1. A new concept that arose in this discussion for me was the idea that the box man's loneliness was chosen because it is a simpler struggle for him than that of other people in more traditional lives. This is evident in his refusal of help and the potent description that people talk to him with "persuasive tones reserved for rabid dogs" as people view him as an outsider.
2. I wish that we had been able to talk about the atuthor's use of fictionalized examples to add to the thesis. We did not discuss the function of this example or the credibility of the fictional situation.
3. I wisht that I had been able to talk about my views on the above, unmentioned topic and analyze the author's purpose in the contrast between the two situations. I thought that the purpose of the author's imaginaitve description was to create a universal situation with added details that could and do apply to many people. Though it is fictional, the account identifies a common human predicament and contributes to the thesis.
As you mentioned, I similarly did not realize that the box man might have purposefully chose his lifestyle. The concept that anyone could regard life on the streets as preferrable to a normal life filled with social interaction seems a strange idea, however, in the passage, the box man did not seem perturbed by his condition. Perhaps the author was trying to make the point that living a bare, simple life can actually be beneficial in some ways.
ReplyDeleteI liked the first point I also missed that in my reading. I would have loved to hear the third point you brought up mentioned in discussion, the author's examples were very powerful and I think that how they led to the thesis was a primary reason why the piece was so strong and readable. Also considering the author's target audience seems like it would go well with your discussion topic.
ReplyDeleteThe box man's preference for a life of solitude was a new concept for me as well. I think we all would have taken a lot from a discussion about the fictional examples the author provides. I wish you would have brought that up, because it is extremely important but something no one else considered.
ReplyDeleteI too learned that the box-man chose solitude of his own free will. I wish you had brought up the credibility of this fictional situation, I would have loved to discus it.
ReplyDeleteI wish you had brought up what you mentioned in #3 as well. I really liked the insight you said about the fictional descriptions creating a universal situation. What two situations were you planning on discussing though? I wasn't sure which characters you were talking about. You mentioned a quote from the passage that I said in the discussion; I'm glad you found it interesting as well!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, we definitely missed talking about the fictitious examples! I had some notes on that, I find that very similar to the grandmother analogy, because neither are necessarily true.
ReplyDeleteI too realized that the Box Man chose that life style during the discussion. I wish you would have brought up what you mention in #2, this would have made the discussion more interesting because a lot of the time people were repeating things said earlier.
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