Kathy is for LOVERS

Question 1:

Percy uses many examples in order to prove his point throughout the essay “The Loss of Creature”. In reality, Percy only uses two main examples to establish what he is trying to convey, but presents them in a way in which they have many levels. Percy’s first example has the main topic of sightseeing, but then also splits into three more subjects. First he talks about the  Grand Canyon and the different ways in order to truly “see” it. Through this smaller subject he again splits into four separate examples of how to really see the Grand Canyon. By starting with getting off the beaten path and then moving all the way to seeing it after a natural disaster, Percy is slowly making his point. Instead of giving his opinion all at once and having the reader try to sort through it, he makes his point little by little, so that the reader may understand what he is trying to say during each step, and therefore truly understanding his point. Percy’s Grand Canyon example was meant to express that people must lose all of the excess expectations and thoughts they have in order to truly see and appreciate what they have come out to see.

Percy expands on this thought by adding a second example under the same main topic of sightseeing. This example deals more with the validity of sightseeing, or the notion that people feel they must see something that has never been seen before and is truly authentic for it to matter. In Mexico, the couple is unsure that their experience is truly authentic until they have a scientist come and verify that it is so. Percy continues this thought with another example of an American in Paris who sees a riot and feels that he has the true french experience. It turns out he only feels this way because of his expectations from a Hemingway novel. This ties the second point back into the first, that in order to truly see what they have come to see is to forget all expectations and not worry about the authenticity of the sight, but just to purely enjoy it.

Percy’s second main example deals with education. This example is split into two different sections, but they are both trying to reveal the same thing. Through the dogfish, sonnet, and listening to Beetoven in the bushes, Percy is trying to show that a student will be able to learn more if they want to learn it. The biology major who has the dogfish shoved in front of him will only learn what his teacher spoonfeeds him. This is the same for the english major reading Shakespeare. But the person who hides in the bushes to hear Beetoven actually wants to hear it, which makes all the difference. Instead of being forced to learn something, they show an interest which makes what they are learning so much more accesable. These two main examples both feed off of each other in order for Percy to establish his point throughout the essay. This process is much more effective than just saying the main point within the first few sentences and then trying to back it up.

Question 2:

When Percy is discussing the idea of the loss of soveriegnty, he is basically talking about the conflict between the “planner” and the “consumer”. By planner, Percy is alluding to society as a whole. The planner is the one who sets up what is going to happen, whether it be on a vacation or just in life in general. By the consumer, Percy means everyone else, the general public of the world who are getting confused by what they should actually see because of the loss of connection between themselves and the planners. The planner knows and decides what everyone should see, whether it is authentic or “good enough” to see. But the consumer needs and experiences: they need to see what the planner is telling them to, because they are unable to decide on their own (pg. 479) Soveriegnty is also lost through the packaging, such as how the teacher tells their students what to learn. By making what they want to teach their own, it is unable to become what the student wants. These losses make an impact on everyone, because they involve the whole world.  Everyone can be categorized as either a planner or a consumer, because at some point in life everyone is in a situation of being the planner or the consumer.

When reading Walker Percy’s essay, I did not find it intensely struggling. By no means was it as enjoyable as Harry Potter, but I did find some of Percy’s points interesting. Although I understood that Percy was trying to convey the notion of loss through his three examples, I feel there should have been more of a transition. After re-reading sentences over, I was able to understand what he is trying to say, but it seemed that there must be a better process to do so.

I felt his first example was by far his best. I could really understand what he means by people going on vacation and not really seeing what they have traveled long distances to see. Modern Americans have lost all hope of anything that even resembles traditional values because they have been clouded by possesions and other things of little importance. This is why when people go on vacation they are unable to really “see” the Grand Canyon, because that image is blocked by the day spa and gift shops that are inevitably built right beside it. What I did not agree with, however, is that no one would ever be able to really “see” because it has already been “seen”. I feel that once the mind is cleared from all of the garbage that popular culture has filled it with, everyone has the ability to really “see” and appreciate what is truly there.

I felt that this essay was cliche not in the way of normal sayings, but in the tone of the writing. Percy took the typically atypical approach of being the “opposite” point of view. Instead of taken the normal approach to looking at things (that is, that when people go sightseeing they actually go sightseeing, for example) he took the opposite of that (people are not seeing what they have come to see). This is equivalent to the group of kids who dress differently to go against the crowd, but in turn are all dressing the same and just conforming to something different.

A liberal arts education can mean almost anything. Since liberal arts encompasses such a wide spectrum of thoughts and ideas, its definition likewise is expansive in detail. I chose a liberal arts style education for the security of my future. In going to a place where I know I would gain a sufficient amount of knowledge in a plethora of subjects gives me the assurance that there will always be a job out there for me. By not settling on one subject too soon I will not be knowledgeable in only one area. This is important for the competitive job market that my future life indubitably leads to.

(picture by cmorephotos, flickr.com) As of right now I have an idea of what I want to accomplish in my life, but what if that all changes? At a liberal arts college I have both the freedom and opportunity to explore different fields of study. If I find I am unhappy with what I am studying, I can easily find something I like more. Or if I really do enjoy what I am studying, I still have the option to study a variety of things within my electives, so that not all of my courses coincide with my major. This is perfect whether I am unsure with my choices or if I just want a little variety in my life.

Within a liberal arts college there are not only options for different styles of education, but there are also many opportunities to expand socially. In a college atomosphere that stresses the importanct of choice, there are many different areas in which a student can participate, whether it be in clubs or sports. In an atomosphere that nurtures creativity and individualism, there is a variety of areas in which you can continue doing what you love or branch out to do something new. This gives the opportunity to broaden the spectrum in which people think about or interact with other people, whether they are of the same or different cultures.

Liberal arts colleges stress the importance of community. Even though individuality and independence is viewed as important, liberal arts still makes it possible for people to come together and learn how to interact through their likenesses and differences. In the smaller atmosphere that is the University of Mary Washington, I feel as if I now belong to a tight-knit community that will ultimately change my views on the world. Through the security of options both academically and socially, I feel as if I am set to become an adult. In this enviroment I am confident that I will not only be able to successfully become a functioning member of society, but have fun while doing it.

 My name is Kathy. I like the color pink, and Britney Spears is most-def on my ipod. Jealous? I think long walks on the beach are over rated, mostly because sand is just not a good idea in general. I’m scared of seagulls and bears, mostly because I’m afraid that they’ll both attack/maul my face off.