A Small, Good Thing, by Raymond Carver Essay -- Raymond Carver

The short story, "A Small, Good Thing" by Raymond Carver tells of two American parents dealing with their son's hospitalization and death as the result of a hit-and-run car accident. The insensitive actions of their local baker add to their anger and confusion, yet by the end of the story, leave them with a sense of optimism and strength. With such content, Carver runs the risk of coming across as sentimental; however, this is not the case, and the anguish of the parents and their shock at the situation is expressed with dignity and understatement. It is a story with a broad appeal: the simple prose makes it accessible to a wide audience, while the complex themes and issues make it appealing to the educated reader. Written in Carver's characteristically minimalist style, the story poignantly evokes not only the trauma of the death of a child, but also the breakdown of communication and empathy in society. The plain and direct narrative style suits the content, conveying the lack of c ommunication that is central to the narrative - between the parents, between the hospital staff, and with the baker. Critically, it is generally considered one of Carver's strongest short stories. It is a tale of isolation and of grief, but also of hope, and, with its fluid, pared-down style, clearly demonstrates why Carver is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the late 20th century. On the surface, the story of A Small, Good Thing is simple and universal. Thirty-three-year-old Ann Weiss orders a cake for her son's Scotty's eighth birthday and is a little put off by the baker's cold attitude - "(he) was not jolly. There were no pleasantries between them, just the minimum exchange of words, the necessary information." However, she soo... ...- emotional yet not melodramatic; sparsely written yet still complex; a human story which explores the arbitrary nature of fate. The writing style is fresh and invigorating; the characters well-drawn, the narrative driving, the themes thought-provoking. While some readers are likely to be frustrated by the limited exposition and the abruptness of the actions, most could be expected to find it well worth their attention. A Small, Good Thing has become a minimalist classic, and a close reading should clearly demonstrate why Carver is regarded as one of the strongest short-story writers in recent times. Bibliography Clarke, Graham. "Investing the Glimpse: Raymond Carver and the Syntax of Silence." The New American Writing: Essays on American Literature Since 1970. Ed. Graham Clarke. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. 99-122. http://cai.ucdavis.edu/enl3/minimalism.htm

Jones Case Study

Jones Case Study Scenario 1: Since it seems like the Jones’ are set on having a family and that family is important to them this scenario will focus more on what could be best for them to do to make sure their family life is stable. In this scenario it seems to me that Jim needs to find a job closer to home that maybe works him a little less. He has stated that he would like to spend more time with his son and that could be achieved by working closer to home. The commute itself would save him about 7 hours weekly that he could spend with his child.Jim has also mentioned that his job isn’t particularly exciting so this might be his chance to go after something he likes more while giving him more time at home. Since his wife makes more money it might not be bad if he took a little pay cut as well in order to accomplish his goals. As far as Lisa goes if having a family is truly a main priority for them she may not want to take the job in Atlanta. She already has a job that makes quite a bit and a move to Atlanta would only mean more work and probably would mean that they wouldn’t be able to have another child for a couple of years.Also moving to a bigger city will also mean that they will have to find new child care which may cost more, another home which will cost more and Jim will have to definitely find another job which could put a strain on the marriage if he is unsuccessful or if he is making considerably less that she is. I see the best outcome with this scenario if Jim can find a job closer to home in order to spend more time with his son and also find a change of pace with his job. Lisa would need to stick with her current position in order to make having a bigger family more attainable for the moment.Scenario 2: If Jim and Lisa put a priority on being financially secure and more so value Lisa’s career then these are some options they might consider. First off Lisa would definitely need to take the promotion and they would move to Atlanta. This would be great because they would definitely have enough money for their home as well as childcare. They would also have more financial security and would be better able to save for things like their kids education and retirement since Lisa is now making more money than both of them were combined.If Jim also found another job they would be very secure financially and potentially with the move it might open up more job options for Jim and he may find something that he enjoys more. Moving to a bigger city also opens up the options for better childcare and better education for their children in the future should their family grow. However as mentioned in the last scenario this may put a strain on the marriage if Jim is unsuccessful in finding another job. Also this new job for Lisa will probably mean more hours at work and less time with the family.It will probably also mean not having another child for quite sometime and maybe never depending on what her new roles ar e at her job. The family might definitely have to be put on the backburner for a little while as the transition occurs. Scenario 3: This scenario would be kind of an extreme mix of the two previous scenarios. Since Jim has stated that he wants to spend more time with their son he could possibly become a stay at home dad. Lisa could take the job in Atlanta, which would definitely make more than enough money to support a family of three especially since they could cut childcare costs.Some cons to this situation however would be that they would have to overcome the social stigma of having the wife work and the dad stay at home. That would be the biggest challenge in my opinion. Especially if Jim started to feel like his worth had been diminished. This could definitely put a strain on the marriage. Also Lisa would have to deal with turning over her motherly duties somewhat and spend less time with the family. She would also probably not be able to have kids anytime soon as well but if t hey decided to at least this way she wouldn’t have to take as much time off since Jim would be home tending to the new child.Jim could also start up some type of business he could run at home. This would allow him to feel like he is contributing to the family income but also spend time with the kids. Reflection: This assignment is a good preparation for big decisions that we all make in our lives. One thing that it shows is that there are many possible solutions to any problem and that we must look at the risks and rewards with each and decides which is best for our own unique family situation. These decisions would be much easier for a family with no children vs. family that already has 3 or 4 kids. If my wife and I were presented with the same situation I would think that we would follow scenario 1 the closest since family is most important to us. Neither of us are really looking to make a lot of money and for myself I wouldn’t mind being a stay at home dad. My wife may object but I love kids and spending time with them and if my wife was offered a job that paid a lot of money, enough to support a family, and it was something that she wanted to do and was passionate about I would like to think that I would support her in doing that.Every family is different though and needs to meet different needs so there is no wrong or right way to go about this. I personally believe that family should always come first but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to spend a lot of time with them. I think it is important though that you are there for your spouse or your kids when they need you and that you are there to support them in the things that they do. If they feel your love and support I don’t think it matters how many hours you work or how much money you make.

Analysis Of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger By Diane Muldrow

Some of the fondest memories I have of my childhood are of story time with my parents. I would listen for hours in amazement of the captivating stories of valiant knights, beautiful princesses, and other amazing tales. I don’t remember much of that period in my life, but what I do remember is intently listening to every word they spoke and slowly learning what those words really meant. It fascinated me that what appeared to me as just scribbles on a page could be transformed into such amazing stories. At such a young age I could not fathom what a profound effect reading would have on my life. Of all the books my parents read to me the one that had the most profound effect on me was the Disney Pixar book Buzz Lightyear: Space Ranger by Diane Muldrow. When I was just under one year old my father purchased the paperback version of Buzz Lightyear: Space Ranger. Every day while my mother was at work my father would read it to me and every night my mother would do the same. As I grew older and transitioned out of my crib into a baby bed, I would request that they read me the book every night before bed. By age three the book had been so worn that the only thing holding it together was duct tape and stickers, but I still loved my book and the story within its fading pages. My beloved book’s slow and inevitable destruction was what finally prompted my parents to protect what remained of the book and place it on a shelf higher than my short little arms could reach. This broke my