Story in the Breaking and Entering, Salt, On Airplanes and The Senator's Son - Book Report/Review Example

Story Review for “Breaking and Entering” “Breaking and Entering” is a strong short story study of the human conscience and how society views race. America is such a fractured country that, as this short story proves, it can very easily be placed in a situation of racial based protest and violence. And it does not necessarily always have to have a White Man at the center of it. This story reminds me of the Trayvon martin case in a way. A story that was also spun by the media to glorify one side and villify another. I guess that is what I like about this story. It shows us how prejudice is a negative characteristic for a person to have. Prejudice pits people against each other based on assumed facts. Changing the facts also changes the course of prejudice. I also found myself interested in an liking the fact that the story studied the evolution of man's conscience. From being afraid to protecting himself, to learning to accept the consequences of his actions. Even more important was how the story shed light on the fact that any crime committed, whether in self defense or not, changes the mindset of a person and not always for the better. I learned that our experiences in life and our history as a person dictates how society views, treats, and judges us. Whatever negatives our past may hold, it is not meant to hold us back in the world of repression or prejudice. That is something that we create for ourselves based upon how we view ourselves within the context of society. Everyone is a victim in the evolution of our social history, the only question is, what are we prepared to do about it? Story Review for “Salt” by Sherman Alexie The first thing that struck me about this short story was about how death was dealt with as a serious matter. Allowing the reader an insight into the grieving process of co-workers and those who knew the deceased. It showed us the inner workings of the little known world of the obituary writers and how important their job is. What I liked about this story was the way that it opened the eyes of the people to the almost poetic job of an obit writer. How these talented people managed to sum of the life of a person they never knew in a few lines for all the world to read about. Obituaries somehow managed to help bring closure to the end of life of a person. Whether light-hearted or serious, the meaning of the obituary remains the same -- this person lived. It is a life that we have to honor, regardless of how fleeting the acquaintance with that person was. All lives are worth honoring. If there was something to dislike about this story, it was the way that Alexie had portrayed himself as a scared youth who thought the old woman he had come to get information from was crazy. Instead of understanding her situation and helping her. He chose instead to view her as a crazed person who placed his life in danger. His sense of empathy and care non-existent because he disliked the job that he had to do. That is why I could not sympathize with what his character went through. He did not deserve it because he refused to allow himself to feel as a human being about the death of a person who liked him very much and trusted him. He was less than kind to the old lady as well as his private thoughts revealed. At least in the end he knew he was not immortal. But he did not have any idea about how to properly respect the dead either. Story Review for “On Airplanes” I guess the one thing that made me dislike this poem was the fact that the person who wrote it admitted to always relenting when asked to switch seats. That is because I for one, having booked plane seats before, know that you can actually get seats together if you book a flight early enough or if you make arrangements with your travel agent to do so. Flying long hours relies on a person being comfortable during the flight. Having the seat of your choice is part of that comfort. By surrendering my seat at the whim of others, that means that I value myself beneath them. It is an act of a person with no sense of self respect. Although presenting the story in a poetic manner helps to ease the disrespect for individual choices, it still does not erase the fact that a great disrespect has been done to the true owner of the seat. I am afraid that I cannot say that I like anything about this poem at all. It is offensive to people who take great pains to make their flights more comfortable and giving up a seat simply because two people in love want to sit together is not good enough reason to give up something I paid for to make my flight more bearable. Story Review for “The Senator's Son” If there is one take away lesson to be learned from “The Senator's Son”, it is that forgiveness is something that is freely given, regardless of sexual orientation. It also reminds us that sexual orientation does not dictate who is a good person and who is not. After all, everyone is entitled to make mistakes and bad decisions in their lives. How that decision affect those around him, that is another story. But perhaps the best thing about the short story “The Senator's Son”, is the fact that it managed to portray the gay people as equals of everyone else. It is a refreshing eye opener of a tale that reminds us that the LGBT community is composed of human beings. People who have the same wants, needs, aspirations, and desires as the heterosexual kind. It is because they are the same as us in every other way that we should always afford them the same respect and dignity that is afforded others. Remember that our world does not cease to function if a person turns out to not be heterosexual. Our society will continue to evolve and require the help of everyone concerned to become a better place to live. Sexual orientation does not matter. Forgiveness of those who have wronged us in life is very important. For that shows who the better person truly is. Read More