The Love Act Review (Response 4)

THE LOVE ACT

Chaz Reetz-Laiolo

                Getting a haircut might seem to be a menial task for most, but for the author of The Love Act, doing so was a momentous occasion in his life. He chronicles his whole life and explains about his family situations by recording his visits to the salon.

     The first haircut Mr. Reetz-Laiolo chooses to record took place in 1985. He was the only child of separated parents and the dad was paying a pretty  large sum to the mother for child support, thus enabling her to frequent an upscale salon. The author helps the reader visualize the interior of the shop and uses great visual references to convey his message.

                The passage recording the year 1993 has no mention of the author’s mother but a guardian named Tim has been introduced indicating the probability of the mother’s passing away. No tears are shed and no sentiment is stirred and the story skips straight to the boy getting a surfer style haircut. It’s interesting to note the changes in the boy’s hairstyles as he matures. The distinct differences in the hairstylists creates a nice touch as the author speaks of some of them chewing gum, while others read fashion magazines, and yet another sits in the chair filing her nails. These actions are popular among women thus making it easy to interpret the atmosphere of the shop and giving more credibility to the story. If male stylists were used, things might have gotten a little weird.

                In 2001, the author is visiting Italy on a business trip and enters a local salon to give himself the appearance of a successful businessman. This encounter is somewhat comical because the stylist is Italian and speaks no English so the author must rely on his interpreter to inform her what he wants. During the haircut, the stylist discovers an embarrassing hair condition that Mr. Reetz-Laiolo’s mother also had before she passed.  

                The final haircut, which took place in 2004, sees the author living with a woman unhappily and a little daughter whom he loves. The man is poor and bedraggled due to long hours at the office and is in desperate need of a grooming, but he stumbles across a salon in town that he has never been to. Through a good sense of dialogue on the author’s part, there seems to be a romantic spark conveyed between the author and his new stylist. The scene shifts once again and suspension is used expertly as the reader is left to wonder if the author will ever go back to visit the friendly, pretty hairstylist. The end scene shows the little daughter standing on a table trying to cut her father’s hair. He loves the girl so much that he would be proud of any haircut his daughter gave him.

 

A Sleepy Student

A SLEEPY STUDENT

                You’re sitting in class. The teacher is lecturing about some boring topic. You begin to feel incredibly warm and cozy. You start dreaming and you see images of random things in your mind. Who’s that guy with a hammer? For some odd reason, holding your eyelids open feels like trying to bench press a semi-truck. Every college student has witnessed the occurrence titled “SSD,” or Sleepy Student Disorder, and the disease seems incredibly potent during the 8:00 class hour.

                Symptoms of SSD can include but are not limited to: a bobbing of the head, slouching in one’s seat, using a “kickstand” by holding up one’s head by the hand, a slow drooping of the eyes, complete closure of the eyes, a wide opening of the mouth, and maybe some occasional drool. In severe cases, victims have been known forgo the kickstand and loudly bash their heads on the desk at which they are sitting. While such circumstance is quite comical because the sleeper has the attention of everyone in the room, it still does not prevent him from snoozing again.

                What are some causes of SSD? In most scenarios, the student stayed up late the night before playing Black Ops, watching a movie, texting a lover, or partying. SSD can attack even the most disciplined individuals who instead of wasting time the night before, stayed awake studying and awoke early the next morning to conduct Physical Training. PT can take a lot out of a body and if the exerciser does not recover properly, he will feel like everything is dragging in slow motion and will probably nod off in class.

                But there is hope! Several techniques to temporarily cure SSD have been found and are being used by students worldwide. Few people can fall asleep while standing up so if one feels the onslaught of SSD about to overtake his body, he can simply collect his notes and stand in the back of the class. Also, he can play a game with himself by trying to hold at least one foot off the floor while he is sitting at his desk. In order to levitate a body part, certain muscles must remain contracted and the brain must be engaged and focused at keeping the limb elevated. If the teacher is gracious enough to allow liquids in class, a tall thermos of black coffee can be an SSD fighter’s best friend. Feel free to pop several pieces of strong mint gum. If all else fails, a students can always follow the Army Drill Sergeant’s advice of drinking water and doing pushups. Friend, you are not alone in your struggle against SSD. Ask your doctor if pushups are right for you.

Kamikaze Review (Response 3)

KAMIKAZE

Nora Krug

                On December 7, 1942, the nation of Japan launched a huge attack on the American naval fleet which was harboring just a few hundred miles away at a Hawaiian island called Pearl Harbor. The Japanese came quickly and dealt a powerful blow to the forces stationed there. It is estimated that nearly 2,500 Americans went into eternity as a result of Japanese torpedoes, aerial bombardments, strafing runs, and the famous kamikazes. Toward the end of World War II, Japan had become so bent on destroying US targets that they would assign young, talented pilots to sometimes malfunctioning airplanes which were loaded with a bomb. The kamikaze pilot would be escorted by fighter planes to ensure that it reached its target, whether it was an enemy sailing vessel or airstrip. Then he would fly his craft into the target and ignite the explosive.  Mrs. Nora Krug recounts a tale of similar kamikazes in her work titled after this suicidal style of fighting.

                The most interesting aspect of this piece is that it is written as a comic strip instead of the usual essay style. Although this is a comic strip, there is nothing comical about the content but it is nice to actually see the story unfold. For visual learners, this might help sink the material deeper into the remembrance. Also, what writing the production does display is easy to understand, possibly written to teach children, in fact. The story also shed some light on the Japanese way of life. It mentions that, to show their support, the village girls would make the soldiers dolls out of cloth and stain them with their own blood to symbolize the seriousness of the pilot’s task. One picture showed a small group of civilians waving and cheering as the kamikaze took flight on its way to toward doom. It’s amazing how people think that killing himself and a few others is so noble a cause. This strategy is still practiced by several terrorist groups today as well as psychotic American shooters.

                Overall Kamikaze was a great read which still enlightened the audience without requiring excessive comprehension. The pictures were graphic and helpful in understanding the situations. Mrs. Krug should be commended for her impressive writing and illustrations.

               

Bellewether Review (Response 2)

Bellewether

Mark Robert Rapacz

                The farm is the backbone of every society. It was the first occupation recorded as Adam and Eve toiled in the Garden of Eden after the fall of man. Farmers are often criticized for being unintelligent and backward but if one takes the time to think, he would realize that a farmer’s institution was the beginning of civilizations. Whether the farm raises produce or poultry, its importance cannot be underestimated for farming encourages self-sustainment instead of reliance on government to provide for one’s needs.

                In this story, Mr. Rapacz depicts the lives of a few sheep farmers in seemingly the American back country. A drunken scumbag of a father lives at the farmstead and occasionally helps with the chores but the brunt of the work falls on a boy named Paul and his older sister, Louanne. These people speak rough English, work all day, and are determined never to quit or else suffer self-induced ridicule. These two siblings hate their father so much, they even discuss murdering him while they walk the fields and tend to their sheep. As the story progresses, the reader discovers that Louanne is carrying her father’s baby and is disgusted at this case of incest, at least I was. The only bright side of this situation is that after the birth of this illegitimate child, the father’s life style turns completely around as he no longer beats the children and helps out with the house chores.

                The story has much dialogue and the reader can definitely follow the movement by seeing how the characters communicate with each other. Louanne is sometimes cross with Paul, Pa constantly fusses at the children, and there is just no happy medium in the household. It seems the passing of the mother might be causing the family to fall apart. I did not feel profited or edified from reading this story but I assume that someone who grew up under difficult circumstances like these could relate and might be encouraged to know that he is not the only one who lives a hard life.