3) AHWSG Revision- Chapter Summaries, Key Quotes and Themes

Chapter 3 (70-103)

Summary: The sublet expires, and Dave and Toph are left to find a place of their own without Beth and Kirsten. House hunting proves difficult as their only source of income is Tophs social security money. They secure a flat by paying a years rent upfront. Dave and Tophs life is chaotic, unorganised, their flat is messy and they are late to everything. Despite this they continue to play games and have fun- Dave seems keen to remain 'brotherly'. In this chapter Dave starts to think more about his self and him being in relationships like any man in their early twenties would. The negative realities of their life become more evident. 


Key Events:  

• Dave thinks about safe future with woman (74-5)
• Toph and Dave find a place to live (76)
• Description of chaos  (78-82)
• Relationship is pretend (83 and 90)
• Anxiety of Toph (82)
• Re-action to situation (88)
• Open house at school (95)
• Dave thinking about flirting (98)
• Reluctance for responsibility (83)

Themes:

Responsibility is another key theme of the chapter it is presented by:

1) Responsibility is presented as overwhelming to Dave- "inevitable implosion of our household" (72)
2) Dave is longing for someone to be responsible for him- "we could share all the responsibilities" (74)

Anxiety is presented in this chapter by:
1) Anxiety over other peoples feelings of his actions towards Toph; Dave feels incapable "a health inspector-some---will burst in and arrest me" (82)
2) Anxiety over presentation of self- however this is conflicted "We are pathetic. We are stars"(96)

Relationships are also key themes in this chapter, they are presented by:
1) Interest in becoming settled within a relationship- "maybe would end up getting married"          (75)
2) Freedom within relationship; Dave wants to flirt; be a ordinary twenty something- "the mother and I will go upstairs and screw around" (98)
3) Chaotic relationship with Toph; battle of brother or son "we are partners here, little jerk" (83)

Coming of Age in this chapter is also a other significant theme:
1)The conflict of the 'type' of relationship Dave is after
2) Conflictions with relationship with Toph- "because technically neither of us are responsible " (83)

The idea of the imaginary becomes more prominent in this chapter:
On page 90, the two pretend that he is a father, which makes light of the Dave's actual thoughts on the situation. 

2) AHWSG Revision- Chapter Summaries, Key Quotes and Themes

Chapter 2 (47-69)

Summary: In Chapter 2, the family sell their family home in Illinois and move down to Berkeley in California. As Beth is preparing for college, Dave has full responsibility over Toph in this chapter and is where their relationship shifts from siblings to Dave being a parental figure. Despite the boys having fun in the sun with complete freedom, there are lapses where Dave's anxiety over the responsibility over Toph takes over the dialogue.

Key Events:  

• Freely driving through California (53)
• Dave takes Toph to Little League (57)
• Imagining Toph's death (65)
• AIDS context (67)

Themes:

Freedom in this chapter are shown and presented in a number of ways:

1) Freedom in this chapter is emphasised through the presentation of 'open spaces'- "we are hundreds of feet above the ocean, often with nothing in the way of a guardrail between us and it" (50)- there are no barriers.
2) Their new found freedom is presented as powerful- "the ocean undulates and churns for us"(51) they have control over the ocean. 

Responsibility is another key theme of the chapter it is presented by:

1) There is a battle of responsibility; Dave is trying to accept but also forget- "Am I them?" 
     (57) contrast to 'sock sliding' diagram (62)
2) The overwhelming nature of responsibility on Dave (65)

Anxiety is presented in this chapter by:

1) The anxiety of the loss of Toph- imaginary death "I can see his little arm...one last wave  
    and Gone!"(65)
2) The anxiety of own possible death- "Maybe I'm already sick" and "AIDS" (67)

3) The worry/fear of own actions,possible impact on Toph,- "Please look. Can you see us?"
    (47)   
4) The futile nature of Dave's anxiety 

Identity are also key themes in this chapter, they are presented by:

1) Uncertainty of own identity- "I need to be indomitable,a machine,a perfect fucking   machine" 

2) Uncertainty relationship identity-" They are the old model and we are the new"(57)

The overarching theme throughout Chapter 2 is the relationship shift between Dave and Toph. In Chapter 1 the relationship between the two was that they were siblings, however due to the increased responsibility of Toph, Dave is becoming a parental figure towards Toph. In this chapter it shows how Dave is dealing with this change. 

1) AHWSG Revision- Chapter Summaries, Key Quotes and Themes

Chapter 1

Summary: 

In Chapter 1 the reader is immediately introduced to the illness that is consuming the family. The illness surrounds the whole family and is the main factor for the way the relationships of the family are presented. Illness in this chapter is shown through long, drawn out detailed descriptions. In this chapter Eggers has to take responsibility  after the death of the father and later on the mother. 

Key Events:  

• Death of father (33)
• Death of mother (45)

Themes:

Relationships in this chapter are shown and presented in a number of ways:

1) The brotherly relationship with Toph- shown through the short agency pairs

2) The insignificant and mysterious relationship with the father -"We had never heard anything about our father" (35)

3) The responsibility Eggers feels over his relationship with his mother- the plural pronoun "we"

Responsibility is another key theme of the chapter it is presented by:

1) Dave feels confined by the overwhelming sense of responsibility over his family- plural pronoun 'we'

2) After the death of the father, there is a shift in responsibility- from when the father 'sat us down' and told them 'you're mothers going to die" to Eggers and Beth deciding to take the mother to the hospital (27)

Death is presented in this chapter by:

1) Death is something that cannot be prepared for, it is sudden- contrast of illness to actual death of mother (45)

2) Death is surprising- fathers death punctuates the mothers (33)

3) Death for the mother and father is almost presented as a form for freedom for them as well as for the family- "we go through the windows and fly up" (45)

Illness and Loss are also key themes in this chapter, they are presented by:

1) The illness forces Eggers to detach self from his mother - scientific lexis (20)

2) Illness is consuming - time is being played with throughout chapter especially around death of mother "today-- is ---her -- birthday" (38)

3) The illness traps Eggers mother- 'couch' metaphor for her illness she is confined.

4) The illness is presented as imaginary- alien imagery (4) 

5) The loss of the mothers physical attributes- "strong" "powerful" muscles" (15), however still strong in the memories. 

A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave's 'near death' experience (Pages 304-309)

1) Identify where the following techniques have been used and write a few sentences describing their effect. 

Discourse and Structure

In the extract of page 304 to 309, there are a number of spoken language features used or not deliberately used. Throughout the extract Egger's uses a lack of  non-fluency features such as fillers and repetitions. Through the lack of non-fluency features it suggests that Egger's is confident in what he is saying about his illness. 

In the extract Egger's uses a large number of short paragraphs. The large number of short paragraphs are all of different themes and ideas. This emphasizes Egger's mind and thoughts-they are fragmented and have a lack of structure. The short paragraphs showcase Egger's tendency to digress from the matter at hand, again suggesting that his thoughts are scattered and jumbled. However, it also suggests a sense of excitement and drama of the whole situation of his near death.

In addition Eggers also repeatedly uses hyphens such as when Eggers says "I try to eke out words -Help.Me-". Egger's continuous use of the hyphens are used to add more information to the text, which almost overwhelms the reader. Also the hyphens symbolize Egger's manic mindset. Eggers mainly uses the em hyphens which add a sudden jolt on emphasis on to the words Egger's is saying. 

Furthermore, Egger's also uses bathos. Bathos is when a writer falls into inconsequential and absurd metaphors, imagery and description in an effort to be more increasingly emotional and passionate- it has drama. An example of bathos is when Eggers describes his "cramp" as "a spoon trying to get out" of him and they are "twisting and digging". this elevated description of the "cramp" adds extra emphasis to the pain Eggers is feeling. 

In this extract Eggers uses italics. This is shown when Eggers exclaims 'Hospital, hospital', through the use of the italics the word 'Hospital' stands out from the others. This expresses his horror in the idea of going to the 'hospital'. However, it also dramatises the situation Eggers is which gives his horror a sense of falseness.

Lexis and Semantics 

In the extract Egger's uses a wide variety of dynamic verbs especially when describing the "cramp" in his stomach stating that the "spoons" are "stomping" and "dancing". These verbs suggest energy and something lively. Through the use of the dynamic verbs "cramp" is personified, which almost suggests the illness he is suffering is not him, but someone intruding on him. Egger's compares his illness in a similar way to he did with his mother, with the alien imagery. 

In the extract Egger's does not use expletives in this extract. Expletives are similar to fillers and non-fluency languages. This has a similar effect the lack of non-fluency as it suggests an air of confidence and gives conviction to the fact that he is ill with his "cramp". However this contrasts to the rhetorical questions used such as "Will I even have time to call you?" suggesting that is worry/ fear is false. 

Furthermore, Egger's also uses a wide range of imagery types and allusion. The imagery of the "cramp" being "spoons" in his stomach emphasizes the pain Egger's is feeling and intensifies the situation. 

The use of past and present tense in this extract from pages 304 to 309, showcase the fragmented nature of Eggers thoughts. This is especially explicit in this extract which suggests the idea of death and illness is emotional triggering for him. In addition the use of the varying tenses emphasis the idea that illness is all encompassing and consuming, it is similar to the way Eggers was unaware of their mothers birthday in the first chapter.


Grammar 

In the extract Eggers uses a wide range of interrogatives, exclamatory sentences and declarative's. The use of interrogatives is shown when Eggers is 'writhing' on the floor and he is wondering why no one taking an interest in him, Eggers asks "Why are these people not noticing?" "Why is it not considered unusual that I'm writhing on the floor?" "Have I writhed on this carpet before?". The use of these interrogatives show Eggers uncertainty and lack of clarity of the situation, Eggers is longing for someone to care and worry about him- he is lonely. Furthermore, the repetition of  the exclamatory sentence "MOTHERFUCKER!" "MOTHERFUCKER!"at the end of the extract further supports the idea of Eggers digression throughout the extract- his thoughts are fragmented however seem forced through his consistent speech- there are no non-fluency features.

In addition Eggers uses a number of minor sentences (is a sentence that is not fully supported or is incomplete). The use of the minor sentences is shown when Eggers says 'And Toph!' 'All squandered!' which suggest that his thoughts are disjointed. This again emphasises the idea that even the idea of illness can have a huge mental effect on the person.

Furthermore, Eggers uses a number of modal verbs ( is a verb that expresses possibility or necessity). The use of the modal verb is shown when Eggers uses an interrogative asking "Will I even have time to call you?" when wondering what will happen to Toph as Eggers is 'ill'. The modal verb 'will' suggests uncertainty and unsure on how to act. 

The use of past and present tense in this extract from pages 304 to 309, showcase the fragmented nature of Eggers thoughts. This is especially explicit in this extract which suggests the idea of death and illness is emotional triggering for him. In addition the use of the varying tenses emphasis the idea that illness is all encompassing and consuming, it is similar to the way Eggers was unaware of their mothers birthday in the first chapter.

2) Write a few paragraphs using the language analysis which answer the questions below:

• How does Eggers present illness in this scene?
• What insight to we get into this character?
• How does the language link to the key themes in the book?

P: Illness (even the idea of illness) in this chapter is presented as consuming.
E: This is shown through the use  past and present tense "I am kicked from inside" "like a spoon poking"
E: The use of the varying tenses suggest that the illness is all he can think about anything else does not matter, including time. Even the idea of illness is absorbing Eggers thoughts. 
L: The idea that illness is consuming is also shown through the use of bathos and minor sentences. 

P: In this extract Eggers is presented as immoderate.
E: This is shown through the wide range of allusion and imagery. The idea that the 'cramps' are 'spoons' 'poking' him from the inside.
E: The personification of the illness, creates the impression that the illness is alive and worse than it is.
L: The idea that Eggers is presented as immoderate is emphasised through his use of dynamic verbs when describing the cramp.

P: In this extract the idea of responsibility and coming of age is addressed.
E: This is shown through Eggers use of interrogatives shown when Eggers says "Why are these people not noticing?" when he is 'writhing on the floor'
E: This shows Eggers desire and need for a form of acceptance or attention from someone else- he does not feel able to look after himself
L: Despite his Eggers selfishness in the first section of the extract Eggers remembers his responsibility for Toph saying "I am so sorry".