presentations 2

            The presentations on Sedaris’ book were interesting because they incorporated familiar topics to the class.  Listening to them present, the novel seemed very similar to Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.  Many of the main themes from both of the books seem to interact, creating a frame in which the family can be examined.  Both of the pieces are heavily focused on the interactions between the abnormal and society, concentrating on the relationship between the irregular and society. 

            Sedaris seems to not completely fit with society, and he appears to embrace his irregularity, which is fascinating because it creates circumstances in which things seem uncomfortable and forced.  The parallels between the two characters—Sedaris and Bechdel—seem to be imperative to the composition of the narrative, as they are both very alike.  The presentations, because of this, were intriguing. 

           

presentations

The presentations on Jodi Picoult’s 19 Minutes were interesting because it was based on a town nearby, in New Hampshire, and the novel seemed to be very action-packed—which is unusual for New Hampshire.  Hearing about the supposed shut-down of the school was pretty crazy.  I haven’t read that particular novel, but it seems that the location of a novel, in general, especially if it is a location that the reader is familiar with, can really press the reader to become more emotionally invested in the story.  It definitely aroused my curiosity, similar to reading Stephen King’s It, or Cell, among others like them.  The sense of familiarity is important to the story, adding another layer to it, for those who are used to the area. 

            Everyone is always talking about violence in video games; this story seems to be an excellent opportunity to explore the research on violence in videogames and its effects on people playing them.  I personally don’t buy into that at all.  Videogames, in my opinion, aren’t the catalysts for violent outbursts, but it appears as though this story is trying to paint that picture. 

            The Marilyn Manson’s essay is an interesting source; he seems to have an issue with the idea that his music, or something like a videogame, could cause a person to commit murder.  I would be interested to see what the research says regarding this because it might lead to the possible conclusions: the video game causes the violence, people who are prone to violence also have an affinity for violent games, or there is no connection between the two.  I believe the last is true.