Dubliners by James Joyce/Nine Stories Reflection

Dubliners is a collection of short stories by the Irish author James Joyce. Similarly to the other collection of short stories I read earlier this year, J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories, Dubliners, rather than focusing on any particular family or series of events, is meant to evoke a time and a place. For Nine Stories, the place was the lives of the American upper-middle class, 1940s through 1950s. Dubliners crosses the Atlantic to middle-class Dublin, where everybody knows everybody and everybody is the same. The stories in these two collections are not particularly intriguing or noteworthy in any way, but the way the character's lives are painted by Salinger and Joyce makes the stories fascinating. The consciousness of the reader in "A Perfect Day For Bananafish" that something bad will happen soon is a result of the dread infused into the tale by Salinger's words. Each writer also uses the innocence of children as a device in certain stories. In Salinger's "The Laughing Man" the reader can see how the story the leader is telling reflects how his own relationship with his girlfriend is going, while the child in the story cannot connect the two instances. Likewise, the death of Father Flynn in "The Sisters" is told through the eyes of a child who knew the priest well, not to deaden the loss, but rather to enhance it. The reader and the child both realize that the priest is dead, but it is the reaction of the adults that make the story.

Friday Night Lights (Finish)

The final parts of the book deal with Permian's playoff run and the subsequent careers of the graduating seniors. First, Permian finishes their season in a three-way tie for the league title. Since only two teams can go to the state playoffs, there needs to be a tiebreaker to determine the league champions. This tiebreaker takes the form of a coin toss. The rules are simple: three coaches toss coins, and the odd one out loses. Permian manages to barely survive the toss and their next three playoff games. This sets up a semifinal match against the Carter Cowboys, a team that mans four future NFL players, including 5-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Armstead. While Permian players get preferential treatment at school, the Carter players barely have to go to class. They routinely received answer sheets along with tests, and were beneficiaries of a grading system that valued tests as much as showing up to class everyday. Even so, there was an academic scandal surrounding that year's team that would lead to Carter forfeiting its eventual state title. After Permian loses to Carter on the last play of the game, the book splits off into briefly covering how the graduating seniors react to the end of their careers. Some, like Ivory Christian, attend college, looking to play football. However, most burn out after realizing that college football cannot match the Mojo intensity. Don Billingsley, one of the hardest drinkers and partiers on the team, returned to Odessa and, while not exactly finding Jesus, quit alcohol and lived a healthier, cleaner life. "Boobie" Miles, the running back who tore his ACL, never quite recovered the breakaway speed that had made him a Division 1 college prospect. He bounced around at a junior college before finally returning to Odessa. Just about the only success story out of the Panthers is the one guy everyone knew would be a success. Brian Chavez, the #1 student in the class and Harvard-bound tight end, completes his term of study at Harvard and then goes on to law school at Texas Tech. After going to one Harvard junior varsity football practice, he realizes the enthusiasm is not there and never plays competitive football again.