay three hundred dollars down, if Mr. Dodge would sell me…” (Pg. 250) Linda thought that in a free state her freedom should not be bought so when her freedom was bought she objected to it; but at the same time was deeply grateful to Mrs. Bruce bought her to be released. However soon after Linda gains her freedom she hears the news of her grandmother’s death. Also she receives an obituary notice of Phillip’s death. While two people close to Linda die Linda still has comforting memories of her grandmother, who helped her endure everything that Linda went through.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)