Seniors #1--Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary (Seniors)
Your first assigned short story, The Lucid Eye in Silver Town, is a partially autobiographical account of its author, the young John Updike. Jay, the young boy in the story, was from some "hick town" in PA, as his father said in his sad, self-deprecating manner; Updike himself hailed from Shillington, a small town close to Reading, PA. Even at 76, Updike is reading and writing as much as ever. However, his first artistic dream was to become a cartoonist. After finding that career had reached a "ceiling," he tried his hand at fiction. His description of his first effort to write should encourage those of you who are intimidated or insecure in your own ability: "It's like sort of a horse you don't know is there, but if you jump on the back there is something under you that begins to move and gallop. So it's clearly a wonderful imaginary world that you enter when you begin to write fiction."Visit this webpage and read the Updike interview. Well, as much or as little as you need to in order to respond to this prompt:
Respond to any of Updike's answers in this interview. He talks about a variety of subjects: his childhood, his experience with teachers, his early appreciation of reading, his writing theories, teaching a creative writing class, the American Dream, etc. You may merely respond in a agree/disagree--like/dislike manner OR relate his (and your) responses to The Lucid Eye in Silver Town.
This represents one exercise in the "critical" side of the course.
Instructions (READ and FOLLOW)
For this assignment, respond in a minimum of 25 comment lines or 200 words.
It would be best to write your response in a Word document. From there, you can save it (you will print this out later and hand in with your other journal responses), proofread it (spell-check, etc.), do a word count (go to TOOLS--WORD COUNT), and then copy and paste your response into the box marked "LEAVE YOUR COMMENT."
You must also "CHOOSE AN IDENTITY" to leave a comment. To do so, click the circle labeled "NAME/URL." Another box will open; type your initials, space, and then your section color. For instance, Brittany Aunet would be BA purple.
You should PREVIEW your comments before you PUBLISH.
posted by JTF @ 9:40 PM
18 comments
18 Comments:
The interviewer asked John what he father taught, and his response was no surprise to me: Math. This subject is routine, unchanging, and a subject that cannot be argued. This reminds me of his portrayal of his father in The Lucid Eye in Silver Town because in the story his father was the same way. He didn’t argue, he conformed to society, and listened to what people said to him with quiet resilience. No matter how much Jay said to him, he never responded badly. This I think shows the qualities of a math teacher because, they hear students try to change the rules, but in the end it is what it is. Also in the interview he is asked why teaching didn’t interest him, and he responds that it showed him just how precarious his job was and he did not like it. This compares to the story because in the story Jay would have never become like his father. He was a “go-getter” with his brains, and ambition to do things. He wanted more then just to become like his father in the story, and wanted to be more in real life too. His life and that life the he described in The Lucid Eye in Silver Town are very alike.
In the interview, the interviewer commented that Updike wrote to get himself on paper, to find out more about who he was. It struck me that it seemed that, though Jay didn’t learn more about who he himself was, he learned a bit more about his father and uncle later that maybe he didn’t notice before. He thought his father a fool quite a bit, from not bringing more money to hiding when his uncle was speaking with his associates, but discovered later that his father may have been more wise than he had given him credit for. Uncle Quin was the same way. He discovered more beneath the initial impression of his uncle as the day wore on, though he seemed to be two different people at times. Updike also commented that the writing helps the world feel more real to him, and the reader, too, and that it extends the reader’s sympathy. It is true, really, because we sympathize with Jay when he gets the eyelash in his eye because, despite the lack of severity of the injury itself, we can tell that he is in pain and want to sympathize with him. In the same way, we want to sympathize with the father when Jay starts his tantrum at the end of the story over the book even though he doesn’t treat it very seriously. John Updike’s own life does, in some ways, reflect his work The Lucid Eye in Silver Town very well.
I must agree with Updike on the fact that Reading is a beautiful place. Like he said, the Pagoda is built on a mountain in the middle of Reading. You wind up the mountain and arrive at the Pagoda that looks out over Reading. It is kind of random, but you get a beautiful view of the city.
He mentions that his eight h grade English teacher that used to each him grammar. Coming from a public middle school in Florida, I was never taught grammar. I had always had a knack for writing, but always had to do a serious amount of editing with the help of other people. When I came to St. Marks my freshman year we were submerged in grammar (maybe even too much). It took me many nights at the tale with my father to learn it. In the end, I didn’t have a good grade in the class, but I am a better writer and I have an understanding of the language. As he said “…that those commas serve a purpose and that a sentence has a logic, that you can break it down”.
He mentions that he writes about real life but with some imagination. I generally enjoy when writers do that because the reader can actually feel what is going on in the story. When stories are written in the future or in unreal places it is harder to understand the true impact of the time period and location.
From only reading part of his interview you can understand how he came to write a Lucid Eye In Silver Town. His childhood was a lot Jay’s with his father being a middle class man, but knowing a lot more than he could understand.
I agree with John Updike’s advice to young writers, especially since I aspire to be just that. His advice wasn’t so much “Do this, then do that,” but more of what he feels makes a good writer, and what the difference of getting in the business today is to what it was like in his day. One thing that he said that I really connected with me was "Try to develop actual work habits, and even though you have a busy life, try to reserve an hour say -- or more -- a day to write.” I like to write, and when I really get into it, it comes very naturally to me, but a lot of times, I just can’t find the time or the motivation to just sit down and do it. Now, I have a busy day, but honestly most of it’s procrastination, so from now on I should really make a more conscious effort to write, even if it’s only for an hour. Like a lot of artistic careers, writing’s tricky to get into. There’s no office you can walk into and go “Excuse me, I’d like to be a writer” and show them a résumé . Some people have it, some don’t, and some just get plain lucky. But like Updike says, “I don't sneer at writers like Stephen King who have managed to capture the interest of a large audience…I figure if you don't have any audience you shouldn't be doing this.”
I was getting pretty confident I got the jist (spelled wrong?) of the interview as I was scrolling down the web page, reading what he had to say. As I read the “last” question, I saw the numbers 1-8 on the bottom of the page and my heart sunk. I still got a triple-digit number of math problems and two chapters of economics homework, so I’m just gonna stay confident in the fact that I gathered enough information in the first page. From what I gathered, the childhood of John Updike is the theoretical formula for a great fictional author (with the exception of the fact that he isn’t addicted to drugs). He was the Todd Marinovich of fictional writers. He had a unique household, with his grandparents and parents both living in his house, and neither of them were fully American. He had a cornucopia of perspectives influencing him every day. He also had very good genetics, because his mom had a master’s degree in fictional writing. For some odd reason, she worked in a drapes store, which was a “very romantic” place and had to have influenced his imagination. Not to mention he was an only child in a neighborhood with only one person his age. As an only child, I know that extremely boring, and it is impossible to not develop an imagination. People with sibling don’t realize how many countless hours an only child had had alone with absolutely nothing to do, so we make something out of nothing, which is the definition of fiction. “So, I got the reading habit, and I slightly branched out, you know, and challenged myself” (page 1). He developed a love for reading, a TRUE love for reading. He chose what he wanted to read and read it at his on enthusiastic pace. Today, or maybe just to me, reading was forced on us and we had to read random bullshit we cant relate to. Then, instead of just enjoying it, if you can call it enjoying, we have to remember each and every detail because we will have a test on it. It doesn’t matter how the character overcame adversity if the only questions on the test are “What was the characters mom’s maiden name that was only mentioned once and had no significance?” So anyway, he loved to read and he read a lot. The more you read the more complex your imagination becomes. You develop a natural knack for storytelling. And he learned at his own pace. “So, it was random reading, but maybe that's the best kind in a way. It's not forced on you and you get these glimpses, you know, of a wonderful world of books” (page 1). He was also strongly influenced by his father. They went on adventures together, adding yet another dimension to his imagination. He also showed him how much struggle there is in order to fulfill his American Dream, it isn’t easy. The last dimension of his multi-dimensional imagination comes from Reading. It was a “beautiful” city that was just far enough away that he could travel to in his imagination. It existed, but I’m sure in his imagination this average city was transformed into a Utopia. So, in my eyes, John Updike was the Todd Marinovich of fiction writers. He was brought up in the perfect environment to shape the imagination and have the work ethic to fulfill his dreams. You can call him the “test-tube writer”.
In the interview, John Updike first got the idea of becoming a writer after visually seeing his mom type in their front room. He would go to this room when he was sick or he would go just to watch her. His mom would send her writings to New York or Philadelphia, and unfortunately, they would come back to her. This made John think that this was something worth trying and that it can be accomplished. John wasn’t always interested in writing though. His first desire was art. His desire for art is like that of the character Jay’s in The Lucid Eye in Silver Town. Jay had a strong passion for artwork as well. However, John was more interested in constructing his own artwork. John’s mother saw to it that he got drawing lessons and painting lessons. He eventually attended Harvard, and this was where he realized that he wanted to give writing more of an effort than he had in the past. John wrote in light verse mostly, and he enjoyed writing poetry, but he realized that he couldn’t make a living out of being a poet. He then decided to write fiction. He was unsure of writing fiction because he was sure he would fail. He saw it happen to his mother with her writings, so therefore he was positive the same thing would result with him. This is how most people would think; in general many people can be very pessimistic about themselves. John was only going to allow himself five years to attempt to get published. This might seem like a long time, but for a writer its really not. He decided that if he couldn’t get published by that time then he wasn’t fit to be a writer. I think that John didn’t want to give up, and that he was determined to become a writer because he knew he was capable. Luckily, he ended up getting published fairly quickly. John loved writing mystery and crime novels, but the strange thing is that he is most well-known for his books about ordinary people just living ordinary lives. Now, normally most people wouldn’t seem to find this very interesting, but something about John Updike’s writing must’ve intrigued them. I think people enjoy reading about things they can relate to on a daily basis, so that’s just what John Updike wrote about.
I realized that I could relate to John Updike when he said that his father was a teacher. My mom and two of my grand parents were teachers. Like him, I remember going to Our Lady of Fatima, where my grand mom taught, and helping her set up and take down her room during the school year. I remember that when we would go in to set up, it would always be hot because the school did not start really running the air conditioner until the kids got back. I remember tacking up posters and putting books on the bookshelves. We would just bring boxes and boxes of things up to the second floor class room. I was so proud when I would look around the room and see all of the work we had accomplished. Helping my grand mom is a very cherished memory to me. Even though it was hot and the boxes were heavy, no one complained, we would joke and have fun. Then, normally we would talk to the other teachers about their summers and where they had gone. One lady especially always had interesting stories, Mrs. Galvin. Mrs. Galvin was an old British lady who would go on trips all over the world. She would go to places like England, Ecuador and China. She was my grand mom’s friend and one time, they went to Arizona together to see the Grand Canyon. All of the teachers were very nice and were always pleasant to me. My grand mom loves teaching and still does it to this day.
While reading this interview, I realized that John Updike’s life and Jay’s life were very similar in many different aspects. Both of Updike’s parents remind me of Jay’s parents. Updike’s mother was a very professional woman for her day. It really surprised me that she had graduated from Cornell and it just seemed to me that she could rule the house instead of a man. Updike’s father is very similar to The Lucid Eye in Silver Town. They both share the same characteristics such as their mannerisms. I found it very interesting that Updike did a lot of reading when he was younger. These days it is so hard for parents to even get their kids to read one book that is required of them, but Updike seemed to have a passion for reading, which probably helped his career in the long run. I found it interesting that Updike’s father was his math teacher for three years. In the story, The Lucid Eye in Silver Town, when Jay’s father was telling him facts about different buildings in New York City, Jay seemed kind of surprised that his father knew so much about the city. I found it kind of ironic that in real life his father taught him math because it shows his father is a smart man. In the story Jay is described as a “go-getter,” and in Updike’s life it seemed that he wanted to become better or different than his father. Jay and Updike are both determined and have the love of art. In the short story, Jay is so determined to go to New York City to buy the Vermeer book. It seems that in real life, Updike just had a calling or passion to become a writer even though his true love was the visual arts. Reading this interview. It seems that Updike needs to always get a message out or tell a story about something. When he was talking about his stuttering problem I really liked the fact that even though he was not a good orator he never gave up and decided to write down his thoughts. I really appreciate the fact that Updike decided to write not only about mysteries, but also about the lives of ordinary people. I love reading about everyday happenings and real stories that people in everyday life go through. I found that reading stories like these have really helped me get through some tough times. Throughout The Lucid Eye in Silvertown, I found that Jay was trying to find himself and where he is supposed to be in life. I find that he is very mature for his age and he is just finding out about life on his trip to New York City. Updike stated, “There is a certain amount of trying to be honest about what it’s like to be an American male of my age and with my general outlook.” This statement shows that Updike is trying to find himself in the adventure of writing just like Jay tries to do. They both might not realize it but others looking in at both, Jay and Updike, realized they are trying to find out more about who they are. Overall, I think that Updike based parts of his real life into the story of The Lucid Eye in Silvertown. Almost every character had a similarity to someone in his family. I think the story was just a little piece that helped Updike grow into finding himself into a better writer.
In Updike’s firsts response he mentions that he was an only child and that “whatever adult energy was there was focused on me.” I think this definitely had an impact on his career path. If he had grown up in a family with multiple siblings I think his ability to focus and observe his mother’s efforts and in turn be inspired would have been diverted.
Updike then goes on to say that his mother was “unusual in that generation in that she had a master’s degree.” I think this also influenced Updike. Her ability to disregard the norm and work to achieve her dreams definitely stuck with Updike. Another significant statement of Updike was how he considered reading “a world a child could control.” I think this is significant because he obviously liked the feeling of having a sense of control because he turned his childhood pastime into his career. This leads me to believe Updike is still indeed a child at heart who saw this as a way to maintain a kid’s attitude in an adult profession.
I thought it was interesting when Updike explained his advantage with his teachers. He said, “As a teacher’s son they were friendly to me, and I had a better understanding of teachers. They weren’t the enemy, as they were for so many children.” I also think this was a great benefit for Updike similar to the fact that he was an only child. Because his father was a teacher, he knew they were real, lovable people who were there to help enrich and expand your knowlege, they were not working against you, but with you. He realized this early and took full advantage of it
John Updike uses his childhood experiences to influence his stories. As many people have said in the past, “say what you know,” I say to write what you know. The stories and traditions of the writer’s lives have a greater meaning to the reader if they are reflected in a way that is capable of being related to. John Updike comments about his childhood growing up in Pennsylvania, and the impact that moving had on him. John Updike comments, “I think any move annoys a child a great deal. All a child asks is that the world hold still while he or she grows up, and many of us don't get that wish.” This statement makes me reflect upon my childhood. So much of my thoughts and experiences have lead me to never want to leave my home. I have made friends, know the people in town, and have made countless connections. Furthermore, possibly moving or getting out of town instills maturity. One needs to see the world and realize not everyone or every town or person is like you. Upon being in a new environment, one’s beliefs can change and should in order to grow up and move on. John Updike correlates this in The Lucid Eye in Silver Town. I believe Jay goes to New York, thinking he is a “big” fish and his ideas are fixed, but years later realizes his venture to another “world” changed his perceptions about his relatives and his ideas.
John Updike grew up around reading since he was a child. Since he had no siblings to play with growing up, he read. Both his mother and his grandfather were livid readers. Growing up he read things from comic strips to The New Yorker. Had he not been a reader since a young age; who knows, we might not have the Updike who is the great author that we know today. His influences of Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner may have led to his love of books and his eventual career in writing. He also stated in the interview that he wanted to be a writer like E.B. White, who wrote books that made people laugh. The wide range of genres that he read while growing up probably helped him when trying to figure out what kind of stories he wanted to write. He probably never thought, while growing up, that he would one day become a great writer, partially because of his love for books. I think when you enjoy reading, it makes it easier to write. As a child he may have complained that he was bored or had no one to play with, never knowing that this actually would help him to be a great writer.
In the interview, John Updike explains most people are born writers and can even write better than writers who have a Ph.D, therefore showing skepticism toward writing classes. I agree with Updike because I believe that there are some people who are born to write. Some people are naturally great writers, in which writing comes easily to them. However, I also believe that doesn’t mean the rest of us should give up on writing. This would then fail the purpose of writing classes. With the help of text books and practice, as provided by writing classes, it can influence and inspire the writing in all of us. Writing classes supply not-natural writers with that extra fuel natural writers have.
I agree with Updike when he explains that only fiction is read by fiction writers and not others. I will admit that the majority of the fiction books I have read were for school, rather than enjoyment, proving Updike’s point. Updike advises young writers to “take [writing] seriously, you know, just set a quota.” This is excellent advice and practical also. For those who are not interested in writing, rather than forcing it the last minute, one should work on writing day by day, setting a quota for each day.
Updike concludes by saying, “read what excites you.” I 100 percent agree with this statement. It’s difficult and boring to read material that is not of interest to a person. I personally read more fast and attentive when reading a book that I am interested in. I can sometimes get so in to a book, that I become sad when the book is over. John Updike could not be more right on this advice.
In the interview, Updike was asked if he felt encouraged to write by his English teachers. I believe to be a good teacher of writing you have to be able to let go of your own pride sometimes and really give yourself into to making a student thrive. Throughout my life I have only had one or two teachers that have been able to inspire me to write. Im not saying it is easy to bring a writer out of everyone cause it isn’t. but some teachers just possess the quality to bring the best out of people. My teacher in the 5th grade wouldn’tever force us to write but whenever we had to write anessay in class everyone would turn one in. Now im not very good at writing but she gave me a sense of confidence that one needs to write a decent paper. She enabled you to inspire yourself, through your thoughts. The more I wrote the more I wanted to write. Do not get me wrong Im not saying there is an updike in all of us but everyone has a point of view that can be expressed through writing it just has to be enticed.
John Updike describes his Father as an American man. John's family moved back to his Mom's roots to a farm. So for John at age thirteen he had to struggle with some of the changes being made from the move from Schillington to Plowville. He was perfectly fine being a school teacher's son. John admits that although he may not have been athletic or popular, he was content with being "schmart." He mentions that he read a lot on the farm due to the influence from his mom and his grandfather. His mother just loved to read and his grandfather enjoyed the newspaper and the Bible. John quickly became interested with their influence to read more.
John mentions that he became a commuter after they moved to the farm with his dad. His dad and him went on "adventures" is what he called them. This special time with his dad made him realize something. His dad was an American man going through a struggle like everyone else. With this as an inspiration, John wrote The Centaur which was based on his recognition of his father's struggles. His father had to provide for his family. Updike saw this in him everyday as he commuted with him. He was glad to have this time with his dad while other boys did not.
Updike actually had his father as a math teacher for three years. He says his father was no different to him as anyone else. This shows that his father was a good man inside and outside of the classroom. Updike then went on from high school to Harvard where he advanced in his writing. Overall, John Updike seems like a down-to-earth kind of guy. He came from a family that encouraged him to read, draw and write. Now, I would say that it all paid off because John is so successful now!
John Updike’s description of his first effort to write fiction reminded me a lot of myself. But for me, it’s every time I try to write fiction, not just the first. I can stare at the computer screen with a blank document opened on Microsoft Word for hours before I even attempt it. However, once I finally start writing, I cannot stop and the words just keep flowing. And it is finally a relief to know that I can do it. The same thing occurred while attempting to write this comment actually.
While reading the interview, there were a few things that seemed to have relevance to “The Lucid Eye In Silver Town.” For example, when John Updike said that he only visited Philadelphia a few times a year. In the story, Jay also rarely visited the city. Both John Updike and Jay were also from small towns in Pennsylvania. Also, John Updike’s childhood was similar to that of Jay’s. When he tells about commuting to school with his father and the “adventures” they shared with each other, I relate it to the adventure that Jay and his father had in New York City. Updike explains that he saw his father being an “American man” and that it was a struggle. Jay also saw this with his father on their trip. Jay realized that even though his dad worked hard, he struggled to give Jay what he truly wanted, a Vermeer book.
John Updike was an only child. He enjoyed that lifestyle. He lived with his parents and grandparents. Personally, I would not be able to stand having no siblings, not that I would mind the adults, but everyone need some healthy sibling rivalry. That may be the reason he became a writer. He maybe matured faster and was more sophisticated than other people. Also, he would have had to have been very imaginative as a child in order to have fun with few kids around, even though he had neighborhood friends. In his story, A Lucid Eye in Silver Town, the main character was the only child brought to the New York City with his dad; he wrote about what he knew. Times were tough for Updike and the boy in the story. Money was tight because of growing up in the Depression, and one child was a good economic move on the part of parents. Updike was probably used to having all the attention on him, just as the boy, Jay, in the story was. All because of an eyelash in his eye, the whole trip had to be stopped. He demanded the doctor, and expected to still have money afterward. I theorize that an only child is very likely to be brattier than one with siblings. Now Updike may not have been bratty, but the character he wrote about sure seemed to be, and authors usually write about what they know, but for all I know, he may have been making fun of a stereotype.
The move from Shillington to Plowville at 13 must have been somewhat traumatic.
He took the move rather well for a young boy. Every child wants to just grow up in one place and not have a care in the world. The quote he uses which says “All a child asks is that the world hold still while he or she grows up, and many of us don't get that wish” describes what typically most children do want. He took the move with great maturity and show from at a young age he was a on a higher level then most, I think.
You've said that you read a lot on the farm.
If I lived on a farm, I think the only thing to do would be to read and entertain myself. Books allow you to interpret things in your own way and I think he had a different type of outlook on life and it allowed him to express himself.
Who were your favorite authors?
He read random authors, most I have never even heard of. However, he does say that reading random stories and different authors opened his eyes to different types of writing, which I think is interesting and something to try.
Were there teachers who encouraged your writing at any point?
John Updike: Yes. As a teacher's son they were friendly to me, and I had a better understanding of teachers. They weren't the enemy, as they were for so many children.
Good teachers now, are hard to come by. There is always one teachers you connect with and those who do not have that I feel miss something. I think teachers play a big roll in influencing children, and I think many people are not aware of that.
When did you first get the idea of being a writer?
I think every child wants to be a writer at some point. When I was younger, I used to love expressing myself in short stories about the time of season. It was a simple and cute way to get my point across.
Did you see yourself becoming a fiction writer or a nonfiction writer or both? You wrote poetry as well.
I agree with his answer. Writing fiction allows you to explore things and situation that no one else could imagine. It gives you freedom to see and speak about things uniquely and in your own way. It gives a look into yourself and into a deeper meaning of things. Poetry however, is a much different type of writing. Poetry, I think, is fun and playful. Something that can either be pleasurable and fun, something to just mess around with and mismatch words, or it can be serious and a deep inner meaning and lesson can be taught.
We understand you had a stuttering problem when you were young.
John Updike: I still do. Now and then it crops up, but maybe because the people I talk to are more kindly and respectful now I don't stutter.
I think the way he explains a stutter his perfect. It shows how just as everyone he struggled with things also. His stutter was a disadvantage and it may explain why he began writing so much. I believe that when once sense fails, all other senses get stronger. This is a perfect example. His speech was not perfect, and because of this his writing became stronger and instead of expressing his thoughts with speech he spoke with his writing.
What was the first thing you wrote that was published?
John Updike says that he sold his first poem called “The Boy Who Makes the Blackboard Squeak”. He wrote what he knew and about things that he was experiencing at the time. His writing are always appropriate and match with what stage he is in his life and age at the time.
Did you continue working for The New Yorker long distance? Nowadays we have e-mail and other technology to commute electronically. How did you do it?
I think this shows his commitment and dedication to writing. He did not mind that it took a few days for his stories to arrive and he not mind traveling the distance to write.
Although it was a very small section in the interview, I liked when John Updike talked about when his mother worked at the department store and when he went there when he was young. When I was young I clearly remember going to the department store with my parents and two siblings. We would like going to certain departments, like the bedding, and insist on trying out all of the different beds. If my parents were trying to pick out something for the house in the furniture department, me and my siblings were allowed to go as we pleased and try out the different furniture. I remember having so much fun just running around and trying out the different chairs and couches. I'm not sure how much the workers at Macy's of JCPenny's enjoyed having three excited kids trying out all of their furniture, but atleast we were out of my parents hair as they made their shopping purchases. John Updike also talks about the escalators in department stores. When I was younger my brother and sister would always try to stay on the escalator as long as possible and they would literally almost fall off at the end because they would insist on keeping their feet on the escalator and not stepping off. My mom would always get annoyed with them becasue they would hold up the line of people on it. This was from a very small part of the interview, but just reading that section brought back such clear memories of my childhood that I knew I had to write about it. I think that most children love department stores, well espically my siblings and John Updike!
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