Don't matter if you're black or white...

My research topic tackles the beginning of acceptance to interracial relationships. I think interracial relationships have affected all countries at some point. I believe the start of these relationships contributed greatly to the overall acceptance of different races in general. Without these couples taking that first step, our gradual progression to racial equality would be at a standstill. I'm researching the 1967 film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. This film was the very first to portray an interracial couple (the guy being black, the girl white) and address the issue of racial acceptance, and make it entertaining for that matter. Decade after decade more movies were created that show interracial relationships. But for that time, no other movie was like it. No other movie would dare portray an interracial couple, especially during the Civil Rights Movement. What was most unique about this film, is the writers purposely addressed the fact they were an interracial couple and addressed the issue most parents would have about that sort of thing during that point in history. Although this movie was the first step into accepting other races and interracial relationships, it is still more rare than not to see interracial couples on the movie screen. With my research paper, I want to address the progress this film made in starring an interracial couple, but also talk about the need for more diversity in motion picture to influence total racial acceptance.

The Dark Arts

Students aren't big fans of writing. There are a select view that have that special knack for it, while the majority are simply trying to finish their assignment. Throughout my life I've written countless essays and thought to myself, "There's only so much I can write about this." But this is exactly what the author is arguing. Hampl describes in The Dark Art of Description that writing in detailed description is as an opportunity to express something in the deepest way possible. That you can make something out of nothing once you really observe it. Referencing her student from a small town near Minniapolis enforces her point immensely. This student felt he had nothing to say about his boring, small town, but after extra consideration he was able to create an entire story. I think the author's main purpose is about both writing and life in general. She wants people to realize that we overlook things in our lives everyday. With some extra observation and thought we can see details we've never seen before. She believes that once you carry this over in your writing, your paper can excel to a greater level.

Another point she was trying to make is the impact description has on the reader. The more detail allows the reader to be right in the story, as if they were standing next to the main character. I think the author emphasizes this when she weaves in much description telling her own story.

My homies Walt and Krakauer.

For much of the beginning of the novel, Chris is a mystery. Although we know a lot of what he did, we don't know a lot about him as a person. Krakauer briefly mentions his views on the government and drops some letters that he wrote, but for me I needed something more to understand this guy. That's why I felt Krakauer's chapters about Walt and himself were crucial in understanding Chris better. The chapter about Walt especially, supported my ideas of why Chris would ever completely delete contact from his family. His relationship with his father definitely ignited some sort of rebellion for Chris, and his longing for independence increased. These are ideas I wouldn't have come across as easily without Walt's chapter.

As for Krakauer's chapter about himself surprised me. I had no idea he had been through those things. I figured he was a simple guy, who just happened to like Chris' story. With Krakauer's chapter I was able to get inside the mind of someone attacking challenges as dangerous as his. With Chris, we aren't able to get inside his mind as thoroughly. So this chapter definitely makes up for that, which I think Krakauer was trying to do, because there are so many similarities between the two, including their father-son relationships that weren't too picture perfect.

Although sometimes I feel this novel is kind of written like a giant article, it's chapters like these that really get me into the book.