Truman Capote and Perry Essay Example

Truman Capote and Perry Essay Example Truman Capote and Perry Paper Truman Capote and Perry Paper became unusable. So people had to start trading things like coffee, whiskey, gas, and other things that people actually needed. What instances of there of people being in positions of power or public authority who should not be, before and after The Day? How does Randy’s exercise of authority contrast with that of others, from the pilot Pee Wee to Bubba Offenhaus, Edgar Quisenberry, and Porky Logan? Pg. 133 When it comes to who’s in charge after The Day, Randy steps up to the plate and tries to organize everything that is going on. He gets together a group of veterans, and they take charge of the place. They stop the highway men from doing more damage, end up making laws, and everything else that the others that used to be in charge failed to do. The people that used to be in charge weren’t able to acclimate. Pg. 122-Edgar shot himself because his life revolved around money and the bank, and that no longer mattered. In Chapter 4, Helen points out that her children, and all children in the late 1950’s â€Å"have lived under the shadow of war-atomic war. For them the abnormal had become normal. † Do children today live under a comparable shadow or shadows? If so, what are the possible consequences for them? I don’t think children live under a shadow; I feel like there’s not a whole lot to be afraid of here. But then again, there’s a lot I don’t know about the world and what’s going on in it. If there is a shadow.. It would be the coming of a depression or global warming. The consequences are that we won’t be prepared for whatever is going to come our way. What are the consequences- for Randy himself, for his family and friends, and for all of Fort Repose-of Randy’s decision in Chapter 5, that â€Å"he would have to play by the old rules†? In what ways do Randy and others subsequently act in accordance with or in opposition to â€Å"the old rules†? Randy and the others have to play by the old rules by how they survive. They have to learn how to live like the ancient Egyptians did back in the day. ? What is the sequence of the escalating breakdown of â€Å"normal† order, institutions, and public services? How do people react to the sudden absence of services and procedures that they-we-take for granted? Would reactions today be different or similar? What do you think is the most serious loss? First the banks start closing, then the stores run out of supplies, then gas starts to run out, then food starts to run out, then all the other necessities start running out. But as they all run out, different people think of different solutions to make up for what was lost. Like the boat instead of the car, the salted meat instead of refrigerated meat, the artisan water instead of regular water, orange juice and citrus instead of milk, guns instead of wallets, stuff like that. Some people react well and go along with the new changes, trying to adapt; other people do not adapt well at all, and end up dying. I think if the situation happened today it would be similar, if not worse. Most of us take for granted the little things in life, like coffee and clean water. After reading the book, it seems like the most serious loss would be lack of salt. In Chapter 5, Frank writes of bank president Edgar Quisenberry that â€Å"He had forgotten the implacable law of scarcity. † How would you define/describe that law? How does it come into play for the people of Fort Repose, and what effects does it have? The implacable law of scarcity is when someone can never everything he wants, and never have it his way. I guess when everyone loses it all, there isn’t any more classes. No more first class and third class; everyone’s in the same boat: poor. It comes into play in Fort Repose with Mr. McGovern, mostly. He starts working with someone who used to work for him. The African American children go to school and play with the white children. In some ways, there’s more unity. In other situations, people turn on each other, fighting for their own survival. Is Helen’s â€Å"inventory of necessities,† in Chapter 6, realistic and appropriate? What would be included in your inventory of necessities in the case of a similar catastrophe? Why? Her list of necessities probably seemed somewhat appropriate at the time, but looking ahead, they should have tried to get the absolute necessities. After reading this book my list of necessities would have been: gas, shoes, coffee, salt, sweets, meat, candles, radio, batteries, medical stuff, and ammunition. I’m probably missing some, but I wouldn’t have been able to come up with a good list if I hadn’t read this book. In Chapter 6, Dan mentions historian Arnold Toynbee in a conversation with Randy. Discuss the significance of this passage in terms of the theme of the novel? Pg. 133 â€Å"His theory of challenge and response applies not only to nations, but to individuals. Some nations and some people melt in the heat of crisis and come apart like fat in the pan. Others meet the challenge and harden. † â€Å"They created and lived in an environment of paper profits, and when paper returned to paper, they had to kill themselves, not realizing that their environment was unnatural and artificial. † Those two quotes are the main theme of the book. The book showed us how we live, and not to take everything we have for granted. As fast as we get it, it can all be taken away. It showed us that we should be more grateful for the little things in life.. Or that’s what it showed me. What factors of character and circumstance justify Randy’s assuming responsibility for and authority over Fort Repose? Is his thought in Chapter 7-†When you had the responsibility you also had the right to command†-explanation enough? I think that Randy taking charge because he had the responsibility was enough of an explanation. Randy was doing what he thought would benefit the community the most, and it did indeed do so. To what extent does â€Å"survival of the fittest† apply in Fort Repose after The Day? What do Randy and the others understand that phrase to mean? What do you understand it to mean? Only the fit and adept could survive. If you couldn’t adapt to change, you weren’t going to live. Randy thought of it when Florence’s cat ate her bird. The cat didn’t have anything else to eat, so it had to do what it had to do. I wouldn’t want to eat an armadillo, but if there was nothing else to eat, I’d be eating that armadillo! How did the lives of some of the characters improve after The Day? The lives of the Henry’s improved because they were looked at as equals to everyone else. The lives of the poor people changed for the better because they became equal as everyone else, also. After The Day, Alice finally found her meaning of life. She was able to be someone important as a librarian, everyone started coming to her. What change in black and white relationships evolved after The Day? Black and white relationships became more equal, as discussed previously. How might the burial of Porky Logan be considered the turning point of the novel? The burial of Porky Logan could be a turning point of the book because after he (Randy’s rival) dies, Randy takes up the position of authority that Porky had had and leads the people in a very good and effective way. Does it matter who won this war? It doesn’t really matter who won the war with the amount of damage done, people were still focusing on what really mattered: survival. Why do you think Frank selected a phrase from The Revelation of John as the title of his book? To what extent do you think he intended the references to Babylon in chapters 17 and 18 of The Revelation to apply to the United States of the 1950’s? To what extent might they apply to the United States of today? Frank must have used the phrase form The Revelation of John to show that what he’s writing has to do with some of his Christian beliefs. How is the novel critical of American wealth? The novel is critical of American wealth, in that it shows us we don’t really need all that we have. We don’t need cash to survive, what we really need is food, water, shelter .. etc. What do you know now that you didn’t know before you read this book? I know now what kinds of things to do in survival situations that I wouldn’t have known. Things like putting salt on meat to preserve it, eating armadillos .. etc.