Confession Article

The author begins by explaining her interested in confessional writing. She explains, "I'm interested in confession for a number of reasons: some personal,
some academic. Mostly, I'm interested in the ways and places the two bump
up against, inform, and transform each other." (Goldthwaite 1) She talks not only about her favorite confessional writers such and Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, but also about confessions in movies like The Seventh Seal. Then she tells a story about he college days where one of her neighbors stalks her and later says that writing that story brought up uncomfortable emotions and put her in a "nervous state". An interesting topic comes up when she begins to discuss Sharon Olds. In an interview with NPR Olds explains that her confessional works aren't necessarily based on personal experiences, even very in poems that talk about "her parents". Goldthwaite goes back to the story about the stalker and relates it to confession, and how the stalker tried to force a confession out of her which she resented. She ends by saying, "Believe what I write, but don't ask me if it's true. This is not a confession." (Goldthwaite 21)

Heloise's Letter to Abelard

I think that this letter more tells of the faults of Abelard and Heloise's society than of some great love story. Abelard was ready to give up on Heloise now that he couldn't have relations with her, and sent her off to be a Nun. He didn't write to her or have any contact with her until she read a copy of a letter that he had distributed to tell the tale of his tragic life. Heloise seems upset the Abelard hasn't written to her and I think its pretty horrible that he's made her because a Nun and abandoned her. The fact that this wasn't unusual in the 12th century is troubling. Their tale also shows how much power the church had over people, it seems that the church and its leadership could do basically whatever they wanted. I think the story of Abelard and Heloise is certainly a tale of a tragic relationship, but not a great romance.

Abelard, Peter, and Heloise. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. London: Penguin Classics, 2003.

Letter From Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy

I would consider this letter one of the most important in World History because the back and forth letters from Kennedy to Khrushchev in October of 1962 kept the world from full-scale nuclear war. This letter tells Kennedy that the Soviet Union is pulling the weapons out of Cuba but that the US should refrain from flying over Cuban or Soviet airspace, as a plane could be confused with a nuclear bomber, which would cause retaliation. He mentions that there was an incident a few months ago when a U2 Spy Plane was caught over Soviet airspace and it was blamed on poor weather. Although Khrushchev says he trusts Kennedy, and that there was indeed poor weather, I'm not sure if he actually believes it. Next he says, "A still more dangerous case occurred on 28 October, when one of your reconnaissance planes intruded over Soviet borders in the Chukotka Peninsula area in the north and flew over our territory. The question is, Mr. President: How should we regard this. What is this: A provocation? One of your planes violates our frontier during this anxious time we are both experiencing, when everything has been put into combat readiness. Is it not a fact that an intruding American plane could be easily taken for a nuclear bomber, which might push us to a fateful step? And all the more so since the U.S. Government and Pentagon long ago declared that you are maintaining a continuous nuclear bomber patrol." (Merton 57) This seems to be very threatening to me, but I suppose it was understandable if the US was constantly sending Spy Planes over Russia. Khrushchev claims that they must protect Cuba because there are many Soviet citizens living there, and many threats to them, including pirates. I think he probably just threw pirates in there so he didn't have to say that he wants to protect Cuba from the US. Khrushchev ends by reminding Kennedy that the Soviet people value peace more than anyone, after experiencing the horrors of Hitlers campaign against them.


Merton, Thomas. Cold War Letters. New York: Orbis Books, 2006.

If this ad was around today, the magazine it appeared in, and the coffee company it advertises would have mass demonstrations against them, and would probably be sued for something. I can't even imagine this being a good idea 60 years ago, if they were trying to target women to buy their coffee, I don't think threatening them is the way to go. It's disturbing to me that this ad that clearly suggests that if you don't buy their coffee, your husband will beat you, was tolerated back then. This quite is an obvious example of male chauvinism in 1950's culture.

What I Want My Word to Do Haiku

Get me through English,
I hate touchy-feely crap.
Refrigerator.

Field Journal #10 Stadium Pal

David Sedaris is tasked with writing in the style section for Esquire and decides to write about his quest for a fashion accessory for men. Somehow this leads him to the Stadium Pal with is a catheter that you attach to your calf and member with a self adhesive condom. My favorite line is "while in a sports stadium a 32oz piping hot bag of urine attached to your leg might go unnoticed, but not so in a stuffy airplane. An hour after christening it I smelled like a nursing home."

Field Journal #9 Trapped in the Closet

After bursting into the house, Sylvester begs Bridget and James to put the guns down but they both say no. When Twan suggests he should kill them all, Bridget says she will drop the gun if James doesn't hurt the midget, Big Man, a stripper at a club called "Dixie's." Dixie's is where Big Man met Bridget. After Gwendolyn calls Sylvester to see if everything is okay, James calls Sylvester and Twan "Chuck and Rufus", revealing that he knows them also. Bridget admits that she paid Big Man (who is "blessed," in reference to the fact that he's "well-endowed," or has a large penis) and also says that she even followed James around while he was with Gwen. She then reveals that Big Man, who has once again fainted, is her baby's daddy, which negates her previous excuse of it being "that time of the month."

There is A LOT of confessing in the 48 part epic that is Trapped in the closet.