Journal #1
Some assumptions that we had coming into the book was that this was going to be a collection of quaint simple stories. We had known from researching Population 485 that these were all real stories and that Perry was going to try to convey his community to his audience or readers. We also thought that the book was going to promote the common good and helping one’s neighbor, considering that the book revolved around firefighting and assisting those in need.
The most important thing that we have learned would be how unappreciated volunteer firefighters are. Perry talks about how he is on call all throughout the day and his pay is very minimal for the amount of responsibility that he holds. His town is too small to have a full-fledged fire department so the town must depend on dedicated individuals such as Perry. We learned to admire the individuals that volunteer their time in our communities, these individuals don’t receive a lot of monetary gain however they receive gratitude from their peers and from the work that they complete.
The ideal audience for Population 485 would be a teenager or older. Some of the language used in the book would be slightly too advanced for anyone younger than their teens. Individuals in the Midwest or people that are accustomed to the Midwest style of living might relate to the book most easily. This is not to say that individuals living throughout the world wouldn’t enjoy the book also, it might just be more of a stretch to connect with the material.
The author’s tone is extremely conversational and the organization of the book is also very relaxed and disjointed. Perry writes to his readers as if they are already his friends and Perry isn’t afraid to share his secrets and some of his very low points. The organizational construction of the book is slightly difficult in the beginning for the readers to follow. Perry jumps from story to story, often incorporating several stories into each chapter. The stories, often, are hard to tie together and it is hard to understand what the time period is for the stories and whether or not they occurred in the same time frame relatively as other stories.
Perry creates fascinating characters by focusing in on one person and giving extremely specific details. Perry makes the characters seem relatable to his audience. When Perry is telling little tidbits about specific people it allows his readers to think about their history and ponder as to what people the readers know that relate to Perry’s characters.
We thought all of the EMT information was extremely interesting because all individuals should have a basic understanding of rescue material. We know that if we wanted to find more in-depth information on rescue procedures we could simply search online and find information for where we could enroll to take introductory courses.
Opening of the passage about Tracy surprised us. Perry obviously chose that passage to grab the reader however it was an incident that was pivotal in his career so we though he would have incorporated that passage later into the book. Perry’s organization of his chapters is still very confusing to our group.
Journal 2#
Friday 4/29
This journal will cover chapters titled Running the Loop, My People, Death and Call. As the plot of this book develops Populations: 485, midsection develops a rounded perspective of the town and the people within it, including historical content which aids to the depth of this literature. The authors tone throughout the first of the chapters is smoothed by the underlying looping jog around the town. Its encompassing circular image creates a tangible illustration of the town and some of the significant parts within it, such as Main Street, the mobile park and the picturesque farmland on the outskirts of New Auburn. He makes assumptions that hidden behind any small town in America the roots of the people run together into converging experiences and stories. Perry continues into this theme in the following chapter fittingly entitled My People. Perry turns his attention to the characters, in all the eccentricity and oddness which they are, he realizes that they have grown into an extended family, so intertwined with his personality is an integral part to his story. He creates memorable characters by locking them in the history of his life and the town. Barry Lynn, eighty nine, is described as a dancer –although he himself could be described as an oddity – whose delicate dance has become a normal part of rural life. The ageless traditions and setting Perry creates throughout this chapter not only add humor but also touches our sentimental sides of true friendship and compassion. In stark contrast with the previous chapter, Death, stabs at our attention as part of his tragic and heart wrenching profession which Perry is often faced with. In this chapter Perry shares his fears, a relentless knowledge of death staring him in the face. His chilling language cues the reader into his inner-struggle to overcome constant death. He does a particularly excellent job in his tone of this chapter; adding tons of metaphors and descriptive language throughout. Perry also adds a new perspective by taking the reader into his subconscious through his dreams. In this particular passage Perry’s language demonstrates the descriptive language superbly, “ On a cold night in early autumn, a universes of stars pinpricked across the black sky, we round a sweeping bend of the interstate and the usual burst of state trooper lights direct us…” (Perry 133). His words and tone, give the image of vastness with the words universe and sweeping, the unknown with the word black, and the feeling of uneasiness with the words cold and pinpricked in relative proximity. At the end of this chapter he revisits this idea in the passage above and connects it to the members of the community by stating that “all around these township, I see the dead” (Perry 142). The last chapter Call, is very cohesive in its nature. Opening with the death of a goose and closing with the death of a farmer. Within the chapter Perry, shares the history of some of the buildings which have stood as a landmark of time. As the buildings which are so nostalgic in their nature disappear, he writes with conviction that storytellers like himself are in some ways saving and preserving the stories of not only the municipality but also the people’s stories. He seems to be targeting the older and younger generations. Targeting the older generation he is appealing to the wholesomeness and the simplicity of the past. Targeting the younger generation Perry suggest that there is much to learn from the older trimmers and that what has been accomplished in the past is not to be overlooked as unimportant rather something to be treasured and recorded. These messages cross into our class in many of the activity which has done, first with the memoirs and The Latehomecomer which Population 485 is also a memoirs and thinking structurally about memories. The Identity and race discussions are also present in this section of the book. This can been seen in the numerous scenes in which Perry addresses discovering who one is and those that livingly around you, which is exceedingly important to understand. Finally, American Hero’s, as the theme of hero, in respect with firefighting, has been a reoccurring theme throughout this portion of the book it has also overlapped with class discussion.
Perry, Michael. Population, 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Print.
Journal Entry #3
Friday 5/6
After reading eleven chapters of the book Population: 485, our group still is having trouble understanding Michael Perry’s writing style and choice of subjects. No better example is there then the chapter “Cat”, which serves little purpose in moving the story along. The chapter is based completely around death, starting out with a cat, then moving to a building, and finally to a farmer who committed suicide. It would be fitting for an emergency response book to talk about death from some form of accident, as it would give more insight into the hardships that come with the job. The way the deaths are portrayed are more on the personal side, but they don’t build onto Michael Perry or give an insight into his world. We found it fitting that the author had the chapter began with a cat’s death and ended with death by a CAT. The author’s tone is much darker, as other stories dealt with him, and his team, at the least being able to try and save a life. Never is the author put in the situation of having to decide to take a life (the cat) or called to a hopeless situation (the farmer).
After reading “Cat”, we agreed that the next chapter “Oops” was a nice change of pace. Michael Perry takes a point straight from the writer’s handbook; follow something dramatic with some humor. We found it quite hilarious when Michael Perry recalls his first outing as a firefighter and how he had hit his lieutenant with the fire hose. This type of writing lightens the mood for the reader and great works like Othello and Jurassic Park use this to give the reader some breathing room but also allow build up for the next chapter. The humor plays a dual purpose in with it informing the reader that firefighters are human too. Society has placed firefighters as heroes that can do no wrong, but the truth of the matter is, they can. The nice point the reader can take from this is that even if you make mistakes, you just have learn from it and not dwell on it.
Journal Entry #4
Friday 5/13
In Population: 485 Michael Perry mentions certain parts of his life but then leaves us wondering about his other aspects. Perry talks a small amount about his writing career and why he has moved back to New Auburn. However, he never completely tells us why or what the importance of the town is to him. It seems like Perry tries to tell us stories that we are supposed to decipher on our own. It would be nice to have more details and be able to put the puzzle pieces of Perry’s life together. Many times Perry leaves the reader questioning the importance of the tale he just told. If Perry would go more into depth, letting us into his life we could better connect the stories he tells. Our group would also like to know more about his past and why he has such a passion for being an EMT and firefighter. While the passion runs deep through his nuclear family, he unfortunately does not share the roots of their passion for the job.
This book related directly to our class discussion about superheroes. Perry talks about how citizens expect people in uniform to never make mistakes. Perry believes this is an unfair judgment and expectation telling. Relaying numerous stories on the mistakes other firefighter in the department have made throughout the year. This is seen in everyday life, when people have high expectations for our perceived community heroes. However, some people may step into these superhero roles because they enjoy the feeling of it, due to the sheer power and gratification they receive from the uniform. We create superheroes because it is something that the everyday person can identify with and aspire to become. Although firefighters are stereotyped to be perfect we feel it is a role they enjoy taking on. Men are pictured to be strong and fearless. Perry portrays his brother Jed this way when describing his call into action. These points are integral to the books conclusion. We believe Perry’s dispatches these stories to give the reader insight on the reality of human nature and the faults which they can make.
In the last couple of chapters Perry’s tone has somber undertone he utilizes this tone to teach us life lessons. First of all Perry tells us we must be comfortable in our own skins in order to realize our true roots. He also talks about a quest to find one’s self and not give up until you do. Discovering Perry’s underlying lessons you must really read into the stories. Our group discussed that each story does have an interlocking purpose but sometimes we are not conscious of it due to the stories which are presented in such a random order.
In reading the last chapter we were baffled as to the reasoning behind entitling it Sarah. We believed that there could maybe a more fitting label to his last collection of stories. While we could understand the importance of Sarah in Jed’s life, it leaves us questioning why Perry did not entitle this chapter Jed, which would connect to his family more so, due to Jed’s cycle in the chapter and the interweaving fragments of their life tapestries.
