miércoles, 24 de agosto de 2011

Coming Through Slaughter - Close Reading I



What he did too little of was sleep and what he did too much of was drink and many interpreted his later crack-up as a morality tale of a talent that debauched itself. But his life at this time had a fine and precise balance to it, with a careful allotment of hours. A barber, publisher of The Cricket, a cornet player, good husband and father, and an infamous man about town. When he opened up the shop he was usually without customers for an hour or so and if there were any there they were usually 'spiders' with news for The Cricket. All the information he was given put unedited into the broadsheet. Then he cut hair till 4, then walked home and slept with Nora till 8, the two of them loving each other.....” (pg 13)

Sentence 1: This sentence describes Bolden's addiction and phsycological disorders as well as other's opinions about him. People take his case as an example of how a person with great talent can destroy themselves if they are unable to handle the pressure appropiately. 
Sentence 2-3: Bolden's life before he went mad was busy and scheduled, showing he was capable and responsible to live a normal life. However, the way things are listed give the sensation that his normal life was less exciting and arousing than his insane one. 
Sentence 4-5: His participation in "The Cricket" newspaper exemplifies Bolden's attitude towards society and life itself. He never censured or "edited" (previously planned) his actions in despite of what the consequences might be (for example, his disappereance) 
Sentence 6: The final sentence of this excerpt introduces a new character, Nora. She was Bolden's wife (their marriage drew her away from prostitution) with whom he seemed to have a passionate and functioning relationship, until he abandons her unexpectedly.


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