Thursday, May 1, 2014

She and I inspired by He and I-Natalia Ginzburg (APE)

She was always in the spotlight, while I always trailed behind. Seven years set us apart from each other. She had finished high school and started college, before I entered my teenage years. Sharing a mother, she got similarities of facial features, hair length, nose, while I favored my father. Growing up she was very athletic, while I climbed trees and read books. She planned softball with our sister, Brittany. She was a catcher. I remember attending the games to see her from the stands in a padded vest and a guarded helmet. She could throw a ball in 2.5 seconds across the field. Her softball playing career ended when she graduated high school.

She had a baby boy, dropped out of college, and got married, while I was just starting high school. She matured in motherhood, while I still wore zip-up hoodies. She seemed to know how to care for her babies, while I hesitantly asked which way was best to hold them. She had the signs of relief and glow, when I saw her after she had my nephew, Logan. She was working at Goodwill for awhile to help pay for food and rent, but then shortly quit when my niece, Lily, was on the way.

I entered college as the last and only child left in the family, while she had a family of her own. She came to my college on a weekend (Sibs Weekend). She wanted to drink and party, while I had tried to make the most of her time. We went to a bar on a night that was supposedly for same-sex couples. She realized it was gay night, before I did. She smokes menthol cigarettes, while I start coughing even if there is a little smoke. She’s a stay-at-home mom, while I try to get an education to have a career.

She is always defensive, while I speak the truth. She uses the line “No I don’t!”, far too often, while I explain my reasoning. She has three pets (2 dogs, 1 cat), while I can hardly take care of myself.

She loves anything that has to do with owls or vampires. I don’t understand the popular culture ideas like Twilight, it’s her favorite movie. She tries to talk about boys, while I hide that part of myself. She asks me what my type is. I just laugh it off.

She talks before thinking, while I analysis everything I say. Her words can hurt, especially during the holidays. She expects the most from those that are closest to her. I understand don’t her expectations. She still sees me as a child. I at times, still do.


She relies on her husband, in-laws, and our mother, while I’m independent. She struggles to be active and assertive, while I try to make my own decisions. She loves girl talk, while I tolerant it. She talks the loudest in a crowd. I talk at medium volume. She loves country music, but can’t carry a note in a wheel barrow. We share the same height, but not the same dad. She needs no make-up, while I feel bare if I wear none. She is the loud at times, obnoxious sister, while I’m the reserved one. 

Response to Truman Capote’s excerpt from In Cold Blood (Art of Fact)

Capote has a very precise way of describing surroundings, people, and certain elements to capture the dark psychological story of two killers. In this piece, I can see the intense relationship between Dick and Perry, while they are on the run. Dick seems to be the more assertive type, while Perry seems passive. The piece starts off by Dick and Perry hitchhiking and thinking about killing the driver, so no one can follow them or get caught. Capote also does a brilliant job at portraying the feelings of Perry, while he is being reminded of his father: “Their laughter irritated Perry; he especially disliked Mr. Bell’s outbursts—hearty barks that sounded very much like the laughter of Tex John Smith, Perry’s father. The memory of his father’s laughter increased his tension; his head hurt, his knees ached. He chewed three aspirin and swallowed them dry. Jesus!” (163). This shows that Capote tried to capture Perry’s exact feelings, while being an outsider to his emotions.

The second section of this piece follows the detective working Dick and Perry’s case, Harold Nye. Capote follows Nye around his investigation as he describes the interview Nye had with the landlady of the hotel. I absolutely love the description of the landlady: “…the landlady’s long and lacquered fingernails search a page of pencil-scribbled names…A cockroach emerged, and the landlady stepped on it, squashing it under the heel of her gold leather scandal,” (164, 166). Capote also shows the scenery very well; I could tell this hotel was cheap, dump that probably couldn’t pass any inspection based on his descriptions of odors the place produced and the landlady’s grotesque appeal.

Capote also does a great job with suspense and intensity, especially in this section. This piece starts with Perry and Dick hitchhiking, then Nye investigating, then back to Perry and Dick on the run. The last section shows Dick and Perry’s desperation: they have no money, so they stay at a Salvation Army; they eat chocolate bars and chewing gum because Perry stole it from a drug store, and they steal a car they find. This last section also shows the dynamitic again between Dick and Perry’s relationship. Dick stole the chocolate bars and chewing gum, but got his favorite flavor, Double-mint, where Perry’s favorite flavor is Juicy Fruit. This small detail shows that Dick and Perry are very distant friends and as a accomplices together, Dick seems to be taking care of everything, while Perry sits back and lets him take command.


As far as Capote’s stylistic choices, I love he how uses short, concise sentences. He is not afraid to get to the point. He starts the third section with one or two words: “A cloudburst. Rain. Buckets of it. Dick ran. Perry ran too, but he could not run as fast; his legs were shorter and he was lugging his suitcase,” (167). I think as far as something I could take away from this piece to apply to my own writing would be to imagine myself in a place or in a situation and describe setting in a way to grab the reader.