I am not just saying this in hopes of a better grade, I really enjoyed my time in this class. It seemed to be the one I prepared for most, and dreaded attending least. Thank you for that, both classmates and professor alike.
My final portfolio is complete, the link is here:
http://thebrianmcavoy.weebly.com/
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Book Club: Final Post?
Dexter Filkins has balls.
I respect the hell out of the writer of this book for going into such a harsh, dangerous place to report the truth. He gives both sides of every story, the way a story should be told. He had so many near death experiences, it's incredible that he made it out alive. He risked his life in the name of honest journalism, how can you not respect that? Many journalists lost their lives in greusome attacks throughout the danger zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Filkins made it out alive and I don't know how he did it. Pretty remarkable.
The book itself was good. The structure was interesting in a good way and a bad way. The author structured it with purpose. The way the stories make up the entire book makes it all right to jump around if you want to or need to. I feel like if the reader wants to skip over a story, that's OK, no big deal, just start at another spot and not miss a beat.
The book is amazing in that it brings you into the action. We, as readers, are used to seeing it on TV. While reading the book, Filkins brings us into the real setting without the bullshit that news stations or news papers or anything else puts in for filters. He is clearly a non-biased journalist reporting from war bringing it to our attention the realities and struggles of both sides.
I would suggest it to anyone interested in war in general, history, and the like. It was a good read with a lot of insight. Again, I respect Dexter Filkins for reporting the way he did (un-biased), and for putting himself in the line of fire (literally) to get the story, or stories, he wanted.
I respect the hell out of the writer of this book for going into such a harsh, dangerous place to report the truth. He gives both sides of every story, the way a story should be told. He had so many near death experiences, it's incredible that he made it out alive. He risked his life in the name of honest journalism, how can you not respect that? Many journalists lost their lives in greusome attacks throughout the danger zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Filkins made it out alive and I don't know how he did it. Pretty remarkable.
The book itself was good. The structure was interesting in a good way and a bad way. The author structured it with purpose. The way the stories make up the entire book makes it all right to jump around if you want to or need to. I feel like if the reader wants to skip over a story, that's OK, no big deal, just start at another spot and not miss a beat.
The book is amazing in that it brings you into the action. We, as readers, are used to seeing it on TV. While reading the book, Filkins brings us into the real setting without the bullshit that news stations or news papers or anything else puts in for filters. He is clearly a non-biased journalist reporting from war bringing it to our attention the realities and struggles of both sides.
I would suggest it to anyone interested in war in general, history, and the like. It was a good read with a lot of insight. Again, I respect Dexter Filkins for reporting the way he did (un-biased), and for putting himself in the line of fire (literally) to get the story, or stories, he wanted.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Serving in Florida
Barbara Ehrenreich's piece "Serving in Florida" sort of hits close to home. It was a good read and, as a server in a restaurant, I could relate somewhat. Also, having the pleasure of scrambling around with two jobs and full-time school, I understand her frustrations, worries, thoughts and the like. It is not easy.
Any restaurant employee (past or present) is part of a somewhat proud group who can generally relate to each other. I have been doing it for a number of years and I now consider it easy because I am good at what I do, however, not a day goes by where I don't think about how much I will enjoy my life without having to wait tables anymore. It is really an interesting line of work, one that is somewhat rewarding but dealing with hungry assholes every night is sometimes not worth the lucrative nature of the job. Not many jobs are so compatible with my other job and my school schedule and the money is not bad at all. Granted, in the industry one must take the good with the bad, the good usually outweighs the bad. I am rambling.
The piece that Ehrenreich wrote is fun because one can relate. I guess I speak for myself, but my story is not totally different from hers. I pay rent, car insurance, cell phone, car payment, cable, electric, gas, food, etc. The list goes on and on, and it is a struggle. Everyday something comes up. I just found out my cable got shut off because my brother and I got caught up during the holidays to realize it was due, now Comcast wants $280 for us to turn it back on. Rent is due tomorrow, where does the money come from? The author of the piece displays the hardships that others go through, the ones who struggle more than I do. I consider myself lucky that I don't have to put up with what the characters in "Serving in Florida" have to handle. I have a small apartment with my brother in Mansfield, these folks are struggling to stay at hotels and trailer parks. I guess it could be worse.
Anyway, she brings up real issues regarding human battles. Interesting binary oppositions between corporate and human, that's another issue that lines this article throughout and another one I can, unfortunately, relate to.
End blog here, cheers.
Any restaurant employee (past or present) is part of a somewhat proud group who can generally relate to each other. I have been doing it for a number of years and I now consider it easy because I am good at what I do, however, not a day goes by where I don't think about how much I will enjoy my life without having to wait tables anymore. It is really an interesting line of work, one that is somewhat rewarding but dealing with hungry assholes every night is sometimes not worth the lucrative nature of the job. Not many jobs are so compatible with my other job and my school schedule and the money is not bad at all. Granted, in the industry one must take the good with the bad, the good usually outweighs the bad. I am rambling.
The piece that Ehrenreich wrote is fun because one can relate. I guess I speak for myself, but my story is not totally different from hers. I pay rent, car insurance, cell phone, car payment, cable, electric, gas, food, etc. The list goes on and on, and it is a struggle. Everyday something comes up. I just found out my cable got shut off because my brother and I got caught up during the holidays to realize it was due, now Comcast wants $280 for us to turn it back on. Rent is due tomorrow, where does the money come from? The author of the piece displays the hardships that others go through, the ones who struggle more than I do. I consider myself lucky that I don't have to put up with what the characters in "Serving in Florida" have to handle. I have a small apartment with my brother in Mansfield, these folks are struggling to stay at hotels and trailer parks. I guess it could be worse.
Anyway, she brings up real issues regarding human battles. Interesting binary oppositions between corporate and human, that's another issue that lines this article throughout and another one I can, unfortunately, relate to.
End blog here, cheers.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Book Club: November 16, 2011
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
As I continue reading this book more details and different viewpoints present themselves. Some styles that the author uses are appealing and some are not. I am enjoying the book based on the intense descriptions of everything Filkins encounters, however he certainly leaves somethings unclear.
I wish the author set a better timeline for the piece. This does not by any means ruin the work, but it would be easier as a reader if he didn't jump around so much. I am about half way through the book now and I am realizing more and more that I lost track of where we are in time. Maybe the author does that on purpose? I'm really not sure. If it is good for anything, I can relate as a writer sitting down with a subject and scrambling through notes and quotes trying to make some sense of it. Maybe during his time in this area his notes were kind of all over the place, which in turn translated into a less structured timeline of events in the book.
Someone in my group had brought up an event in the book that I have just read about and it's remarkable to say the least. The Americans brought in a blonde woman to a fake auction and were pretending to sell her to the highest bidder. The Iraqi people went crazy. While the bidding continued, American soldiers conducted searches of homes in three different regions and took all of the weapons and firearms they could find. Some Iraqis offered their children, cars, goats, etc. It is incredible to see how differently these individuals practice their courting among many, many other things in their lives.
The aspect of this work that I appreciate most is the way Filkins explains both sides of each story. We touched on it a little bit in the last book club, but I realized it a lot reading the parts that I read for today. He is very non-biased and just wants to relay the truth to the reader without regard to previous opinions. In fact, he goes to great lengths to achieve this truth, sometimes getting extremely close to violence.
As I continue reading this book more details and different viewpoints present themselves. Some styles that the author uses are appealing and some are not. I am enjoying the book based on the intense descriptions of everything Filkins encounters, however he certainly leaves somethings unclear.
I wish the author set a better timeline for the piece. This does not by any means ruin the work, but it would be easier as a reader if he didn't jump around so much. I am about half way through the book now and I am realizing more and more that I lost track of where we are in time. Maybe the author does that on purpose? I'm really not sure. If it is good for anything, I can relate as a writer sitting down with a subject and scrambling through notes and quotes trying to make some sense of it. Maybe during his time in this area his notes were kind of all over the place, which in turn translated into a less structured timeline of events in the book.
Someone in my group had brought up an event in the book that I have just read about and it's remarkable to say the least. The Americans brought in a blonde woman to a fake auction and were pretending to sell her to the highest bidder. The Iraqi people went crazy. While the bidding continued, American soldiers conducted searches of homes in three different regions and took all of the weapons and firearms they could find. Some Iraqis offered their children, cars, goats, etc. It is incredible to see how differently these individuals practice their courting among many, many other things in their lives.
The aspect of this work that I appreciate most is the way Filkins explains both sides of each story. We touched on it a little bit in the last book club, but I realized it a lot reading the parts that I read for today. He is very non-biased and just wants to relay the truth to the reader without regard to previous opinions. In fact, he goes to great lengths to achieve this truth, sometimes getting extremely close to violence.
Friday, November 4, 2011
My Website: Midterm portfolio
http://www.thebrianmcavoy.weebly.com/
Hope you like it! This is a group of assignments that didn't really even feel like school work. That is a first. Have a good weekend.
-Brian J. McAvoy
Hope you like it! This is a group of assignments that didn't really even feel like school work. That is a first. Have a good weekend.
-Brian J. McAvoy
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Harsh Reality in Iraq and Afghanistan
After reading a little bit further, the harsh reality of the living conditions throughout the earlier 2000's really shines through in the book. What I really like about the author is that he is never apprehensive to talk to the locals and get their opinions. He almost gets spit on by one man because of his absolute detestation of Americans and more importantly their occupation in Iraq, but the author still persists in order to get deeper into the story or just to get a point across. I think that's what has set this piece apart from other works that have covered the war. He spent so much time there and became familiar with so many people and places, who knows it better than he does? His experience shines through every story, description and explanation. It is impossible to miss.
The reading goes relatively fast, at least I think so, because Filkins often uses shorter passages that make up each chapter. Almost like sub-chapters, he tells different stories or highlights a different person's struggle within the specific region (i.e. Afghanistan or Iraq). I'm looking forward to reading more.
The reading goes relatively fast, at least I think so, because Filkins often uses shorter passages that make up each chapter. Almost like sub-chapters, he tells different stories or highlights a different person's struggle within the specific region (i.e. Afghanistan or Iraq). I'm looking forward to reading more.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Endless War: My First Impression
The Endless War is a great read so far. I am really enjoying the different descriptions Dexter Filkins offers, descriptions that Americans aren't used to hearing or reading about. The author has a direct, almost dry way of telling about his travels, but keeps the reader informed while doing so. He will explain something that an average reader wouldn't normally know about and then tell us how it is. I think it's remarkable that his first time traveling to Afghanistan was in 1998. Even more remarkable is that was 13 years ago, the nation has seen war for a very long time.
I now understand what Jessica and Sarah were talking about in book club a couple of weeks ago; the author jumps around quite a bit and it could be easy for a reader to get a little bit lost. At this point, I think he is just telling different stories about what he has seen in different places, and will probably be able to tie it all back together later on in the book.
While Afghanistan and Iraq are certainly different wars, they are undoubtedly similar and one can see that through just the first parts of this book. Filkins paints an awesome picture in his writing, which helps me realize the severity of each of these occupations and the struggles that the Iraqis and Afghans face every day.
"Iraq was filled with people like Yacob Yusef. They weren't survivors as much as they were leftovers." Filkins, p. 72
"Murder and torture and sadism: it was part of Iraq. It was in people's brains." Filkins, p. 73
Those are a couple of things I underlined in a really dark part of the book. I am looking forward to finding out more about his experiences in these war battered areas. It is really nothing Americans have ever seen. End blog here.
I now understand what Jessica and Sarah were talking about in book club a couple of weeks ago; the author jumps around quite a bit and it could be easy for a reader to get a little bit lost. At this point, I think he is just telling different stories about what he has seen in different places, and will probably be able to tie it all back together later on in the book.
While Afghanistan and Iraq are certainly different wars, they are undoubtedly similar and one can see that through just the first parts of this book. Filkins paints an awesome picture in his writing, which helps me realize the severity of each of these occupations and the struggles that the Iraqis and Afghans face every day.
"Iraq was filled with people like Yacob Yusef. They weren't survivors as much as they were leftovers." Filkins, p. 72
"Murder and torture and sadism: it was part of Iraq. It was in people's brains." Filkins, p. 73
Those are a couple of things I underlined in a really dark part of the book. I am looking forward to finding out more about his experiences in these war battered areas. It is really nothing Americans have ever seen. End blog here.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
