Mass Com 100w - MW 1:30pm-2:45pm
Journal Writing #5 - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Pakman7JR@hotmail.com
Word Count: 242
A Slice of Life in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
I love Packer’s technique. It is so personal; I just got sucked into the book. Honestly, I hate reading, but the way she wrote out the descriptions and emotions of her characters, especially, Dina, gave me that Cannery Row feel.
She exposes the flaws of humanity through the weaknesses of her characters. The settings are very cliché; a ghetto neighborhood, an elite college university--and she blends offset characters into the picture flawlessly.
The metaphors she uses to describe Dina’s battle with her feelings about being attracted to boys and girls add an artsy element to the book.
The way all the stories either link, or share common themes, like in James Joyce’s Dubliners, makes the book one big learning experience. By reading just a few chapters from Coffee, I have evolved my mindset on people in our American society.
I researched the author and found that she grew up in the Bay Area and is a graduate of Yale. Interestingly enough, that is the university that Dina attends. It makes me wonder if she bases most of these characters’ hardships on ones that she has experienced herself; which would explain why she is so damn good at developing her stories.
Packer has helped me realize that people love reading these Chicken Soup for the Soul type anecdotes. It is the fine description of the characters in the story that get you interested and addicted.
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