This week we read chapter 4 of Fast Food Nation. This chapter principally related to the franchising of the fast food industry. We also read several short essays in Short Takes, dealing primarily with issues of escapism.
1) Why does Schlosser close chapter 4 with the anecdote about the Success event?
Schlosser is demonstrating that our appetite for success and material gain will in most cases cause us to prioritize our lives poorly, a point brilliantly illustrated by the speaker following Mr. Reeve- after the tears and the momentary recollection of our humanity, we return to the greed that brought us to the event in the first place. In effect, the wish for instant gratification (like fast food) causes us to overlook or ignore the effects it has (socio-economic, health, etc). However, there are those among the crowd, in our society and in the industry that recognize and can see through this, and their voices sometimes give us pause, if only for a moment, to the choices we're making.
2) What does the quote from Heraclitus on p. 22 mean? Why does Perillo use it? Use examples from the text to support your claim.
The quote relates to the weight of boredom and the necessary variance in activity that is required to break boredom. To be clear- the terms "rule" ('the rule that makes its subject weary'), and "rest" (For this reason, change gives rest') don't necessarily correlate to work and non-work. ANYTHING that is too repetitive or mundane stifles the life of the subject. This is precisely why Perillo chose to attend college in Quebec-- it "gave a varnish of exoticness and escape" to an otherwise ordinary task.
3) Could Lucia Perillo survive on Planet Unflinching? Why or why not? How can you tell?
Perillo likely would not survive on Planet Unflinching, because she values too greatly the idea of escape. Perillo hitchhikes as a means of bringing excitement to an otherwise dull life in her small town, and tempts fate with her actions in doing so. Not only would Perillo miss the mystery that comes with new and strange situations, but she would likely be hurt or killed hitching rides on Planet Unflinching, because in that world, no one pulls any punches or acts politely. It is honest to the point of lawlessness in that regard.
4) What is Katrina Roberts' undercurrent? What is she looking for?
I feel that Roberts portrays a new mother in a changing world, suddenly uneasy about her life and the concept of mortality (which is why we're given examples of the hawk looking for field mice and the dead cat in the grass). Her undercurrent is one of fear, fear of dying and fear of being swallowed up in the world and its changes.
4 comments:
Group 4: David Evans, Rachel Heddinger, Sara Girardi, Rhyner Washburn.
1.) Why does Schlosser close chapter 4 with the anecdote about the success event?
Our thoughts on this question are close to that of this group. The point we derived from the quote was that even when you have money, it can only bring you so much happiness. In the end it comes down more important things in life. like family and friends.
2.) What does the quote from Heraclitus on p. 22 mean? Why does Perillo use it? Use examples from the text to support your claim.
Our group had a hard time deciphering the quote in Perillo's essay. However, we did agree that the quote is about change, and this was what Perillo based her life on. She hitchhiked to many different places, and the enviornment that she was in was never exactly the same all the time.
3.) Could Lucia Perillo survive on Planet Unflinching? Why or why not? How can you tell?
We also believe that Perillo would not survive on planet Unflinching. Perillo lives her life day by day, and her enviornment is constantly changing. Perillo is searching for new happenings and big adventure and she would not be able to find either on planet Unflinching, because it is in stasis and never changes.
4.) What is Katrina Roberts' undercurrent? What is she looking for?
We agreed that Robert's essay was portraying the thought's of a new mother. We also thought that her undercurrent was fear, but not in change but fear in protecting her baby. Through out the essay she references animals and other objects that she thinks could hurt her baby, like the grit from the dunes and the crop duster flying in the sky above her. She is worried that her baby could be hurt even as she protects him/her the best she can.
1. Interesting answer here – what I’d like to see is examples from the text that support your claim. Is Schlosser saying that men like Feamster are greedy?
2. Yes, I like the way you put that about work and non-work. And Perillo gives us that example of going to school in Quebec. How does the quote relate to her hitchhiking?
3. Interesting – but then wouldn’t hitchhiking on planet unflinching be the ultimate in excitement – because of the danger involved? Perillo might like that.
4. I like that. Yes, ironically being with her new child makes Roberts think of and notice death more. Good answer.
1) Our group discussed the contrast of C. Reeve's speech and the affect that it had on the audience (many were brought to tears) with the opening line of the following speaker. Reeve's speech "cut through the snake oil" that the previous speakers had been spewing by addressing the more fundamental values of human beings and stressing that the conventional goals of wealth and power don't really matter. Whereas the last speaker immediately switches the tone from somber and self reflective to more of the selfish skin deep gargle that all the other speakers have been implementing in the previous speeches. Our group also spoke about the back story of Lowe, the man who founded the event. Lowe was raised by missionaries (people who's perception of the world might have been much more similar to Reeve's) and grew up with a first hand look at poverty and squalor. Yet when it came time for him to make a name for himself he chose one of self promotion and less than philanthropic business ethics. This illustrates our societies perception of success. Lowe calls himself the "success authority", but what does he define as success? Not giving up personal comfort in order to help those less fortunate, like his parents, not a life of meaning and selflessness. To Peter Lowe, the fast food corporations, and a large percentage of our society success is green paper and lots of it.
2. To be in motion and to be at rest might seem like contradictory statements, but Heraclitus would have us think otherwise. The 'rest' that change gives us is a vacation from the monotony of our lives. Perillo uses hitchhiking to counteract the monotony of her youth. "...to get into that car. This was the part I liked best, the part when I was a little afraid." The fear that she feel upon entering each new car, each new and different experiences, each flux in her otherwise routine reality, makes her more alive, more comfortable, more at rest.
3. Our group agreed that Perillo could most certainly not survive on Planet Unflinching. Perillo thrives off of change and the urge to move in whatever direction her desire directs her. Her actions are not based on logic, but on instinct. So to be on Planet Unflinching, where decisions are made based on reason and 'no taint of desire afflicts argumentation' would be unbearable to Perillo.
4. "Something's running through me and I'm not sure what"-Katrina Roberts (Undercurrent)
Katrina, honey! To be honest I'm not sure either!
1) Why does Schlosser close chapter 4 with the anecdote about the Success event?
Our views were very similar to those of Group 2. We also said that this can show the hypocracy of the fast food industry. Also, in the book it explains how many celebrities that Peter Lowe could aquire for his "success seminars", shows how influential fast food industries can be.
2) What does the quote from Heraclitus on p. 22 mean? Why does Perillo use it? Use examples from the text to support your claim.
In our group, one of our members made a quote stating, "the geographic features of a river will remain the same, but the characteristics are constantly changing." Perillo uses this quote because it explains how the teenage years are the most changing years of ones life. Teenagers are always getting into things, but not that they need to, but for the pure fact that they just want to be able to experience new things, as stated on page 24-25 and the first paragraph on page 26.
3.) Could Lucia Perillo survive on Planet Unflinching? Why or why not? How can you tell?
From the discussion that we had on Monday, we came up with the same ideas that group 2 did. Perillo would most likely not be able to survive on Planet Unlflinching. Perillo has a distance from her driver, but on Planet Unflinching, one is to look directly at an object and take it in. Perillo also hitch-hikes to get away from her household, but if she were to be on Planet Unflinching, she would have to go back and learn to deal with it and accept things the way they are.
4.) What is Katrina Roberts' undercurrent? What is she looking for?
Re-reading this essay it makes me believe that it is portraying the thought of being a new mother. She has a fear for not only death, but being able to protect her baby.
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