Analysis of "Blue" and "Getting Closer to the Machine"

The theme of "Blue" seems to be the idea that sometimes you really have no idea what you are getting yourself into.  This is made clear by the reaction he has when he realizes he just transported semi-automatic weapons.    The narrator writes "Safe in the driver’s seat I looked down, my shirt moved with my pulse. What had I got myself into? Who the hell was Blue?" The theme of "Getting Close to the Machine" is the challenge of balancing two completely different world that are a part of your life.

Both memoirs are very good at balancing detail and dialogue.  In "Blue" the author speaks of two apples, one that begins the story and another that ends it and all the bruises in between   He also writes out key dialogue that also moves the story along, allowing for the characterization of Blue not to be solely the interpretation of the narrator.  In "Getting Close to the Machine"  uses the confusing dialogue between two programmers to show how high the emotions are running as the deadline closes in, and then uses details of the squalor they are living in to create an image.

For my own memoir I'm writing about my experiences dealing with self-absorbed customers in a heavily customer service focused store.  I plan on going into detail about certain situations, using dialogue to define them and then my own private reactions to each story.  In the end I hope to connect what I learned working at a toy store to my two internships and future jobs in totally different fields.

Thoughts on "Doctor's Daughter"

I believe that the thesis of this story is: one cannot truly understand another until one lives like the other. In the essay the author spends her whole life not understanding why her mother could not be both a doctor and a mother.  When she has similar experiences to her mother's she begins to understand the questions she really should be asking.  "Why couldn't you work part time?"  "How far did you get in your residency" "What made you quit?"

Through asking her questions and living a life different from her mother's only because it was a different time period the author proves her thesis.

Work Experience

When I was 16 I walked into the toy store I went to and loved as a child and got my first job.   The manager asked a couple of questions and before I finished the application I had the job.  For 2 years I helped customers choose the perfect toy for every occasion they felt worth celebrating, did inventory, wrapped presents and blew up balloons for every kid who asked.  I also realized its not always the kids that are te brats, but the parents!

Over the summer I had a photography internship at an organization called Thrive D.C.  Thrive D.C. is a homeless services community center.  I loved every minute of the wonderful opportunity, because I had the chance to practice something I loved, work with some great people and learn a lot. 

Now, at UNCA I work as an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department.  I run the University's social media outlets and work on various photography projects.  Basically I know all of the University's secrets....