1. The reiterating descriptions are especially effective for portraying the meaning
a. “I read about it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work.”

2. The entire story is filled with so many descriptions that appeal to the senses. It is very “VAKOG-ian.”

3. It is really interesting how the narrator sees the child in everyone. He makes many references to children, whether it is children in the present playing on the playground or how a weathered woman used to be so youthful and vibrant, even referencing himself and his brother and the environment they grew up in as children. This could represent many things (e.g. everyone is essentially the same inside always, the innocence of people and how it can be so corrupted through life…) or it could be nothing

4. I noticed he repeated certain images, one being the mentioning of a cloud of smoke (from cigarettes (pages 386 and 398). This can be particularly useful for recognizing a theme or meaning in the story. It could even allude to the drug addiction (i.e. drugs put you an a hazy state)

5. There is a lot of passion in this story. Passion between brothers. Passion between father and son. Mother and son. Husband and wife. Man and music. Just passion in general. We see them risk their lives for what they love, to feel loved, and just to make a difference.

6. There are several themes in this story, almost like threads that make a blanket. One of these threads is a theme of independence. We see the brother of the narrator trying to find his place in the world, even if that means joining the navy to see the world. The narrator leaves his mother to start his family.

7. It is interesting to see how the two brothers ended up leading two completely different lives even though they grew up in the same household. Many things affect this obviously (age difference, genetics, etc) but they were very different, even more than I expected at least.