For our Honors Seminar class we had to read a few short excerpts and respond to them. The first one was a short story called Collecting by David Daniel. The second was Cut from American Cloth by Paul Marion. The last was The Mascot by Chaz Scoggins. All these short stories represent Lowell. In the foreword of this collection of stories the author says that Lowell can be described in two words: bricks and books. Bricks for the the red bricks of the Lowell mills, and books for Lowell avid Literary works and authors such as Jack Kerouac.
The first short story by David Daniel was my favorite of the three excerpts. In Collecting an unemployed man, Ed Oliver, is the main character. He has too much pride in himself to go to the unemployment office and register for it. So, after he drops his two daughters off at school, he goes to a local bar. At this bar he is always hoping and listening for any job opportunities that might pop up. One night, instead of going straight home after he finished with his time at the bar, he saw a man on the corner selling drugs. He attacked the man and robbed him to make away with $782. He lied to his wife about where he got the money, and tried to be as stingy as possible with it. He ended up wasting the last of it on alcohol. When he thought another job opportunity would open up, he'd prepare and be let down. After this happened, he went to rob a another drug dealer in Boston, but he failed. After that failed attempt he realized that his life was miserable. He went to his wife and surrounded his pride. He went to sign up for unemployment. This story tells the misery of some people in Lowell, and how it has rough parts.
The next story Cut From American Cloth basically describes the influential people who hailed from Lowell or spent some time in Lowell. Marion talks about how people such as Congresswoman Edith Rogers lived in Lowell, married into a prestigious industry family in Lowell, and served the longest uninterrupted term in congress for a woman until this day. He goes on about people like this who made Lowell a place on the map in Massachusetts like Tsongas who had a red phone for Lowell in his office in Washington D.C. He makes reference to famous figures like Jack Kerouac to symbolize how Lowell can be described by bricks and books. The bricks are symbolic because of industry and the mills, while books are symbolic because of Kerouac and other powerful figures who wrote about Lowell in their books.
The last excerpt called The Mascot starts with the introduction of Lowell's baseball history. Scoggins talked about how Lowell had the chance to be part of the Major League's when it was first starting but they declined, because they didn't believe that it would survive. Obviously, they were wrong. He then talks about a story about a young boy, George Diggins, who at the age of 10 years old was the youngest professional baseball player in the sports history. He played for the Concord Marines, when they didn't have enough subs to sustain the game, and since he was the mascot their coach put him in. However he wasn't signed to a contract at this point, but after his three innings debut , he was signed as a publicity thing. This story exemplifies Lowell's background in baseball.
The collection of stories called River Muse shows the history of Lowell, and gives examples to support their claims. In the foreword, the author says that Lowell can be described by bricks and books. He exemplified that by these three articles.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Ethnic Groups in Lowell
Lowell has been known for its diverse ethnic community. Since the Industrial Revolution, people from all different nations have been flocking to Lowell for work opportunities. Groups of immigrants began to claim parts of the city as their own, since early factories failed to provide housing for their immigrant workers.
The first group of immigrant workers to come to Lowell to work in the mills were the Irish. They were not given housing by the factories that they worked for. Therefore, the Irish, sticking to who they knew and where they came from, stayed together. The Irish population of factory workers moved to a section of Lowell where they could live with other Irish who had left home and came to a foreign country as they had done. While being in a new setting, with a new job, and with all different kinds of people around them, the Irish were happy to live near other Irish, because they were able to keep their culture and customs alive. It was a way to stay connected to their home. Living in an Irish section of Lowell was comforting to the Irish, who had just uprooted their whole lives for work and food. Just because they were all living in an Irish section of Lowell did not mean that everything was alright. They faced many economic troubles and other hardships, but persevered through them. To this day, Lowell still has a sizable population of Irish descendants. Lowell also takes pride in the fact that the city was once so deeply connected to the Irish.
Other ethnic groups that came to Lowell were the French-Canadians and the Greeks. They all also formed their own sections of Lowell. The French-Canadians lived in "Little Canada" which borders the Northern Canal. It is now where UMASS Lowell's East and North Campus are located. Next to "Little Canada" was the Acre along Market Street, where the Greeks resided. They created the Greek Orthodox Church and parochial schools where children were taught about their heritage and in the native tongue of their Ethnicity so that they would carry on their heritage. The French-Canadians made the French-Canadian Catholic Church, where they had the Franco-American School, which is still a functioning school today. These two populations struggled with working in the factory just as the Irish did.
The next flock of workers to arrive in Lowell were the Jews, Poles, Lithuanians, and Armenians. The Jews settled in the Highlands of Lowell. Many of the Poles lived in Centralville. The Lithuanians and Armenians also lived in their own ethnic enclaves. In these enclaves they all spoke their native tongue, practiced the same religion, and followed the same customs. These factors made each of these areas a safe place for each ethnic group. Therefore, when they picked up their well-rooted lives in their native country to move out to America, they didn't have such a feeling of loneliness.
However, over the years these ethnic portions of Lowell began to break down. This breakdown lead to the diverse community that embodies Lowell today. Lowell takes pride in all the different ethnicity's that it includes.
Works Cited
1. "Immigrant Communities." National Park Service. N.p., 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
The first group of immigrant workers to come to Lowell to work in the mills were the Irish. They were not given housing by the factories that they worked for. Therefore, the Irish, sticking to who they knew and where they came from, stayed together. The Irish population of factory workers moved to a section of Lowell where they could live with other Irish who had left home and came to a foreign country as they had done. While being in a new setting, with a new job, and with all different kinds of people around them, the Irish were happy to live near other Irish, because they were able to keep their culture and customs alive. It was a way to stay connected to their home. Living in an Irish section of Lowell was comforting to the Irish, who had just uprooted their whole lives for work and food. Just because they were all living in an Irish section of Lowell did not mean that everything was alright. They faced many economic troubles and other hardships, but persevered through them. To this day, Lowell still has a sizable population of Irish descendants. Lowell also takes pride in the fact that the city was once so deeply connected to the Irish.
Other ethnic groups that came to Lowell were the French-Canadians and the Greeks. They all also formed their own sections of Lowell. The French-Canadians lived in "Little Canada" which borders the Northern Canal. It is now where UMASS Lowell's East and North Campus are located. Next to "Little Canada" was the Acre along Market Street, where the Greeks resided. They created the Greek Orthodox Church and parochial schools where children were taught about their heritage and in the native tongue of their Ethnicity so that they would carry on their heritage. The French-Canadians made the French-Canadian Catholic Church, where they had the Franco-American School, which is still a functioning school today. These two populations struggled with working in the factory just as the Irish did.
The next flock of workers to arrive in Lowell were the Jews, Poles, Lithuanians, and Armenians. The Jews settled in the Highlands of Lowell. Many of the Poles lived in Centralville. The Lithuanians and Armenians also lived in their own ethnic enclaves. In these enclaves they all spoke their native tongue, practiced the same religion, and followed the same customs. These factors made each of these areas a safe place for each ethnic group. Therefore, when they picked up their well-rooted lives in their native country to move out to America, they didn't have such a feeling of loneliness.
However, over the years these ethnic portions of Lowell began to break down. This breakdown lead to the diverse community that embodies Lowell today. Lowell takes pride in all the different ethnicity's that it includes.
Works Cited
1. "Immigrant Communities." National Park Service. N.p., 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Jack Kerouac Scavenger Hunt
This Columbus Day weekend was Lowell's Jack Kerouac Literary Festival. However, I was unable to attend any of the scheduled events as I went home for the long weekend. I decided to do a scavenger hunt instead.
The first stop on the scavenger hunt was the Jack Kerouac Commemorative. It's a public art display dedicated to Jack Kerouac, who is a famous author from Lowell, MA. It is located on Bridge Street and called Kerouac Park. It has multiple large granite structures with excerpts from some of his greatest works engraved in them. Its a marvelous site and even better if you're a Kerouac enthusiast. The excerpts are inspirational. One was talking about how he was living with his mom again, but it was lovely day and people were out and about living their lives happily. These excerpts gave Kerouac Park an uplifting feeling. Also, the granite gave the park a prettier and richer look. Combined the excerpts and granite gave an air of richness and knowledge. I would recommend that if you have time to go visit this, because it is surprisingly a nice park for downtown Lowell.
The next stop on the Scavenger hunt was to find, describe, and explain the importance of Jack Kerouac's typewriter and backpack. After a quick google search, I was able to locate these two items at Lowell's National Historic Park Museum. I was not able to go and actually see them due to the government shutdown. However, after some research, I was able to find some information about these items. Kerouac had a portable typewriter. He used an early 1930s Underwood Portable typewriter(Pictured Below). Its a black, antique, but sleek typewriter that was probably the norm for his day. He wrote his most famous book On The Road with that typewriter. His book is so famous, because it was written so freely and without pausing, because he wrote it on a 120 foot scroll(Pictured Below). He did this so that he was able to keep writing without having to stop to refill his paper. Not only did his book, but his method of writing his book is what made him such a key player in the beat generation.
Not only were his typewriter and scroll famous, but so was his backpack. He used his U.S. army surplus bag and hitch hiked across the country. He had his backpack and notepad and lived his life on the road with what he had on his back. In doing so, he wrote On The Road. His experiences lead to many other of his accomplished books. His Hitchhiking also made him a model for the beat generation. Some say that his hitchhiking has inspired today's backpacking adventures. Therefore his backpack symbolizes the start of the backpacking movement and experience of the beat generation's adventures.
The last stop on the scavenger hunt was Jack Kerouac's grave. He is buried in Edson Cemetery in Lowell, MA. His grave stone is a simple granite slate in the ground. One line of the stone say "He Honored Life". From my research, what I've heard about Kerouac, and his books, this phrase is very true to him. As part of the scavenger hunt, we had to write a poem.
The first stop on the scavenger hunt was the Jack Kerouac Commemorative. It's a public art display dedicated to Jack Kerouac, who is a famous author from Lowell, MA. It is located on Bridge Street and called Kerouac Park. It has multiple large granite structures with excerpts from some of his greatest works engraved in them. Its a marvelous site and even better if you're a Kerouac enthusiast. The excerpts are inspirational. One was talking about how he was living with his mom again, but it was lovely day and people were out and about living their lives happily. These excerpts gave Kerouac Park an uplifting feeling. Also, the granite gave the park a prettier and richer look. Combined the excerpts and granite gave an air of richness and knowledge. I would recommend that if you have time to go visit this, because it is surprisingly a nice park for downtown Lowell.
The next stop on the Scavenger hunt was to find, describe, and explain the importance of Jack Kerouac's typewriter and backpack. After a quick google search, I was able to locate these two items at Lowell's National Historic Park Museum. I was not able to go and actually see them due to the government shutdown. However, after some research, I was able to find some information about these items. Kerouac had a portable typewriter. He used an early 1930s Underwood Portable typewriter(Pictured Below). Its a black, antique, but sleek typewriter that was probably the norm for his day. He wrote his most famous book On The Road with that typewriter. His book is so famous, because it was written so freely and without pausing, because he wrote it on a 120 foot scroll(Pictured Below). He did this so that he was able to keep writing without having to stop to refill his paper. Not only did his book, but his method of writing his book is what made him such a key player in the beat generation.
Not only were his typewriter and scroll famous, but so was his backpack. He used his U.S. army surplus bag and hitch hiked across the country. He had his backpack and notepad and lived his life on the road with what he had on his back. In doing so, he wrote On The Road. His experiences lead to many other of his accomplished books. His Hitchhiking also made him a model for the beat generation. Some say that his hitchhiking has inspired today's backpacking adventures. Therefore his backpack symbolizes the start of the backpacking movement and experience of the beat generation's adventures.
The last stop on the scavenger hunt was Jack Kerouac's grave. He is buried in Edson Cemetery in Lowell, MA. His grave stone is a simple granite slate in the ground. One line of the stone say "He Honored Life". From my research, what I've heard about Kerouac, and his books, this phrase is very true to him. As part of the scavenger hunt, we had to write a poem.
Sitting here ever so calm,
I let out a drawn out sigh.
Staring at my hand's palm,
Overhead I hear birds fly.
The bright colors of the leaves,
On an over-looking tree,
Rustle with birds in the breeze.
An inspiration to me.
The day coming to an end,
I get ready to head out,
But say goodbye to a friend,
Whom I just learned about.
The scavenger hunt was a fun little adventure. It taught me about Jack Kerouac, who I had originally know only as an author of some book. My research and visiting his commemoratives made me realize that he wasn't only an author, but an inspiration to a lot of the people of the beat generation. I would recommend these 3 places to anyone, even if they don't like Jack Kerouac or don't know who he is. Its a great way to learn more history about Lowell.
Monday, October 7, 2013
God of Carnage
What other way is better to spend a Thursday night than at a play at the Merrimack Repertory Theater? I cannot think of one. The play, God of Carnage, is a magnificent work about 2 sets of parents trying to resolve a situation between their two sons that spirals incredibly out of control. It is a satire about the maturity level of children compared to parents. Also, it reveals the facades that many parents and adults wear so that they do not seem primitive and uneducated to others.
I would like to take this paragraph to sincerely apologize to Emily Majeski. You're probably wondering why are you apologizing to Emily Majeski? Well, Emily and I had planned to walk to the theater from Fox Hall together. However, I had to run upstairs to my room to get some cough drops, so I had seen Emily on my way up and told her I'd be back down soon. When I came back downstairs, it didn't occur to me that she would be waiting in the lobby... I went outside, where I was meeting up with my other friend, Briana, who was walking with us. We waited outside for 10 minutes and looked around outside when we finally concluded that she must have found someone else to walk with or took the bus. I didn't have her phone number at this point so I wasn't able to text her. Once Briana and I arrived at the theater, we realized that Emily wasn't there. We thought we just didn't see her in the crowd. Then we saw Emily come in and waved her over. She had been waiting in the lobby inside Fox Hall the entire time. Needless to say, I felt terrible! Emily, being the forgiving fantastic person she is, forgave me. And that is why I sincerely want to apologize to Emily. This is a picture of me, Emily, Briana, and another honors student outside of the Merrimack Repertory Theater.
Now, the play was excellently cast and written. At the start of the play, both sets of parents were discussing how to resolve a situation between there sons, in which one son had his two teeth knocked out by the other. The parents were trying to be formal and civil with each other when they tried to reach an agreement like mature adults are supposed to. However, as the play unfolded, the parents unraveled as well as their marriages. The once proper and well behaved parents were non-existent anymore at the play's end. The parents argued and each other took each other's side. For example, the two wives ganged up against the two husbands and vice versa. They formed and broke alliances over and over again. Each parent was looking out for themselves. One father was a lawyer and constantly on his phone, and trying to cover up reports of the very bad effects of a prescription drug. One would expect a lawyer to be a man of the law, but this man was not. This shows how our higher expectations and standards of a lawyer can warp our minds into thinking that he is a good man, even though he wasn't. Also, the lawyer father was discourteous by always picking up his cellphone and having a conversation in the middle of the room. Finally, when the parents had unraveled, his wife took his phone and threw it in a vase of flowers and water. The father was so upset that her pouted like a child about the loss of his phone. When his wife destroyed his phone it demonstrated the difference from when she was wearing her facade of properness to how barbaric and uncivilized she was when she was no longer acting like a sophisticated and mature adult, but rather being her own true self. The father acting like a child reinforces the point that adults are no more mature than children, but instead that they know how a civilized society expects them to act so that what they do, until they relax and go back to their basic instincts. If all the expectations of adults to be the bigger person and role models were taken away then we as a civilization would return to a barbaric and primitive state.
God of carnage was a fantastic play about the irony between the maturity levels of parents versus children. I would recommend this play to anyone. It was filled with comedy and drama. Surprisingly enough I enjoyed the play more than I had originally expected to. So if you have no plans on a Thursday, i would suggest you try and see this play or another play performed by the Merrimack Repertory Theater.
God of carnage was a fantastic play about the irony between the maturity levels of parents versus children. I would recommend this play to anyone. It was filled with comedy and drama. Surprisingly enough I enjoyed the play more than I had originally expected to. So if you have no plans on a Thursday, i would suggest you try and see this play or another play performed by the Merrimack Repertory Theater.
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