Exploration Two
The most admirable person that I read about in Holding On by David Isay is "Steam Train" Maury Graham. I find this person to be commendable because he refers himself as a hobo rather than a bum. It may not seem like much of a difference to the common eye, but Graham describes the two to be drastically different. Graham refers to a bum as someone who begs for something for nothing, whereas a hobo works for his meal. I found Graham to be very interesting, and I think that he demonstrates the theme of creativity because he explains about the little tricks that hoboes created to communicate with one another. For example, I found it to be pretty cool how the hobos would mark telephone posts and fences with scriptures to communicate with the passing hoboes. I believe that Graham shows to follow the theme of creativity because he explains that hobos have created a sort of language over the course of time. I think that it takes a lot of creativity to generate and organize a underground system of communication amongst the hobo community.
In the narrative Under the Influence: Paying the Price of My Father's Booze by Scott Russell Sanders there are many thing that surprise me throughout the story. I found it most disturbing when Sanders explains to the reader that he felt most responsible for his fathers abusive drinking. This statement caught my eye because Sanders really lets out his true emotions, and feels guilty for his fathers actions. Sanders thinks to himself, "I lie there hating him, loving him, fearing him, knowing I have failed him. I tell myself he drinks to ease the ache that gnaws at his belly, an ache I must have caused by disappointing him somehow, a murderous ache I should be able to relieve by doing all my chores, earning A's in school, winning baseball games, fixing the broken washer and the burst pipes, bringing in the money to fill his empty wallet" (181). This allowed me put my feet into his shoes and feel the empathy towards Sanders. His story is enlightening to me because he gives the reader a look behind the scenes of a child with an alcoholic father, and this also created awareness of alcoholism.
What inspired David Isay to pursue in these interviews?
In the narrative Under the Influence: Paying the Price of My Father's Booze by Scott Russell Sanders there are many thing that surprise me throughout the story. I found it most disturbing when Sanders explains to the reader that he felt most responsible for his fathers abusive drinking. This statement caught my eye because Sanders really lets out his true emotions, and feels guilty for his fathers actions. Sanders thinks to himself, "I lie there hating him, loving him, fearing him, knowing I have failed him. I tell myself he drinks to ease the ache that gnaws at his belly, an ache I must have caused by disappointing him somehow, a murderous ache I should be able to relieve by doing all my chores, earning A's in school, winning baseball games, fixing the broken washer and the burst pipes, bringing in the money to fill his empty wallet" (181). This allowed me put my feet into his shoes and feel the empathy towards Sanders. His story is enlightening to me because he gives the reader a look behind the scenes of a child with an alcoholic father, and this also created awareness of alcoholism.
What inspired David Isay to pursue in these interviews?
I also admire Graham and find it cool how hoboes would mark telephone posts and fences with scriptures to communicate with other hoboes.
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