Adrian Monroe

The Dark Night of the Soul

We no longer live in a world where human action can be explained. So why even try? Richard E. Miller is the book's author who begins by narrating the ordeals of two young men who go on a killing spree. He points out how society tries to justify their actions by blaming the parents, society, military, media and everyone caught in between. However in a quick rejoinder the one of the young men come out saying that their actions should not be excused or blamed on anyone else but themselves.

Being a teacher of English, especially the literatures and a writer, Miller then asks, can reading and writing help to prevent such issues? Can we be saved from angry youth whose actions cannot be predicted and prevented? The author points to a bigger societal problem that is multi fold. First he sees that there is no system to manage people from diverse backgrounds. These people are taught to think and act differently posing a challenge for any school system to manage them. Then there is the praise of social media. In the past there were very few gods, and then there were little more demigods, who then paved way for more kings. Now there are very many social media gods who set the wrong examples for our children.

To answer this question, the author paints a picture of three different scenarios. He asks the question, what drives a writer? Does writing make one a better person? Miller then brings out the tale of Tull, a young writer who viewed and considered his writing as superior to Barry’s. He calls Barry’s writing a ‘ridiculous failure’. He thinks Barry’s writing is flat and not emotionally evoking enough to warrant the reception he does receive from the readers. The readers on the other hand seem to appreciate what Barry is writing and get lost in his world and thinking. The audience gives Barry a lot of acclamation for his works while Tull’s novels go out of print and publishers are doubting about printing more. He on several occasions tries to undercut his friend turned enemy Barry by sabotaging his works and working with criminals to end his reign as the superior writer. It eventually comes out more clearly that we all imagine that violence in some ways is the ultimate way to revenge. But as the two age, it becomes apparent that there is a lot of ignorance and futility in their actions. Comment by moammed al debasi: what question? Just do something like --> To answer this quesiton about X, the author... Comment by moammed al debasi: identify this "tale" as Martin Amis's book. Comment by moammed al debasi: show how this "becomes apparent." A quotation will help you. Comment by moammed al debasi: I like this reading a lot

Looking at the story of the young men who go on a killing spree into the schools, killing other students, teachers as well as their own parents over the years is also another point of reference. Miller tries to bring out how society handle the young men and tried to excuse them for their behavior by blaming other people for the young men’s action or inaction. He reflects that although these young men did everything their peers did from watching movies to relaxing and taking walks to other forms of recreation. He then sets out the response from the young men saying they should squarely be blamed for their actions. Comment by moammed al debasi: Quote--use the text to help you here.

In our wisdom (or lack of it) we have come to believe so much in the power of reading as opposed to the power of nature. What these two stories bring out clearly is that as much as we would like to think about it, we are controlled by the environment that we live in. we are influenced by what is around us and therefore a study of these things ultimately affects how we behave. The decision by those two young men to head into their own school and kill their school mates as well as their teachers was shaped by their surroundings. The literature they were exposed to at the time led them to their acts. In the end as they head to prison they are heard saying that their actions were theirs alone and that no one should be blamed for what they did. Comment by moammed al debasi: NO! They kill themselves. Go back and read that part. Comment by moammed al debasi: Go back to the text; Miller is referring to what Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold wrote

Miller again brings this out strongly when he presented the story of McCandless. His is a story of stupidity trying to fight nature. His story brings out the importance of relieving the past in order to make peace with it for the sole purpose of moving into the future. The young man after completing high school burnt up all his papers and donated the remainder of his trust fund to a charitable organization and headed into the Alaskan mountains. Krakauers asks the difficult question as to why the young man left the comforts of home into the mountains to seek mortal danger. A study of what the young man was reading in his youthful years, interviews with family predisposed to the writings of other acclaimed authors. The young man thought that he was living honorably and that he was following his letter and spirit to the letter. He was like an evangelist, attempting to convert everyone he met to think and act like him. He but forgot or took for granted one thing- the works that his life revolved around, what he took to be gospel truth was but works of fiction. Someone’s imagination put down on paper. Even the author of his favorite book died a bad death nowhere close to the ideals he wrote about. What led to the death of McCandless, the author point out is not that he could not find his way around the forest. It is because he ate poisonous seeds that his favorite author fictitiously writes as food. This was his foolishness and undoing. Comment by moammed al debasi: context! Who is this person? You need his full name and who he is.

From the passages above, it can be seen how miller tries to frame the story. There is one major underlying theme. That we are shaped by the actions and deeds of others around us, those that we allow to. He however also puts it that we should however not blindly follow these words as we read them. Clearly, like in the case of McCandless, some of them are meant for entertainment. We should carefully consider our words and our actions before we commit to an action. As much as McCandless life was enviable-being that he put aside his fears and pursued his dream, we should do it with caution and moderation. As much as the events of Columbine high school were shocking and despicable, there are lessons that can be learnt. It is up to the reader of the story to choose his take home. What it means to him, what value it adds to their lives. At the end of the day, we live in a technologically advanced society but it is alarming that we are more ignorant than before. It is this realization that we are so ignorant that is the first step towards recovery and healing. Comment by moammed al debasi: One problem is that you are just summarizing and paraphrasing, rather than working with the text.

Tyler Perry is an acclaimed film maker. He has won several awards and many hearts of different people from different backgrounds, mainly because his stories are relatable. He showcases everyday experiences and presents them in a way that one feels he is part of. One of such stories is why did I get married. This is a story of a group of friends who undergo several challenges in their marriages to mimic everyday people and the challenges they too face in their marriages.

The film is made of a celebrity cast including Tyler Perry himself, Janet Jackson, Tasha Smith, Michael white, and Jill Scott among others. The viewer is confronted with issues such as cheating by either partners, the commitment of relationship itself, love and forgiveness. I am especially touched by the story of Sheila, played by Jill Scott. This story resonates with me personally since I have had the unfortunate experience of a cheating partner. The feeling of being unwanted. The feeling of trying to find your true worth. Comment by moammed al debasi: Well done here. This shows a nice touch with English sentences.

Watching the film and thinking about the actions of ourselves and those around us leads to a deep search of one’s soul, to find out what really does make a marriage work. There are couples who seem to have it all yet have bigger trouble than counseling can solve. There are others that seem to be struggling with finances and putting food on their table but still find something to fight about. The film made me question my personality and sent me to the mirror to seek understanding of who I was looking at. Would I like my own actions and inactions if I was to observe in third person capacity? Were the actions of the people closest to me good for me or were they toxic and made me want to commit crimes?

Just like McCandless, I find the works of Tyler Perry to be extremely entertaining and eye opening. I find his work to be a notch above the others. The same way McCandless was engrossed with other authors like London, Thoreau, Muir, and Tolstoy. But unlike McCandless, I do not live by the ideals of Tyler Perry. I understand that not every person is perfect and that there are occurrences in our lives that we cannot outrun. Janet Jackson’s character loses a child due to a road accident. It so happens that her husband forgot to fasten the belt to the seat where their son was. This haunts her even as she tries to forgive the husband and move on. But forgiveness seems tough given that communication between the couple is interfered with and they begin keeping secrets from each other. These are experiences that as much as they are fictional and a creation of the producers imagination, are things that happen. Then again, unlike McCandless, I do not foolishly believe in them and do what the author does in his film. I use this to reflect and think of how to avoid similar situations and in the event they are inevitable, what the best courses of action would be. Acting on something thought out yields better results than a spur of the moment action. Comment by moammed al debasi: finish the comparison Just like McCandless find the works of ----- interesting/compelling/entertaining...

Miller in his works points out several kinds of readers. There are readers like the Columbine High school children who think that their actions should only be blamed on them and not the supporting structure among them. These are the readers who interpret the works that have been written their own way and fashion out way of thinking about it. These boys taught themselves how to make explosives from readily available materials and fertilizer. Then there are readers like McCandless who like evangelists preach and expect to live by the words of their authors. These are adventure seekers who are not afraid to experiment and find challenges to overcome. People who are bored by repeatedly doing one thing over and over again and seek challenges frequently to challenge their being. These are the people who are not afraid to live on the edge.

I believe I fall somewhere in between. The cases above are extremes. Both ends do not describe my persona remotely. However a mix of the two is closer home. I am reserved in my actions and think on my own before committing to an action. I do not fashion out my own style or identity like the columbine high school boys but fit into descriptions that will generally describe other people as well. I do not struggle to change nature but adapt to the wishes of nature.

The story in the film is in the past tense because of the experiences that make me relate to the film. McCandless was unfortunate that one of the things he took up from his armament led to his death. The lessons I learn from the works of Tyler Perry are used to build my persona into becoming a better person. At the end of the day I wish to be in love with the person I see in the mirror.

Miller aptly puts it that we live in a rapidly changing world and our main focus is on what we have done, what we are doing at the moment and what we are planning to do in the future. This is however all in futility, ignorance, insignificance and humiliation. One would have to look deeper to understand what is meant by this.

Having read the passage, and compared it to the personal experiences that I have had including those that were evoked by the film, I have gained some little insight into the world miller is talking about. I have begun the discovery of how ignorant I am, and how my actions are insignificant and very minute especially in light of the trouble we currently are in. we are constantly battling for supremacy but to what end. What then after we receive the short moment in the sun? At the end of the day we all are mere mortals and after our death, we are replaced by another short moment of glory. It is an endless cycle that has taken our eyes off the prize and that is living as humanely as possible with care and concern for strangers.

Professor comments in overall

I like a lot of this paper. There are powerful sentences in several places. I also like how you tackle the essence of the assignment, to think about what texts like books and movies can add to a life--or take away.

Work on the Miller section. There are places where you need context. You have errors to clean up. But most important, quote the text in places where you make claims about what Miller is saying.