thomas schell's name in the art store

At the end of the last reading, the grandmother says that the grandfather came back after the dad's funeral.

I don't know if anyone else keeps wondering about how the name "Thomas Schell" was written everywhere in the art store, but I think that it was the grandfather, not the father, who wrote his name there. Maybe he's been there the whole time? Maybe he's the renter? What do you guys think?

Through the Door

After talking to the therapist, when his mom is talking to the therapist and Oskar is listening to the door, he's listening with a stethoscope, why can't he hear all of what's being said? Granted I have no past experience with this so I wouldn't know. But it just seems like he should be able to hear the whole conversation. Maybe it was a stylistic choice of the author, to let the reader try to fill in the blanks and interpret it however.

Riley Venne Post #3

I find it surprising that an autistic child has the confidence to walk around New York
City, alone, and invite himself into strangers houses and apartments. All of my knowledge about autistic children, contradicts the behavior that Oskar preforms throughout the book. from everything that I have read in the past, I have concluded that Autistic children are not social people whatsoever; but now, after reading half of, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, My views have changed completely.I now realize  much more than I have in the past, that autism is a spectrum disorder, and there are hundreds of different cases, each one unique in it's own way. I know that many autistic kids have certain topics that they are very knowledgeable on, and for Oskar I believe that his is Shakespeare's Play, Hamlet. This was another surprise to me because, for the most part, autistic people specialize in topics such as, math, puzzles, and science. When I look at Oskar's interests they seem to be completely different. He is quite interested in English and the history of the language.   

Optimistic, but realistic- Extreamly Depressed

In the chapters, Optimistic, but realistic- Extremely Depressed,  Oksar blows up at his mother for being happy and not grieving over his fathers death in a way he did not understand. I found this chapter a breaking point for him and his mother. They both finally opened up to each other and were completely honest about there feelings of the fathers death. I found it shocking when his mother said, "You remind me so much of your Dad." and Oskar's reaction was "If i could have chosen, i would have chosen you!" I would think that Oskar would take that as a compliment, not as an insult because he thought as his father to be such a great man.

Post #3: Use of the Red Pen- Sam

Jonathan Safran Foer is writing this book in a circular formation, continually going back and touching on details that he mentioned earlier in the story, slowly revealing more about the characters. In the chapter "Why I'm Not Where You Are", Oskar's grandfather is writing a letter to his father explaining why he is not there with him.The pages are marked with red ink, with words, phrases, and punctuation circled. This indicates that his father had been reading it. Whenever his father used to read the New York Times, he would look for errors and mark them with the same pen. I noticed, though, most of the marks were indicating an error, while further into the letter, as it became more personal, the red ink was circling things that his father found untruthful. For example, on page 216, Oskar's father has the phrase, "I love you, your father", circled. There were no grammatical or spelling errors present. Oskar's father thinks this statement is incorrect because his father was absent for the entirety of his life. These small details that Foer puts into the story add something new to the reader's perception of the story as well as returning to old intricacies.

Close Loud Incredibly Extremely

The third section of reading was long and rich with detail. A lot of back story, and it becomes hard to keep track of. Anna died in the bombings of Dresden, which explains why Oskar's grandfather was so upset about her. Also, Oskar's grandmother, it turns out, isn't blind, and can see. She says that she only said that her eyes were crummy so her husband would pay attention to her. She didn't even want all the magazines, she only said she wanted them to make him feel needed. And her life story, written on a thousand pages was all spaces. This makes it pretty awkward when her husband is pretending to read it and she knows nothing is there.
A lot of stories are unfolding in front of us, and I'm excited to see how  they turn out.

Post #3

In this section, Oskar seems to be very paronoid for unusual reasons. When at the house of a stranger they call him by his name and he finds this strange saying a few times, "how did you know my name?". Mr. Black (the neighbor) has to remind him that he told them his name right when they got there. I find this kind of strange and not like Oskar. Another thing I also noticed was that Oskar is very open about new things. He absolutely hates the underground, but when Mr. Black says it is the only way he will be able to accompany him, Oskar allows himself to ride it. That makes me believe that without realizing Oskar is actual capable of overcoming his fears and the things that make him feel "panicky" if he has something to move him and pursue him to do so.

#3

It seems that the Blacks know what's happening. Perhaps one of them heard that another had Oskar come over and it spread all around the Blacks. Abe Black seemed a bit too relaxed during Oskar's visit and roller coaster ride. Ada Black seemed to know about him as well. The only one that made sense was the man who lived above Oskar. This seems unlikely, but this is fiction, so I wouldn't dismiss it. Also, what exactly happened near the beginning where Oskar was injuring another person in the play?

Abe Black

One of the portions of the story so far that confused me the most was the brief introduction to Abe Black on p. 147. Abe Black randomly picked Oskar up, knowing that he was headed towards Manhattan? This makes me think, similarly to Amber, that the Blacks' know something about Oskar's plan. Also, how did they end up on a roller coaster together? I have no idea how the story transitioned from Oskar getting out of the cab in Coney Island, (where he didn't pay the driver) to meeting Abe Black. And why didn't he ask Abe Black about the key? I keep finding myself looking back at that part of the story and I'm still still super confused... Was anyone else stuck on this section or did I miss something?

ELIC #3

During this section of the reading,  Oskar's grandfather describes the bombing in Dresden and how he found out that Anna was pregnant and then lost her and the baby in the bombing. When Oskar's grandmother tells Oskar's grandfather that she is pregnant, he leaves right away, without telling his wife. Oskar's grandfather was reminded of Anna and how he lost her. He is too scared to love someone or something again because he is scared that he is going to lose it. By Oskar's grandfather making such a quick decision about leaving his wife, shows that he did not truly care for her like he did for Anna. She was just a replacement for Anna, especially since they are sisters so they are similar. The bombing of Dresden dramatically changed the rest of his life because he lost the love of his life and the 'idea' of a baby and it affected his actions in the future, for example leaving his wife because she is pregnant.  

Section 3 Commentary

"What does it mean to need a child? One morning I awoke and understood the hole in the middle of me. I realized that I could compromise my life, but not life after me." (pg. 177) This quote got me thinking about why people have children. I never thought about it from this perspective, but a child is something that leaves behind the legacy of his/her parents once they are gone. On one hand, because of this quote, many could justify the grandmother's decision to conceive a baby without consulting her husband (especially because she never specifically asked for his money or presence). But on the contrary, many could argue that it is not fair that the grandmother didn't let the grandfather decide whether or not he wanted to be a father, and that she should take the blame for driving him away. Do you guys think the grandmother had the right to make that decision alone, or was she being cruel by taking away the grandfather's choice?

While reading about Oskar, all alone, all over New York, I always fell very uneasy.  From what we have experienced or heard about, people aren't trustworthy, are concerned with their well being over others, and are willing to exploit others to attain their own selfish goals.  Oskar is a child finding his way around New York City without any supervision, and inviting himself into the apartments (and lives) of complete strangers.  The book amplifies the stereotype that all people fit that selfish formula and brings to readers' attention that not all people--in fact, very few people--have the worst intentions in mind.  Many people, such as Mr. Black, the 103 year-old man, love to have a curious young boy interrupt their lives. 

Post 3

Because of the title of the book, I have been looking out for not only the individual words of the title, but the phrases as well- "extremely loud" and "incredibly close". When Oskar meets Mr. Black, who lives an apartment in the same building as his own, I began noticing these phrases. Mr Black spoke "...extremely loudly..." (152) and "...a flock of birds flew by the window, extremely fast and incredibly close." (165) These quotes both stood out to me. Something I noticed is that while they are very similar to the phrases used in the title of the book, neither quote contains the exact title in its entirety. I wonder if the book was written this way on purpose. Maybe the closer Oskar gets to finding the lock to which the key belongs, the closer the phrases will match up with the title of the book.
I also thought the chapter "The Sixth Borough" was intriguing. It began the same way the story began on page 13. But in this chapter, the we got to hear the whole story. The story of the Sixth Borough and Central Park hinted at clues to solving Oskar's dad's puzzle. But the way the chapter ended was different than the brief summary of that night that Oskar described on pages 13-14. I'm not sure if these different endings have any significance yet, but I hope we will find out as we continue reading.

The Bombing of Dresden - #3

Oskar's grandfather is so afraid of losing something that he loves that he now refuses to love anything. (216) After the bombing of Dresden, the grandfather was a completely changed man. He had lost so much and seen extremely horrific things that made it so he somehow was never able to be the same as he was prior to the event. It was that night that he lost his ability to really love, due to his fear of things being taken from him, like Anna and his family. The grandfather killed all the zoo animals with such brutality that I was actually very surprised. He killed everything, even those who weren’t carnivorous, but I think that was the reason he had so many diverse pets as an adult. It was because he felt guilty for his savage killing of the animals in Dresden. The grandfather was changed so dramatically in that one night of bombing, and the effects were ones that plagued him later in life. The grandfather loved the “idea” of having a baby with Anna, (215) but the love of the idea died with Anna and the baby in the bombing. Therefore, the grandfather couldn’t love the grandmother because it could never be the same as with Anna and he didn’t want to replace his previous love of the idea of a baby with Anna with a baby with the grandmother (Anna’s sister) and so he left. In his letter to his son, the grandfather says, “How did that boy making love behind that shed become this man writing this letter at this table?” (216) The bombing of Dresden was the night that changed the grandfather forever, making it incredibly hard, if not impossible, for him to love something because of the eminent fear of losing it.

On page 169, Oskar finally vocalizes the fact that his father is dead.  He also seems to release a lot of pent up anger upon his mother.  For the majority of the book, I wasn't sure whether or not Oskar truly believed his father was dead, but now it seems clear that he does.  How does this fact effect his reason for doing  search?  What are the mother's beliefs on both death and the search?  If Oskar and his mother cannot agree on what happened to the father, then will they grow further apart as the story continues?

Reading #3 Leary

First off I really enjoyed this section as it touched on different aspects of the human life and truly exemplified the human connection. I would like to ask however if there is any specific evidence that Oskar does in fact have aspergers or is he just a socially awkward kid that went through a very rough experience losing his father. He is a brilliant kid, I would say borderline genius in some aspects of his life and his imagination in incredible. I know that we were told that he does in fact have aspergers or some mental disorder but if I was not told I most likely would not have picked up on it. I really enjoyed meeting Mr. Black (the 103 year old one) his character really added a new refreshing human connection to the story. Does this Black have any other reason to be in the book other than to add an interesting twist? Also I know this was earlier in the reading, but what was the significance of the letter written to Oskar's grandmother from the man in the concentration camp? Foer seemed to not really tie up that significance; but maybe it comes up later in the story, I don't know.

Eric #3 Questions

I have a few questions. Firstly, how do the letter's from Oskar's grandparents relate to the story? The only similarities that I can see so far are that Oskar and his Grandma have some very similar qualities. I was also confused why Mr. Black, the man that lives in Oskar's apartment building, always ends his sentences with an exclamation point? What made him join Oskar in his search for the lock?  Another question I have is, why does Oskar's mother play such an unimportant role in the book? She always seems to hanging out with that other guy. I also find it very strange that she lets Oskar roam the streets of New York alone. No parent in the right mind would ever let their kid do that. Does she have some mental disability as well?

Jack's thoughts on ELIC pt. 3

This section was long and very informative, but I still have so many questions. I'd first like to start off by wondering why all of the letters between his grandma and grandpa contribute to the story. Yes their relationship was odd and moving, but to me it just seems like the author was adding a whole other theme to story and has nothing to do with Oskar or him finding the source of the Black Key. They're also all written to his father, not Oskar himself. Other questions to think about relating to this topic: Has Oskar see these letters? Why are there edit marks in the letter about the grandpa and the bomb? What the hell was that letter about in the first place? I am just frustrated why the author has to make those chapters so confusing and have them be filled with so much nonsense. I feel like I'm obliviously missing a huge theme. Like her releasing the pets? him staying for one more day? I can't get a hold on any of it

I would also like to know the significance of Mr. Black, the old man that "always talked with exclamation points!!" That was a frustrating to read, what made the author put that in? Was it because the part with the birds, being extremely loud and incredibly close? Another thing I really dislike. When a little moment like that becomes the title of the book, if that is even the case. It just doesn't make sense!

Anyway.

Mr. Black, a man who is supposedly over 100 years old and hasn't been out of the house for years, decides to join Oskar in search of finding the source of the key? that seems a little strange to me, how one could be so willing to change for a little boy all of the sudden?

To end, it amazes me how Oskar is still going down the list in search of all the Blacks. No one has suggested him to go in order of location, because if that was the case imagine how many more he could have done by now. And how does his mom still not know about this? What does he think he's doing? It excites me that the book is coming to an end because all I'm really concerned about is him finding the source of the key. And if there's a reason for all those pages between the grandma and grandpa

My proposal for AP Comp T-shirts still stands.

Blog Post 3

While Oskar is going door to door, people seem to know his name even if he isn't sure he told them who he was. This happened a couple of times and it seems a little peculiar to me. Oskar is very observant and smart and I think that he wouldn’t forget so easily if he already told someone his name. It is possible that Oskar is being paranoid, but I don’t think so.  Could it be that this chase for the key is planned and that’s why people seem to know his name? I think it is possible that someone set up the scavenger hunt for Oskar, like his father used to, and called all the people with the last name Black to give them a heads up.

Mourning vs. Aspergers

I know in  class we briefly touched on the fact that this book was more a story of morning and coping than a story about 9/11, but is it more a story about aspergers as well? Oskar's unique voice, actions and really the entire narrative is all molded by the fact that he has aspegers. The book and entire plot would be no where near the same if that wasn't the case and I know that other stories written in the perspective of a person with aspergers or autism, like Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime, are meant to teach people more about people with aspergers. Is this book the same?

Crummy Eyes

I'm a little confused on the severity of Oskar's grandmother's eyesight. She must be able to see to a certain extent, since she could read the pages from her husband's books. But at the same time, she wasn't able to recognize that when she was typing out her life story, she was really typing nothing at all. Did her eyesight truly get that much worse, to the point that she was basically blind? Or was she able to see that the pages of her story were blank all along? I know this was addressed on p. 124, but I still haven't decided for myself what I think. When Oskar's grandfather is narrating I imagine her being blind, but when Oskar is narrating I don't imagine that at all. It's confusing...what do you guys think?

Riley Venne Post #2

          Oskar's grandparent's view on life as, nothing VS something, is quite literal in the sense that they don't look at life figuratively. Most people view life as a mystery, and they decide to live it without explanation, but Oskar's grandparents put a label on life, (Nothing VS Something). Their ability to live life with a label shows that they truly don't have any love toward one another. If Oskar's grandparents loved each other, they would not feel inclined to tape off sections of their house, so that they didn't have to deal with each other all the time.  Safran implements images of chaos, that greater emphasize the tention between oscars grandmother and grandfather when they were younger, in order to further enlighten the reader, of the relationship between the two characters.

Oskar and blacks

Oskar is going on a journey and trying to find the lock that fits this black key mystery. I realized that this is his coping mechanism to his dad's death. He finds the comfort in talking to total strangers and just opening up his life to them. For example, Mr. Black in 6A made him think about life. I feel like he finds more comfort with talking to the blacks then talking to his mom. His mom plays this very distant role and when she tries to play the role of mom Oskar doesn't know how to react because she never does. The death has presumably affected both of these lives. I have noticed that the mom just seems to want to move on and just go on with life. But Oskar trying to find the black key mystery is his way of getting through this tragedy. He finds happiness in Saturdays because finding the black key is happiness to him.

grandfather's speech

I don't understand why Oskar's grandfather always uses the grandmother's hands to make motions to communicate, rather than demonstrating with his own body. Is this simply part of their relationship?

"Extremely" and "Incredibly"

I've been wondering what the significance of using "extremely" and "incredibly" is. After they've come up in the book, and seem to be doing so increasingly, I think Oskar lives by these adverbs, and he's just trying to figure out what should go after them. This is why we see them constantly, because he's "testing them out". While it can be annoying at times, I believe it will be an important finding in the book.

How Small We Really Are

On page 86, Oskar realized how relatively insignificant he was compared to the entire history of the universe. This really got me thinking because it makes a lot of sense. If I didn't exist, the world would just keep on spinning and nothing would change that drastically. Either a very influential person or an enormous amount of people would have to die in order for history to be that greatly impacted. Although Oskar was comforted by his father's point about moving a grain of sand, I still wasn't. It's more of an amazement than a fear of both how big and how old the universe is and will continue to be. And despite the fact that one human will not make a significant impact, the combined efforts of humanity as a whole will always shape the course of the Earth, and therefore the universe.

Part 2 Post

I found the part where the grandma was writing her life story and sent it to the grandpa not knowing it as blank, very sad. Seeing the actual blank pages incorporated into the section made it more real and brought more emotion to it. I thougtht it was really sweet that the Grandpa pretended that he actually read the story she thought she wrote and even made the effort to make up answers to questions that she asked him. It shows that even though things might not have been good between them before, he still cares about her and wants to make an effort even if it is just reading about her life and not letting her be disappointed.

Commentary #2

   During the past reading chapters, I was really lost on who was talking at some points because the author kept switching roles between narrators. My main question of the reading was what was the significance of why he kept asking the time. "do you know what time it is?" (112, 118, 125, 129). Did this symbolize some sort of "running out of time" like with the grandma? I personally just need some clarification on his conversations through writing in these chapters.

Oskar and his Grandma

"We spent so much time together. I don't think there's anyone that I spent more time with, at least not since Dad died, unless you count Buckminster. But there were a lot of people that I knew better. For example, I didn't know anything about what it was like when she was a kid, or how she met Grandpa, or what their marriage was like, or why he left. What were we spending so much time doing if not getting to know each other?"(105)
I find it surprising that she doesn't talk to Oskar more about her personal life. They spend all this time together but Oskar knows nothing personal about her. Why do you think that is?

A few questions

I have many comments, but I have a question that seems the most important: what's the significance of pages 108 - 111? Why do Oskar's father and mother (I'm pretty sure they're his parents, at least someone he's related to) never talk about the past? This connects to the next chapter, right? Also, what's the significance of the Something and Nothing Places? Overall, is there a part of this couple's life Oskar never knew about that affected their relationships with him?

What makes us human

I found it really interesting, on page 99 when Oskar was visiting Abby Black, the small discussion they had about elephants and then humans when he asked to kiss her. Oskar says that "humans are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, an kisses with lips." He reasoned that the more she kissed, the more human she was, but she proposed the counterargument that does that mean the more she wages war the more human she is as well? 

It was a really interesting thing to think about. Our actions define who we are, as humans, as individuals, but our actions are molded by our emotions. Thus, we are defined by our emotions, our ability to hate (and wage war) and our ability to love (and kiss with lips). 

The story revealed in this book could be very interesting and full of new ideas. However, the author is incapable of doing so and resorts to abandoning what he began. There is no need to get into the past of Oskar's relatives. While there was a theme for it in books like The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a theme between generations is absent here.
Furthermore, I'd like to reveal some recent ideas when writing modern english. After a small idea or setting is introduced and concluded in its description, it would be useful for the reader to have what is called a paragraph break. This is when one takes the first sentence of a new idea, and rather than attaching it to the previous idea, puts it a line below to let the reader know that there is a transition of ideas occurring. This is very different than a page break with one sentence of none on it. Imagine if all of those one page sentences were condensed into one page, with paragraph breaks in between. It may look more readable. In its current state, this book is uninviting, regardless of how well it's written, due to poor structural choices in formatting.

Section 2 ELIC

This section of the reading was a little bit hard for me to understand because I didn’t really know who was talking at the time since the author kept switching the narrator every couple of pages. I have some clarifying questions though. On page 83, it says, “Sometimes I would think about those hundred letters laid across my bedroom floor. If I hadn’t collected them, would our house have burned less brightly?” I was wondering who said that. Was it Anna and did she die in the fire? Is that why the grandfather married her younger sister and misses her so much? Another question is why did the author keep saying “what time is it?” on some of the pages that separated the section into different parts?

At the end of the section, when the grandfather was describing how he had wrote everywhere, for example on parts of his apartment and his body, I thought that was a powerful way to show how much he wanted to talk to his wife to explain his actions and why he is leaving, even though “there’s too much to express.” (132) It showed that it is really hard to express one’s feelings in a certain situations.   The part right after that made me a little more emotionally attached to the book. He was saying sorry for everything that he had done and everything that he was going to do. “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do your mother and to you.” (132). This part made me sad because he knows what he is doing is wrong, but he still has to do it anyway. This connects to the grandfather’s comment about wishing he could have two lives. By leaving his wife when he still loved her, it revealed that he still wishes that he could stay with his wife and carry on their life together, but he wants to start something new. His thoughts about having two lives stems from his loss of a loved one, Anna.   

A penny for your thoughts.

Does Oskar truly believe that his father is dead? Similarly, what does he expect at the end of his search: a prize hidden by his father, or his father himself?

Reading 2 Yes/No

Reading 2 finds our young, ambitious, protagonist frolicking around New York City looking for clues pertaining to the mysterious envelope labeled "Black." While Oskar tries to conjure clues out of everything, a parallel story emerges of Oskar's grandfather and his story. We learn about how he lived silently with Oskar's grandmother and how he, on a random day, abandoned his pregnant wife. It was completely selfish of him to abandon her and never look back. She gave him love and worked with him to find a balance in both their lives so that they could live together, one silent the other not, in harmony. To ditch her was irresponsible, and completely selfish as he had no right to just up and leave. Nothing she did encroached on him or his ways, as she accommodated him and made it possible for them to live together. Also, who in their right mind would leave a pregnant wife to go live alone somewhere else. He is a sorry man afraid to confront his fears and troubles in life and decided to take the easy way out of everything by just giving up.

Ashley #2

Oskar always has raisons d'etre based on his mother, but yet seems so distant from her. He feels as if she doesn't understand him, and that she isn't showing enough emotion towards his father's death, but fails to see her constant attempts at their relationship. Oskar obviously does care a great amount for his mother, or else he wouldn't have so many reasons to be about her, and he wouldn't feel so incredibly guilty for lying to her all of the time. When will Oskar finally open up to his mother and fix the issues he has with her? When will he finally be able to show her the messages? The messages could be what mends their relationship.

Ashley #1

Finally figured the blog out! These were my orginal questions before we discussed them:


   In section one, there is a long section where the narrator completely changes. I was confused on the rapid change. Before finding out it was Oskar's grandfather, I thought it could have been Stephen Hawkens. Oskar was really intrigued by Hawken's biography, so the possibility of that chapter being a piece out of Hawken's book made a little bit of sense.
   Osker also seems to be a very intelligent kid. He holds random facts really well, which is quite impressive. On page 41, Oskar does some math to figure out how long it would take him to open every lock in NY. He says, "... if a baby is born in New York every 50 seconds, and each person has 18 locks, a new lock is created in New York every 2.777 seconds." Oskar's ability to hold these detailed facts will be what helps him find the locks in the long run. His main key will be the details he is able to observe and hold onto.
  
  

EL&IC Section 2

In section 2, the story switches narrators constantly, but Foer leaves little clues to tell you whose story is being followed at that time. When Oskar is the narrator, Foer will leave a clue to this. I noticed that when Oskar is talking, he will mention heavy boots very quickly. When his grandmother is the narrator, she would say that something is "one hundred dollars." Foer leaves these little clues as a way to show you who the narrator is without telling you outright. 

Eric #2

Throughout the book it seems that Oskar has changed a lot. At the beginning of the book he spoke about how he had never lied. Now lies are a natural occurrence for him. I don't think that it is a bad thing for him. He isn't using lies to get out of trouble, he is using them to uncover the truth about his father. On page 87 he made a pact with himself to only lie when necessary, "... I wouldn't lie unless I absolutely had to, which I did a lot." For example, he has had to lie on multiple occasions when trying to discover what " Black" meant. He mostly lied about his age, either to make him seem innocent or, in other cases, mature. I believe that his lies will play an important role in the book. I also find it odd that he counts the number of lies that he makes.

why?

While reading this section, I found myself questioning what Oskar was doing; why was he afraid of subways, why would you walk from place to place and not take a bus, etc. etc. So one of the question's I asked myself was, why is he trying to complete his father's last mission? Will it give him closure? Does it make him feel closer to him? And I think both of these things are true, but I also think he's doing it for the human interaction. With Aaron Black and Abby Black, he gets a whole new perspective of the human experience, because both the situations of the two, unrelated Black's are completely different from each other, and also completely different from Oskar's. I think, if only partially, Oskar is embarking on this journey to find all the possible perspectives on the human experience as he can, the same way his grandmother did with her writing samples.

Part 2: Oskar is an elephant.

As Oskar continues his search for “Black”, he meets Abby Black. On her wall, she has a painting (?) of an elephant that is crying. I found this part particularly touching because of his in depth knowledge of how elephants communicate and how it morbidly connects to his recent loss pertaining to his father. On page 96, he acknowledges that when the call of a dead elephant is played, its herd recognizes it and approaches the speaker. I realized this mirrors, in a way, what Oskar himself is going through. He played the “treasure hunt” game with his father, which was a major part of their relationship. After his father died, Oskar discovers the envelope labeled “black” with a key inside. He is following this last “communication” from his father as way of trying to reconnect with him. He also goes on to say that humans are the only ones who bury their dead, while elephants only gather the bones. Oskar is playing the role of an elephant even more so, as he is on his quest to collect all of the “treasures” left behind by his father. These remnants of his father are more of his “bones” then his actual corpse will ever be, because they embody the spirit of the relationship between him and his son.

Section 2:

Oskar’s grandparents lived together, but always wanted to have their private lives. They began to mark off “nothing” areas in their house to have places where they could be without being seen. It began with one area in the bedroom, but spread throughout the house until nothing was everywhere. On page 110 the grandfather says, “There came a point, a year or two ago, when our apartment was more Nothing than Something, that in itself didn’t have to be a problem, it could have been a good thing, it could have saved us”. The couple kept on thinking that if they had rules and areas of Nothing, they could be happy and at peace. But this nothingness only brought separation, not a happy marriage. The two decided to marry because they were both lonely in an overwhelmingly big city. However, once they lived together it seemed as if all they wanted was to be alone again. The rules and nothing places they set up created a disconnect and distance between the two. The only time they really connected was to argue over what was something and what was nothing. This reminds me of all the rules and restrictions we have for ourselves to try and make life easier. This can be a beneficial thing and help you keep your life organized, but for Oskar’s grandparents all the little rules only made matters worse. The two were never really happy or comfortable together, and they thought by having so many rules things would get easier. It seems to me that their rules were put into action solve their problems, but the real problem was the marriage itself, and that couldn’t be fixed.  

Abby and the Elephants - #2

In the reading, there was one scene that really grabbed my attention and was very touching emotionally. It was when Oskar met Abby Black. 

At first she was hesitant to allow him into her home; however, she ended up caving and inviting him in. As they talked, her husband called from the other room, but as Oskar said on page 93, "she didn't pay any attention, like she didn't hear it, or didn't care." They began to discuss elephants after Oskar noticed the photograph of one on her wall. Oskar told her about how elephants remember hundreds of calls. Ones of their enemies and loved ones. Abby asked if the elephants cried when they heard the recorded calls of their dead family members. Oskar replies to her inquiry with, "I'd say they were confused." (96) 

Then Abby began to cry, perhaps about the elephants desperate to find their dead loved ones or something deeper and more personal. Maybe Abby relates the elephants remembering calls to her ignoring the calls of her husband from the next room over. When Oskar brings up her husband, she cries even more, solidifying the connection between the previous conversation and her tears. She must feel like something is missing in her life. She is lacking that strong bond with her husband that the families of elephants have with each other. She feels incredibly lonely and Oskar seems to supply the company she is in need of. And even as Oskar tries to get a kiss from her, she being 48 and he being 12, she still appreciates his presence and enjoys the time she is spending with this sweet young man because he fills that unoccupied void in her life, making her feel a little less lonely for the time being.

Overall, I found this scene between Abby and Oskar to be incredibly touching, and even a little bitter-sweet. 

Part 2

This second section of reading included a lot of the letter from the grandfather. This entire section was very interesting. It also confused me. I really want to know why the grandfather can't or doesn't talk. But the way he and his wife communicate is intriguing. It shows what a unique bond the two of them have. I wonder if the wife really can understand everything the grandfather is trying to say. Also, when the grandmother showed her husband her life story that she wrote, I found it extremely sad that the pages were blank. Just to clarify: the grandfather had messed something up with the typewriter, so it didn't work. But the grandmother's vision was bad so she couldn't tell that she hadn't written anything? This made me sad. I also don't really understand why the grandfather left. Was it simply because he was unhappy with his life? Will he find someone else with whom he can communicate through gestures?

Section 2 Commentary

In the section narrated by Oskar’s grandfather, I found it compelling to read about the more abstract ways in which the author described what it means it love someone, and the different ways we feel it and act upon it. While sitting in the airport trying to compose a letter to his unborn child, he says, “I’m thinking of Anna, I would give anything to think about her again, I can only hold on to the things I want to lose...” (113). It got me thinking about the ways we protect ourselves from risking love and getting hurt after feeling the loss the first time around.  Another quote that got me thinking was when the grandfather says, “I thought, it’s a shame that we have to live, but it’s a tragedy that we get to live only one life, because if I’d had two lives, I would have spent one of them with her” (133). It brings up the idea that there are different levels of love. It also touches upon what we must to do to feel fulfilled and satisfied in the short amount of time we are given. I thought this section was very moving and I enjoyed the style it was written in. 

Just a Clarifying Question

Maybe I just missed this in the reading, but towards the beginning of the book, when Oskar's father was still alive and they played those "scavenger hunt-like" games, did Oskar ever discover what the map of Central Park was a hint for?  They story moved away from that part so quickly and it's still driving me crazy for not knowing.

Enjoy the Little Things- Leary

         Oskar looks for the little things in life. He examines life as though it is a new scientific organism, breaking down and looking at every small and seemingly unnoticeable object that life has to offer. There is nothing he overlooks as for him everything has a meaning and a purpose. Often in life we simple look at the big picture and are so focused on the end goal that we stop to look around and take in the scenery. Oskar has an end goal of finding what his black key means, but he understands that to find the meaning he must examine every nook and cranny of life as sometimes it is where you least expect that you find your end goal. "Nothing is beautiful and true" (43). Oskar's outlook on life is calculated and realistic. While he examines all of life, his idea's are scientifically based on these findings. His ideas, while simple, bring out the essence of what it means to be alive. He knows what he lives for and who he loves and who he is. His analytical mind breaks down what his experiences and relates it to what he knows allowing for him to understand what is going on.

A New Perspective

Reading this book is very different from most books I've read, because it is written from the view of a child with autism. It puts a different outlook on things that I normally might not have noticed or observed. There are a lot of things going on during the book, but it is interesting to piece all of the information together while at the same time he is trying to figure out what the key leads to. The quote, "Every time I left our apartment to go searching for the lock, I became a little lighter, because I was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier, because I was getting farther from Mom." really struck me and I found it really interesting. The book kind of has a sad presence to it reading about Oskar trying to find what this key leads to, while realizing he hasn't fully accepted that his father has died, possibly hoping that this key may lead him to his father. Another thing I found interesting, is that usually when a book is written from a kid's point of view it is a book directed at kids, but in this case it isn't, which is why I think it has a unique style of writing as apposed to other books I have read.

My thoughts on the book

So far, I feel like Oskar's curiosity about the world is supported by both his disorder and his desire to gain knowledge. He's always supporting his thoughts with evidence of what he already knows in order to learn new things. He frequently leaves remarks like, "Because I know things like that." This is what I think will drive him to find the secret about the key. Not only does the key mean a mass of new knowledge, but also knowledge about his father. However, I think his main reason for looking is because he wants to learn something new. He's an interesting character and it will also be interesting to see how his thoughts unravel and present themselves throughout the book.

Section One

This book, I feel, is full of special moments and that's why it is such a good book. Despite Oskar's unique and entertaining narrative, the story is scattered with sweet moments between Oskar and his father: when Oskar recounts his father telling him bed time stories and how he asks him not to interrupt, the way he thinks his dad is super smart, when he listened to his father's voicemails on 9/11. And of course, the entire game that they play together. Its a perfect combination of Oskar's dry, humorous remarks and this heartwarming, emotional anecdotes with his father.

Riley Venne Post #1

          Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, is littered with pictures with little meaning to the story; however, the few important images that Safran hides in his text are not hidden at all. These are the photos that have meaning in the story. Throughout pages 53-37, Safran shows photo's which are mostly related to Oscar's interests, such as Steven Hawking, the wall of keys, the paper airplane template, and the astronaut. Even though the majority of the photos inserted into the text are images of Oscar's interests, and irrelevant to the story at the time; Safran also manages to implement photos that add to the story. These photo's include the two pictures of the world trade center with a man falling next to the building on the right. The extensive use of pictures in the text that are hardly related to the storyline at all, greatly emphasizes the pictures that are about the text. By placing two moving photo's in a section filled with irreverent photos Safran does an exceptional job at making the images stand out.

The Inocence of Language

Despite the massive hardship that Oskar had to endure, he still remains a child at heart.  Generally when a child goes through a traumatic experience, they emrged changed, matured.  There is no denying that Oskar did change, but some of him remained the same young, innocent child of the past.  In elementary school, the phrase "what the" became extrememly popular.  The funny thing was that we had no idea what came after "the".  On page 44, as well as many others, Oskar uses this phrase when he is surprised or confused.  I find this rather innocent because even though his father has just died, Oskar still is naive enough to not know what comes after "what the".

Does Oskar actually want to solve his father's last mystery?

Aside from the recorded messages and his own memories, Oskar has little to connect him with his father. The search for the correct lock to accompany his found key is the final gift that his father left him; when he finishes the adventure, he will be done with his father. Will this be accompanied by a sense of closure? After all, Oskar seems to believe that his father left the key to start something similar to his "Renaissance Expeditions": "I was looking for clues that might lead me in a direction" (p 41). Then again, he also unconsciously avoids the possibility of finding the lock by using convoluted logic to ensure the increase in the creation of locks would outpace his systematic attempts at opening them. Oskar is fighting a strong curiosity with emotional attachment. Would you want to finish the adventure? Or would you rather leave it open, still living, a constant reminder of your father?

So far, I really like this book. It is like nothing else I have read before. Oskar is an interesting character. I like the way he thinks and the ideas he presents. I can't help but feel both sad and confused while reading this book. Oskar and his dad really seemed to have a special bond, and now that his dad is gone, Oskar has changed. I was kind of confused when reading the part about the person who didn't have words and couldn't speak. Was that person Oskar? I thought it was his grandfather, and the woman was his grandmother, because the woman in that part (pg. 30) said, "'...the weather is one hundred dollars...'" and then later on (pg. 71), Oskar's grandmother said, "'That sounds like one hundred dollars.'" This part, and many other parts, seem to me like they are going to all come together at the end of the book. At this moment, it is frustrating because nothing seems to make sense, but hopefully by the end, it all will.

Just a few Thoughts.

It appears for this assignment people are writing full length CCQCs. But for the purposes of commentary and discussion of the book, I don't believe that such a formal writing style is completely necessary. Correct me if I am wrong.
Anyway.
For starters, I found the book absolutely wonderful, and Jonathan Safran Foer's writing style paints Oskar's world with extreme and beautiful detail. However, I would like to share a concept has not yet been discussed in previous postings. I found the book eerily similar to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. If you've read the book, you'll understand. If you haven't, or you've just forgotten what it is about, allow me to give a brief summary. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is about a boy of 15 years who goes by the name of Christopher John Francis Boone. He, similarly Oskar, has a mental deficiency, where his symptoms are overwhelming intelligence accompanied by a socially inverted personality. Whether it be autism or Aspergers Syndrome is left for interpretation in both books. Christopher is single child because because he has lost one of his parents, also like Oskar. In both stories, the plot unfolds with resurfacing information about the deceased parent, and the story not only deals with how this young child deals with the mystery, but how he deals with his mental disability as well. I do not wish to spoil too much about the book, but I believe I've already made my point clear.

Oskar's innocent autism

When I first heard we were reading this book I wasn't especially looking forward to it. I have already read a number of books written from an autistic perspective, and I assumed this one would be no different. However, I do feel that in this story Oskar's autism is used in a smarter way than in similar novels. He wears his autism lightly and it gives him a sort of innocence. He repeatedly refers to others as "mental retards" (p 7) which led me to believe he wasn't quite aware of his own state of mental well-being. I suppose that when Oskar says this he is referring to people with severe and visible mental illness, but it is still interesting that he would continuously use that phrase. It makes me wonder whether he knows that he is different, or specifically autistic. What do you guys think?

         In the beginning of the book, the writing was difficult for me to follow because it was very scattered and a little bit overwhelming. I didn’t feel much of an emotional connection in the start; which personally makes it tricky for me to fall into a book. Although, on page 68; when Oskar was discussing how he hid his fathers messages from his mother, that passage really took an emotional toll on me. “I knew I could never let my mom hear the messages, because protecting her is one of the most important raisons detre.” Even though the main focus, so far, is on Oskars relationship with his father, i think the love and support he has from his mother is  very important on how Oskar will make it through such a hard time.

            Oskar is very curios about why things the way they are. He is constantly questioning how certain things came to be and always proposing “ what if’s…” when an ambulance passed between his apartment building and his grandma’s, he goes off on a excursion about what life would be like if we could know who was in the ambulance and how severe the emergency was. He also goes off on a departure about the sizes of the pockets. These many thought processes; that he has very often throughout the book, make me wonder if these questioning feelings are apart of his autism or if he is naturally curious?

         

ECIL 1st blog post

At first, this book was a little hard to get into to and understand what was going on. Although after reading the first couple of pages, it has become an interesting and appealing novel to read. The style that the author uses is different than a lot of the other books that I have read. It seems that parts of the book are written like its Oskar’s mind rambling on and thinking about tons of different things. The way the author writes it is like it is describing the though process of Oskar at that moment. For example on page 40 and 41, Oskar is talking about the number of locks for every person in New York City. He keeps saying all of the different types of locks that people use like bathroom locks, closet locks, locks to cars and many other locks. Oskar keeps saying different numbers and doing math in his head, which shows that he is a smart boy. With all of his inventions and his crazy ideas, it also shows that he has a big imaginiation.  I think that it is a useful method in showing the type of person Oskar is and the way that he thinks.  

By the way the author describes the games that Oskar and his father used to play and what Oskar’s childhood was like with his dad, it shows that Oskar’s father had a major impact on his life, and his death is going to have an even larger impact. The games and puzzles that Oskar’s father played with him shows that his father really understood him and accepted him for who he was. By losing his father, he is losing his only father figure and one of the only people understood him. I feel like his mother doesn’t have as strong of a connection to Oskar as his father did and she doesn’t really know what to do with him during certain situations like in the limousine when Oskar is asking the driver a lot of different questions. Oskar is definitely going to have a hard time coping with the death of his father, just like any other person. 

While reading the story I kept on pondering the mystery of the pads of paper at the art supplies store. How did Oskar’s father put his name on the pads of paper in the art store a year after his death? It seems as if the father is trying to play the treasure hunt game with his son again, but how could this be possible? Since the store clerk was 90% sure that the paper had been put out recently, it is extremely unlikely that Oskar’s father placed the pads of paper there himself. This is just a theory, but I think it might be the mother who is setting up the hunt just like the father used to do. On page 52, Oskar explains his expeditions into the city to find the “Black” that the envelope refers to. He then says, “What was so weird, and what I should have tried harder to understand, was that she never asked anything else, not even ‘Out to where?’ or ‘Later when?’. Oskar’s use of words in this sentence makes it seem as if the mother was up to something; she was acting blatantly different than most mothers in her situation would act. The mother’s change in attitude over Oscar’s journeys to the city may have been due the fact that she knew the reason Oskar wanted to venture out. I believe that Oskar’s mom is trying to support Oskar in the best way she can, by keeping alive the memory of Oskar’s father, and also keeping him occupied so that he has a purpose and can direct his pain towards something. 

So far, the writing in the book has been captivating, written in such a style that seems to be simple, yet complex, due to all the different tangents Oskar goes on quite frequently.

At first, Oskar seemed like a character that would be hard to relate to; however, as the book progressed, I found myself growing fonder and fonder of him and his seemingly odd ways. He’s very creative, always thinking of new inventions and so easily intrigued by things.

In the beginning, it seems as if Oskar could care less about the death of his father, but as the book continues, it becomes clear that Oskar is really lost without his father and torn up over the fact that he is now gone. The way Oskar preserves his dad through many things in his life, included his memories and the recorded phone calls is endearing, and shows how, even though he may seem out of touch at times, his true emotions and compassion are very evident. Oskar also seems to be incredibly persistent, for example, with the key, many people would deem finding one out of 163 million locks to be impossible, but Oskar is a determined boy and out to prove otherwise.

Oskar seems to be searching for closure regarding the death of his father and hopefully he will be successful in his endeavor. 

ELIC Section 1 Commentary

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

The story of Oskar, a charismatic and observant young boy growing up in New York City, a year after the attacks of 9/11. He provides fresh and entertaining narrative to his situation, and serves as a delightfully energetic narrator. In just 74 short pages, I feel incredibly close to this young boy.

I do, however, have one clarifying question. Who is the man who could not talk? I believe it is Oskar's grandfather, due to a couple small details in the story. Before he loses his ability to speak, he talks about his statues, and that he sculpts things. And later in the section, while Oskar is talking to his grandmother via walkie-talkie, she mentions that his grandfathers hands would be so red and frail that she would tell him that the clay was sculpting him, instead of the other way around. Let me know what you think.
P.S. love you guys, thanks for reading ;)

This book is  different from any other book that I have read. It is depressing, yet it has comical moments. I found Oskar's story being very sad. His father passed away but he still has difficulty comprehending what happened. He obviously doesn't lack mental capacity, but he has difficulty coping with his emotions. The only ways that he knows how to deal with his emotions is injuring himself or making jokes, " I kicked a French chicken in the stomach once... it said, 'Oeuf.'"(6). Oskar will finally receive closure of his father's death when his finishes the final scavenger hunt that his dad gave to him.

Section 1 Analysis

Apparently, now is the time to be writing this, considering I see six or seven drafts.

Oskar lost his dad unexpectedly. I feel as if I may have a little bit of insight on what he must be feeling, because, I also lost a parent, my stepmother, if a bit more expectedly. I know how Oskar means when he starts to lie and I understand why he's clinging to the last pieces of his father. I wore my stepmother's little bottle pendent, with her vanilla perfume inside, for months, until the ribbon broke. Clinging to her has kept me sane, and clinging to his father is what's keeping Oskar from going completely mental, and if clinging to him means that he's embarking on a possibly hopeless mission, I don't know how I, or anyone, could tell him not to.

ELIC Commentary

The book so far is a compelling, unique read that really took me a while to wrap my head around. But I am really enjoying it, although the feeling changes rapidly throughout the story. I couldn't stop laughing through the first 15 pages, but now after completing the first section it is getting more depressing and repetitive. I'm very interested in the way Oskar thinks and I believe the author did a great job of just describing what he's thinking at all times. Oskar has an incredible imagination, and has many great "inventions" literally every other page. I still don't quite understand the significance of the pictures and if they really all have some certain meaning, and why there is a picture if a door on the first page and on page 29.
The only other thing that I'm excited and also worried to read more about is the game that Oskar is playing in trying to find his father or what his "black key" goes to. I'm impressed that it has gone this far and I hope that it keeps going and he somehow finds another clue, but also the father has passed away and Oskar might be getting his hopes for nothing. So I have realized on a personal standpoint that some of these are difficult to comment on, and I also think it would be cool for my post to be the most popular, please feel free to give me general feedback or help clarify for me the significance of some pictures for me.
P.S I love this class, Ms Mall AP Comp 2k12 'Til I Die
P.S.S We should make ap comp shirts. That'd be sick

Oskar's father is the only person where he doesn't need to invent anything. It shows how Oskar has been wanting to hide the big secret of how he answered his father's call at 10:26. It seems as if Oskar's father was the only person who understood Oskar and how Oskar really looked up to his father. How he thought his dad was very intelligent because he corrected the New Yorker. The death of his father will leave an everlasting affect on Oskar.

Section 1 Commentary

Oskar Schell, a child who presumably has Asperger’s syndrome, thinks in a very different way than most human beings. I found it difficult to relate to the manner in which he views life until page 35, when Oskar is talking about the stages he and his mother are living through after the loss of his father on September 11. He says, referring to his mother, “I wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be playing Scrabble yet. Or looking at the mirror. Or turning the stereo any louder than what you needed just to hear it. It wasn’t fair to dad, and it wasn’t fair to me. But I buried it all inside me.” This passage made me realize that grief is a universal feeling, and while Oskar may not express his grief in the same way as other children would, the absence of his father takes a remarkable toll on him. Contrary to what we may assume from his apathetic behavior the day of his father’s funeral, he still does not feel ready to move on. It shows that while we may not all act the same, we have more in common underneath our physical actions than would be initially expected.