Escape's blog: "Okay"

Okay maybe i'm being spazorific, but i loved this movie! HOw so? Let me co0unt the ways... First off, how many movies do u find the leading heroine a freckleface? That waas just the tip of the iceburg. I really liked how it portrayed people's reactions to a traumatic emergency and the lengths ppl will go to "protect their own". Its a crazy thing to think about. I doubt that i would have managed to stay as level-headed as most of the survivors, but i know i'd at least die to protect my own. Just not very smart. lmao Favorite part: Freckleface asks "You really believe this plan will work?" He replies, "You do." Just hot My friend who took me brought up a good point tho. The ending was lame. He should have taken the undead thing to another level instead of just waiting for dawn... but i don't wanna spoil things if u havn't seen it yet... So yeah There's my blog for the last few months lol

Has anyone taken this name yet? Its awesome!!! LMFAO... i'm gonna wait for a while and see if anyone else has taken it but i think i'm gonna do this... anyone on my side??? Woot woot!!!

What good is being loved by many when the few i love don't? What good is being beautiful, intelligent or popular when those few ridicule me, strip me of my dignity, and make me feel worthless and useless? Nothing is ever good enough; nothing is ever right. No effort is seen; no accomplishments are acknowledged. Yet I continue to accept the abuse, seeking approval and love from an empty well. Unable to discover my freedom I dream of brighter days and happiness. This is my life. It never ends.

So just kiss me and let my hair messy itself in your fingers tell me nothing needs to be done- no clocks need winding There is no bell without a voice needing to borrow my own instead, let me steady myself in the arms of a man who won't ask me to be what he needs, but lets me exist as I am a blonde flame a hurricane wrapped up in a tiny body that will come to his arms like the safest harbor for mending

So I rang in my 21st birthday by drinking it up in Vegas and I ended it by buying drinks for everyone last night and got totally plastered... today i have plans for some 151, malibu rum and pineapple juice!!! Can u say caribalou? I don't even know how to spell it!!! lol

Yeah so i didn't know what that was before i joined this group. lol I googled it and then learned all about it on wikipedia. damn was i surprised. my butt is a virgin. that cherry has not been tapped. i just don't get it. did everyone start doing this overnight and i missed that memo? its so gross and it just sounds so painful... i've had this discussion with so many of my friends, and i guess that i can understand the whole trust thing... wow its off the hook. like if its a pregnancy thing, why aren't girls using birth control, then u don't have to worry. i don't know if any of this makes sense but i had to get this off my chest. i really don't get it

Bibliography Aronofsky, Darren, dir. Requiem For A Dream. Artisan, 2000. Darren Aronofsky’s film “Requiem for a Dream,” although made in collaboration with the original novelist, distract from the 1978 book’s more political, social, and spiritual messages in a way which romanticizes and glorifies the deteriorating spiral of the drug culture. Not only does this movie provide an artistic interpretation of the novel, but it contains details of the movies’ making. Throughout the filming, Selby himself was there, working with the actors and reading excerpts from the original and getting them to really understand the characters. Coutreau, Robert. “Defining the Sacred.” < www.raintaxi.com>: online addition: winter 1999/2000. Coutreau interviews Selby and reveals the author’s late-in-life beliefs about philosophical topics such as God/spirituality, happiness, the creative will, and love. Selby humbily speaks of universal concepts and western consumerism. Hinduism and Taoism are favorably discussed as well. Most impressive, Coutreau analyzes themes of sympathy in Selby’s earliest works which most critics agree leave the writer with depression and little help. He pulls out of Selby the difficulties of writing about love and about pain. The article is terribly lengthy yet delves into a newer and more recent side of the author who made such an extreme turnaround in his final years. DePalma, Anthony. “Hubert Selby Jr. Dies at 75; Wrote ‘Last Exit to Brooklyn’; (Obituary).” New York Times. 27 Apr. 2004: C19. Proquest Database. Edmonds Community College Lib., Lynnwood. 12 Apr. 2007. Giles, James R. Understanding Hubert Selby Jr. Columbia: University of Southern Carolina, 1998. Giles examines Selby’s life and works addressing opposing viewpoints and extensive analysis. Unique in reviews, is Giles classification of him as “naturalistic” and “surrealistic.” Also he writes: “…(Selby’s) merging of naturalism and existentialism produces a unique narrative perspective on the pain and desperation of the alienated urban American male and a portrayal of the exploited, powerless urban outcast that is unexcelled in American fiction.” This is the best literary criticism that I’ve been able to find aside from the Last Exit trials. I/ll Be Better Tomorrow. Music Video Distributors, 2007. This documentary was created after the death of Hubert Selby, Jr. and was made in collaboration with his friends and family. Interviewed are many of his well-known collegues such as Richard Price, Jerry Stahl(whose article is also referenced in this essay), Anthony Kiedis, and Henry Rollins. The personal experiences told by his loved ones offer a deeper look into the true self of Selby. The dvd is an excellent source to understand Selby’s personal life, but includes few critics. Lemons, Stephen. “The Best… The Beautiful…And the Bizarre.” Los Angeles Times. 14 Jun 1998: 14. Proquest Database. Edmonds Community College Lib., Lynnwood. 12 Apr. 2007. This is a rare review of The Willow Tree. McLellan, Dennis. “Obituaries.” Los Angeles Times. 28 Apr. 2004: B12. Proquest Database. Edmonds Community College Lib., Lynnwood. 12 Apr. 2007 www.proquest.com Selby, Hubert, Jr. Last Exit to Brooklyn. New York: Grove, 1964. This was Selby’s first and most disturbing novel. It is organized by chapters which portray different characters yet have a common tie to one another. Especially of interest is “Tralala” where an unethical prostitute was gang-raped and murdered. The publication of which was charged with selling adult material to a minor. Although the reader may feel horrified by the hard-core, graphic descriptions of events, Selby had the pure intent to create compassion for these “unlovable” people. ---. Requiem for a Dream. 1988. New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2000. Inubert Selby, Jr.’s Requiem for a Dream uses drug addiction as a metaphor for the deceit and exploitation of American capitalism while the core of humanity is examined through its vain and deluded characters. As time passes and no character experiences any lifestyle enhancements, they become more and more desperate and willing to go to further lengths, all in the name of achieving their own perceptions of happiness. America’s capitalistic system promises its citizens that it is available for anyone with the desire and drive to obtain it. Those who become lost in the pursuit of wealth-not happiness-are the true victims of capitalism’s advanced ability to dehumanize society by stripping us of our positive morals and beliefs and devalue our prized possessions and resources through the act of commoditization. ---. Song of the Silent Snow. 1986. Great Britain: Bookmarque Ltd., 2003. ---. The Demon. 1976. Great Britain: Marion Boyars, 2003. ---. Waiting Period. 2002. Great Britain: Marion Boyars, 2005. ---. “Why I Started to Write.” Stahl, Jerry. “Dark Angel: Remembering Hubert Selby Jr.” LA Weekly. 6 May 2004. Stahl writes an obituary for his deceased friend. He best describes how Selby went about writing with compassion. Selby would say that when writing about those you hate, imagine that you loved them, unconditionally. He quotes Selby: “The events that take place are the way people are . . . How can anybody look inside themselves and be surprised at the hatred and violence in the world? It’s inside all of us.” Of course, this is not critical reading either, as Stahl was one of his best friends. Vorda, Allen. “Examining the Disease.” Literary Review. Winter 1992: 35,2. . Proquest Database. Edmonds Community College Lib., Lynnwood. 12 Apr. 2007. Vorda interviews Selby and addresses his influences, his home-town of Brooklyn, his time when he was bed-ridden and his critics. The dissection oif Last Exit strikes the roots of his writing and what Selby had wished to portray as well as his beliefs on the subject matter. Vorda even delves into Selby’s unique writing style. This interview was more helpful than Coutreau’s due to the focus upon his works.

The works of Hubert Selby Jr. speak, in unconventional prose, for the part of society which has been ostracized by the majority. To the majority of readers who are familiar with proper English grammar, Selby’s writing style requires some effort to comprehend as he uses little punctuation: lack of quotation marks confuses the flow of conversation yet the run-on sentences, sometimes lasting for an entire length of a page, serve as fast-paced suspense-builders. Often categorized with the more modernist movement, the writing tends to follow a “stream of consciousness” which follows the thought process of the character’s inner-monologue. Born July 23 1928 in Brooklyn’s Red Hook District, Selby grew up around the same places where his books were stationed. At the young age of fifteen, he dropped out of school to work on the waterfront and in 1944 joined the merchant marine. On his first voyage about two years later, he was introduced to a theme which would play a central role throughout his life: death. Selby was diagnosed with tuberculosis and predicted to die shortly thereafter. Miraculously Selby was gifted by another theme: survival. After a surgery where eleven ribs were removed and a lung collapsed, a decade followed which consisted of bed-ridden reading and drugs. These events accumulated as the roots to his writing. Selby admits in his article ”Why I Started to Write” that his main motivation was conceived by a fear of wasting his life which resulted in self-discovery: "I had already been given up for dead three times, but again I refused to die." He continues, ”Nobody tells me what to do! But I did have a spiritual experience: I'd either die and regret my entire life or live my life over and then die. I had to do something with my life, so I bought a typewriter.” (Selby, Why…) In the 1960's, Last Exit to Brooklyn was prosecuted in court for obscenity and banned in Italy. Naturally, people fear what they don’t understand. Drug addicts, violent gangs, transsexuals, and other controversial peoples are given voices and empathy by Selby. The hard-core events which occur in his loosely-tied collection of inter-related stories are proportionate to the amount of stress endured by the characters and nearly inevitable to those who live in our American slums. Extreme, graphic tragedies pair with raw human emotions resulting in opening the readers’ minds to question what life is about - where their values lie. Later Selby introduces us to four individuals pursuing the American dream in Requiem for a Dream. The capitalistic desire for material possessions and nonexistent money are proven to not only be manipulative in nature, but degrading to one’s true Self. This work is excellent evidence of how the pursuit of wealth must be rejected in order to achieve our purpose of life: self-actualization. Those who are constantly stuck at the level of survival never have the opportunity for self-discovery. When speaking of such controversial subject-matter as those of Selby’s embrace, nothing goes without attacks from the critics. Labeled as an obscene, shock-seeking, sexist nihilist on the contrary, he is truly a loving, forgiving individual who wishes to portray genuine characters with authentic emotion. Selby exposes, using unorthodox methods, the beauty (and anguish) which exists in American society’s most taboo places and exploited souls to remind us of who we are and our place in the world; the humanity found in all people cannot be denied. Darren Aronofsky’s film “Requiem for a Dream,” although made in collaboration with the original novelist, distract from the 1978 book’s more political, social, and spiritual messages in a way which romanticizes and glorifies the deteriorating spiral of the drug culture. In Hubert Selby, Jr.’s Requiem for a Dream drug addiction is used as a metaphor for the deceit and exploitation of American capitalism while the core of humanity is examined through its vain and deluded characters. The novel follows the deterioration of four individuals. The main character, Harry Goldfarb, like his friends, is a heroin junkie who wishes to make something out of his life. Harry’s girlfriend Marian is an artistic and cultured young woman who denounces her upscale upbringing in search of inspiration for her artwork. His best friend Tyrone assists him in developing a scheme to make money which would allow them to invest in their futures. Upon discovering the availability of pure product (uncut heroin), the friends decide to purchase a large quantity, dilute it, and break it up into smaller portions which results in profit when sold. Harry’s mother Sara has the most complex story of the characters. She develops an obsession to the media and its influences of fame and images of perfection. A phone call from a man claiming to be from a television recruiting station convinced her that she would soon be a star that would be viewed on TV sets all over the nation. Naively believing the gimmick, Sara indulges in her new sense of celebrity and commits herself to improving her appearance through diets and cosmetics. As time passes and no character experiences any lifestyle enhancements, they become more and more desperate and willing to go to further lengths, all in the name of achieving their own perceptions of happiness. At the core of every human being is the basic need for happiness. America’s capitalistic system promises its citizens that it is available for anyone with the desire and drive to obtain it. Those who become lost in the pursuit of wealth-not happiness-are the true victims of capitalism’s advanced ability to dehumanize society by stripping us of our positive morals and beliefs and devalue our prized possessions and resources through the act of commoditization. The price of imitating the American mainstream concept of beauty, Sara Goldfarb loses her sanity. For her spotlight performance she wished to wear a specific red dress with special connotations, but was too large to fit it. This was the spark which sent her on a journey through unhealthy fasting, delusions where kitchen appliances held normal conversations, a complete dependence on questionable diet pills which had effects similar to speed and culminated in her new home in the psyche ward. Marian’s degradation is a prime example of the extreme consequences which emerge from the quest for the impossible dream: she morphs from a spirited artist into an irretrievable prostitute, who sells her own body for drugs, her illusion of bliss.

Outlaw writing pushes the boundaries of societal norms and established standards to implant discomfort or alter the beliefs of the reader. Themes inside of American counterculture and unconventional forms of literature qualify as outlaw. These writers are nonconformists who are creating their works with complete artistic freedom and without fear of offending anyone. In George Saunders’ essay, “The New Mecca,” we are introduced to the middle-eastern city of Dubai where capitalism is running rampant. Conspicuous shows of consumption and the pursuit of material wealth mask the hidden underside of their stratified society where the “help” have given up their lives, values and culture to work for wages. Yet complications arise from these underprivileged folk swearing to feel grateful and content for their opportunity to send money home to their abandoned families. Saunders writes: “I say the Middle East seems something like Russia circa 1900—it’s about trying to stave off revolution in a place where great wealth has been withheld from the masses by a greedy ruling class.” (Saunders 304). Saunders utilizes satirical humor to mock the consumerist culture while adeptly generating sympathy for its victims-the laborers. In “Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea” Guy Delisle documents his stay there in clever, animated, narrated cells. Because the communist nation is still closed off to most foreigners dispensing little to no information to the outside world, his details and artwork assist westerners to envision their culture more easily. Delisle wields sarcastic observations and cartoon images which appeal to the eye to cover the controversial nation. Throughout the piece, he recounts the many ways in which the people live in denial about their perfect utopia and their acts of deceit. North Korea’s leader, Kin Jung Il, is depicted as a god of sorts; on every wall portraits and effigies praise his achievements (regardless of validity). Delisle is given empty promises of items which he never receives and distracted from discovering their weaknesses such as a hungry individual scavenging for food. These two articles offer a perspective on distant cultures which is not apparent to the average American. Kim Jung is viewed as the enemy to the US who views communism as a major threat to its economy. Graphics are not included in the mainstream’s ideas of literature. In conclusion, despite the labels of “outlaw” and “nonrequired”, these readings are essential to illuminate the public’s knowledge of the truth. Works Cited Delisle, Guy. “Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea.” The Best Nonrequired Reading 2006. Ed. Dave Eggers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. 94-107. Saunders, George. “The New Mecca.” The Best Nonrequired Reading 2006. Ed. Dave Eggers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. 286-311.