The ninth chapter is about Matt Donaghy who is suspended from school. Now he waits for the permission to return to school. Of course he knows of his innocence, but now he can rightly hope that the principal and the police recognize that he didn’t do anything cruel. Ursula Riggs promised that she and Eveann McDowd would tell the truth. He also thinks that his friends will bear witness for him, whether they didn’t send him an e-mail.
Matt’s relation to Ursula changed a lot since the alleged bomb threat. Before they scarcely knew each other, but I wouldn’t describe it as a “relation”. They didn’t speak together; much less they did something together. But since Ursula was the only one who stood up for Matt, he appreciates her behavior.
Because they didn’t have a real relation, he can’t believe the e-mail. He thinks that Skeet tries to play a trick on him. “It would be ironic if, out of the whole school, of Matt’s numerous friends and acquaintances and classmates, only U.R. was contacting him.” (p. 60, ll. 8-11) He rightly thinks that it’s impossible that even Ursula contacts him.
But later, when he talks about his friends he only mentions Ursula and Eveann: “My two friends. And you, Pumpkin.” (p. 76, l. 25)
Afterwards, he even thinks that she likes him and he suggests that he does that too, by saying: “She must like him, too. Even if nobody else did.”
The relation between Ursula and Matt has developed from zero to a good friendship only in a few days.
Samstag, 28. März 2009
Chapter Eight
In the eighth chapter we can observe an extreme change of mind. Ugly Girl, once a loner and independent girl, now wants to help people. She feels with Matt and helps him because of her conscience.
In the beginning she didn’t want to have any friends. Her whole life consisted of sports. She was a warrior-woman. Her class-mates talked about her behind her back, but she “gave a damn”. It was unimportant for her. Everyone was unimportant. “Ugly Girl stands alone. (p. 22, l. 14)” She insulted everyone she knew, for example her old grandmother (p. 10, ll. 15-25).
Now Ugly Girl shows an absolutely different personality. It seems to be that her conscience has been activated. She really stands up for Matt. She fights for his rights, because there aren’t any evidences for his guilt. The principal arrested him only on suspicion. She’s the only one who’s not too afraid to defend him while he’s helpless.
When she talks to Mr. Parrish he immediately believes her (p. 71, ll. 18-19), there you can see that it wasn’t too hard to stand up for Matt. There only had to be someone who trusts himself to manage that. Neither his friends Russ, Skeet … nor anyone else was courageous enough to say the truth.
Also when the principal, after hearing the true story, said: “the investigation will have to be continued”, she negates that and emphatically says that she wants the case to be closed. She threatens Mr. Parrish with a lawsuit, because he has suspended Matt without a reasonable cause and at the same time he’s defamed his comic character.
As I see it, Ugly Girl behaves very bravely, because she’s been the only one who was courageous enough to announce his knowledge.
In the beginning she didn’t want to have any friends. Her whole life consisted of sports. She was a warrior-woman. Her class-mates talked about her behind her back, but she “gave a damn”. It was unimportant for her. Everyone was unimportant. “Ugly Girl stands alone. (p. 22, l. 14)” She insulted everyone she knew, for example her old grandmother (p. 10, ll. 15-25).
Now Ugly Girl shows an absolutely different personality. It seems to be that her conscience has been activated. She really stands up for Matt. She fights for his rights, because there aren’t any evidences for his guilt. The principal arrested him only on suspicion. She’s the only one who’s not too afraid to defend him while he’s helpless.
When she talks to Mr. Parrish he immediately believes her (p. 71, ll. 18-19), there you can see that it wasn’t too hard to stand up for Matt. There only had to be someone who trusts himself to manage that. Neither his friends Russ, Skeet … nor anyone else was courageous enough to say the truth.
Also when the principal, after hearing the true story, said: “the investigation will have to be continued”, she negates that and emphatically says that she wants the case to be closed. She threatens Mr. Parrish with a lawsuit, because he has suspended Matt without a reasonable cause and at the same time he’s defamed his comic character.
As I see it, Ugly Girl behaves very bravely, because she’s been the only one who was courageous enough to announce his knowledge.
Chapter Seven
In chapter seven Matt gets an e-mail from Ursula. He wonders why Ursula sends him an e-mail, but not his friends he had asked for that before. After getting the e-mail, Matt calls Ursula to talk about the day. Ursula wanted Matt to call her, because she wants to witness for him.
The most shocking text passage, in my opinion, was that one with Matt’s thoughts during the interrogation (p. 58/59, ll. 22-11). Matt extremely suffered from the irksome questions.
Matt despairs of the interrogation and almost wants to confess, “Matt came to understand why a person in custody, though innocent, suddenly confesses” (p. 58, ll. 22/23).
He never had to sustain such a stressful situation. The police officers don’t want to believe him. He loses his hope to find someone who can prove that he’s absolutely innocent.
He even gets in the situation to be angry enough that he wants to quit the interrogation by being violent, “Matt had come close to breaking down in the interrogation room. Shouting in their faces – “Yes! I do want to murder you all.” Attacking the detective … strangle him … wrestle his gun … shoot the bastard”. He’s absolutely desperate. His life breaks down. Everything will be destroyed.
I was really shocked that Matt reacts like that. I couldn’t imagine that he’d consider to resort to violence.
The most shocking text passage, in my opinion, was that one with Matt’s thoughts during the interrogation (p. 58/59, ll. 22-11). Matt extremely suffered from the irksome questions.
Matt despairs of the interrogation and almost wants to confess, “Matt came to understand why a person in custody, though innocent, suddenly confesses” (p. 58, ll. 22/23).
He never had to sustain such a stressful situation. The police officers don’t want to believe him. He loses his hope to find someone who can prove that he’s absolutely innocent.
He even gets in the situation to be angry enough that he wants to quit the interrogation by being violent, “Matt had come close to breaking down in the interrogation room. Shouting in their faces – “Yes! I do want to murder you all.” Attacking the detective … strangle him … wrestle his gun … shoot the bastard”. He’s absolutely desperate. His life breaks down. Everything will be destroyed.
I was really shocked that Matt reacts like that. I couldn’t imagine that he’d consider to resort to violence.
Chapter Six
Chapter six is about the evening of Ursula Riggs at the day when Matt was arrested because of allegedly planning a shooting spree. Ursula doesn’t want to tell her mother and sister anything, neither about the rumors nor about the basketball game (p. 51, ll. 20-29).
From my point of view the most eye catching scene was that one when the news reporter says something about the suspect and the rumors. “… it isn’t known if the boy has a juvenile record or a psychiatric history or even he was conspiring with others in the alleged plot.” (p. 54, ll. 17-19)
When I read this extract, I instantly thought of Tim Kretschmer and the amok in Winnenden. After the perpetrator has killed 15 people and afterwards committed suicide, the news broadcasted many specials about the case. The reporters gave so much information, but a few days later we could see that much of the information wasn’t true not even a rudimentary.
The journalists alleged that Tim Kretschmer has a psychiatric history and got help from a psychologist but at that time there weren’t any evidences for that statement. This information was only sent because the reporters needed a new spectacular one. They invented that only for having good viewing levels not for broadcasting the real latest news.
This extract impressively criticizes the today's behavior of the local news and network TV. E.g. they would prefer to send a report on a catastrophe with one thousand dead people and many pictures of it than a report of a catastrophe without good pictures. They only send what might attract more viewers.
In Germany fortunately there are the by public law regulated television networks.
From my point of view the most eye catching scene was that one when the news reporter says something about the suspect and the rumors. “… it isn’t known if the boy has a juvenile record or a psychiatric history or even he was conspiring with others in the alleged plot.” (p. 54, ll. 17-19)
When I read this extract, I instantly thought of Tim Kretschmer and the amok in Winnenden. After the perpetrator has killed 15 people and afterwards committed suicide, the news broadcasted many specials about the case. The reporters gave so much information, but a few days later we could see that much of the information wasn’t true not even a rudimentary.
The journalists alleged that Tim Kretschmer has a psychiatric history and got help from a psychologist but at that time there weren’t any evidences for that statement. This information was only sent because the reporters needed a new spectacular one. They invented that only for having good viewing levels not for broadcasting the real latest news.
This extract impressively criticizes the today's behavior of the local news and network TV. E.g. they would prefer to send a report on a catastrophe with one thousand dead people and many pictures of it than a report of a catastrophe without good pictures. They only send what might attract more viewers.
In Germany fortunately there are the by public law regulated television networks.
Chapter Four & Five
Though the fourth chapter is very short, you get much interesting information!
While being interrogated by the tall, severe-looking strangers, Matt more and more gets desperate. He can’t imagine why these men should come to such a harmless young boy from Rocky River High School. He never did anything dead serious. There is no reason for all that stuff. He’s innocent. All these thoughts are described by using the stream-of-consciousness-technique, e.g. “NO I DID NOT. I DID NOT. I DID NOT.”
Because of these kinds of sentences a stunning atmosphere and a demonstrative impression is created.
This horrible situation, reminded me of a great film I saw on TV, it’s called “The Negotiator”.
A sixty year old man, only a few weeks before his retirement, is suspected of having killed his best friend. He can’t believe that they really want to put him in prison. No one believes him and he also gets desperate because he slowly loses hope of being exculpated. Matt also gets in such hopelessness.
While being interrogated by the tall, severe-looking strangers, Matt more and more gets desperate. He can’t imagine why these men should come to such a harmless young boy from Rocky River High School. He never did anything dead serious. There is no reason for all that stuff. He’s innocent. All these thoughts are described by using the stream-of-consciousness-technique, e.g. “NO I DID NOT. I DID NOT. I DID NOT.”
Because of these kinds of sentences a stunning atmosphere and a demonstrative impression is created.
This horrible situation, reminded me of a great film I saw on TV, it’s called “The Negotiator”.
A sixty year old man, only a few weeks before his retirement, is suspected of having killed his best friend. He can’t believe that they really want to put him in prison. No one believes him and he also gets desperate because he slowly loses hope of being exculpated. Matt also gets in such hopelessness.
Culture of Fear
The “Culture of fear” is an expression used by Barry Glassner in one of his books. He’s a professor for sociology at the University of Southern California. By using this term, he tries to explain the anxiety, constructed by the media and the government, of the citizens in the USA. Michael Moore also took that idea for his film “Bowling for Columbine”.
Michael Moore impressively criticizes the government of the USA and also the media. Since 9/11 it was very easy to construct a culture of fear. The whole citizenship was really afraid of the terrorists coming from Afghanistan to kill as much as possible. The politicians took advantage of these terror threats really well. Nearly everyone accepted when the government und George W. Bush enacted stupid and causeless laws, like the “USA PATRIOT Act”.
Michael Moore recognized: The US-American society increasingly gets afraid of terrorism, murderers or anything else, also killer bees. That’s in contrast to the real statistics. The crime rate decreases, but the network TV and the local news support the anxiety in America by broadcasting news of the bad black man. There were also many cases, in those murderers assigned blame to blacks for their murders and everybody believed them because in TV the blacks are extremely stigmatized to be bad and cruel.
But not only Michael Moore recognized this kind of society, Joyce Carol Oates, the writer of the novel "Big Mouth and Ugly Girl" also integrated it in her book.
Matt Donaghy is arrested because he made a joke about running amok in his school. But, as everyone should know, he didn’t want to put that into effect. He’s only a person who likes to make jokes, but he would never kill a human being.
But neither the children, who snitched on him, nor the principal, who has immediately called the police department, thought about Matt and whether he could do something like that. And even the people, who spread the heinous rumors, should have known that he couldn’t do anything comparable. Everyone was absolutely swayed by the media and didn’t think about the consequences for Matt.
Of course I know, the threat of a shooting spree would terrify everyone, but you have to consider what kind of person the suspect is. You cannot haply suspect someone of planning an amok.
Michael Moore impressively criticizes the government of the USA and also the media. Since 9/11 it was very easy to construct a culture of fear. The whole citizenship was really afraid of the terrorists coming from Afghanistan to kill as much as possible. The politicians took advantage of these terror threats really well. Nearly everyone accepted when the government und George W. Bush enacted stupid and causeless laws, like the “USA PATRIOT Act”.
Michael Moore recognized: The US-American society increasingly gets afraid of terrorism, murderers or anything else, also killer bees. That’s in contrast to the real statistics. The crime rate decreases, but the network TV and the local news support the anxiety in America by broadcasting news of the bad black man. There were also many cases, in those murderers assigned blame to blacks for their murders and everybody believed them because in TV the blacks are extremely stigmatized to be bad and cruel.
But not only Michael Moore recognized this kind of society, Joyce Carol Oates, the writer of the novel "Big Mouth and Ugly Girl" also integrated it in her book.
Matt Donaghy is arrested because he made a joke about running amok in his school. But, as everyone should know, he didn’t want to put that into effect. He’s only a person who likes to make jokes, but he would never kill a human being.
But neither the children, who snitched on him, nor the principal, who has immediately called the police department, thought about Matt and whether he could do something like that. And even the people, who spread the heinous rumors, should have known that he couldn’t do anything comparable. Everyone was absolutely swayed by the media and didn’t think about the consequences for Matt.
Of course I know, the threat of a shooting spree would terrify everyone, but you have to consider what kind of person the suspect is. You cannot haply suspect someone of planning an amok.
Chapter Two
In the second chapter we learn something about Ursula Riggs and of course also about Ugly Girl. In this chapter we can see that Ursula has got something you’d call a split personality.
The author often changes the perspective between third person singular (Ugly Girl) and first person (Ursula Riggs). We can exactly watch her and notice that this character often switches the personality. Because of the inner monologues we also notice her different moods (p. 12, ll. 1-12).
Sometimes she’s in the Fiery Red mood and is very aggressive, self-confident and an excellent sportsman. Then she doesn’t care about the others. She doesn’t need friends. Everything is unimportant to her, only sport is necessary. In such a mood she also quits test, though she only did the first half (9. 12, ll. 6-8).
This chapter remembered me strongly of a film, I saw last year. The movie “A Beautiful Mind” is about John Forbes Nash, a genius mathematician. He studied at the Princeton University but at the age of 30 he fell ill. He had to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. For the next thirty years he couldn’t work well as a mathematician or publish anything. He also thought that he has to work for the CIA against the Soviets. He imaged that he had to decrypt codes. As that schizophrenic personality he was an of anger agitated man.
He couldn’t control his moods and was extremely angry, aggressive and also anti-Semitic. But when he wasn’t the spy, he was a genius man with a family and a calm life. First in the 1990’s he was healed of his mental disorder.
I think there are several similarities between Ursula Riggs and John Nash. The most important similarity is that both have different moods. Ursula changes the personality between herself and Ugly Girl. When she’s in her Inky Black mood, she is really laid-back. She’s very self-conscious and a coward, who hides away, cries and is ashamed of herself. But when she is in her Fiery Red mood she is an aggressive, insulting girl who stands up alone. She doesn’t need anybody. She’s an excellent sportsman and she’s proud of herself and of everything she does.
John Forbes is also a very mood addicted person. He’s got an aggressive mood and a calm one. In his Fiery Red mood he’s almost another person. He imagines being a spy for the US government and he’s much more fearless than his other ego. This ego, comparable to Ugly Girl, is an aggressive awkward human, with an addiction to outbursts of fury.
From my point of view, these egos have aggressively-paranoid psychopathy.
The author often changes the perspective between third person singular (Ugly Girl) and first person (Ursula Riggs). We can exactly watch her and notice that this character often switches the personality. Because of the inner monologues we also notice her different moods (p. 12, ll. 1-12).
Sometimes she’s in the Fiery Red mood and is very aggressive, self-confident and an excellent sportsman. Then she doesn’t care about the others. She doesn’t need friends. Everything is unimportant to her, only sport is necessary. In such a mood she also quits test, though she only did the first half (9. 12, ll. 6-8).
This chapter remembered me strongly of a film, I saw last year. The movie “A Beautiful Mind” is about John Forbes Nash, a genius mathematician. He studied at the Princeton University but at the age of 30 he fell ill. He had to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. For the next thirty years he couldn’t work well as a mathematician or publish anything. He also thought that he has to work for the CIA against the Soviets. He imaged that he had to decrypt codes. As that schizophrenic personality he was an of anger agitated man.
He couldn’t control his moods and was extremely angry, aggressive and also anti-Semitic. But when he wasn’t the spy, he was a genius man with a family and a calm life. First in the 1990’s he was healed of his mental disorder.
I think there are several similarities between Ursula Riggs and John Nash. The most important similarity is that both have different moods. Ursula changes the personality between herself and Ugly Girl. When she’s in her Inky Black mood, she is really laid-back. She’s very self-conscious and a coward, who hides away, cries and is ashamed of herself. But when she is in her Fiery Red mood she is an aggressive, insulting girl who stands up alone. She doesn’t need anybody. She’s an excellent sportsman and she’s proud of herself and of everything she does.
John Forbes is also a very mood addicted person. He’s got an aggressive mood and a calm one. In his Fiery Red mood he’s almost another person. He imagines being a spy for the US government and he’s much more fearless than his other ego. This ego, comparable to Ugly Girl, is an aggressive awkward human, with an addiction to outbursts of fury.
From my point of view, these egos have aggressively-paranoid psychopathy.
Chapter One
The first chapter of the novel “Big Mouth & Ugly Girl” is about Matt Donaghy. In this chapter he’s in school and prepares his one-act play with his friends.
The author first describes an ordinary atmosphere (p. 3, l. 15). You don’t think that something uncommon would happen. But then there is much suspense produced by describing the policemen as unknown people. In the beginning we don’t find something out about these men, they’re described in third person plural, so we have to make a guess, what they might want in school (p. 3, 17).
By the stream-of-consciousness-technique, the author uses regularly, we learn that Matt is innocent (p. 5, ll. 17-19). The writer wants to show that to us, because then we know that we’ve got to be critical while reading something about Matt, like the later rumors. We can almost see the anxiety of Matt, because he only thinks about what they could want, what might have happened or what will happen. He worries if something has happened to his parents. Matt often stammers or swallows so it’s definitely sure that he really doesn’t know what’s going on (p. 7, l. 6).
In my opinion this chapter is a good introduction of the book, because we find out that he’s didn’t do anything wrong. From that point we always believe in what he says. We know that the rumors are wrong and we can analyze why he is suspected of doing cruel things in the next chapters.
The author first describes an ordinary atmosphere (p. 3, l. 15). You don’t think that something uncommon would happen. But then there is much suspense produced by describing the policemen as unknown people. In the beginning we don’t find something out about these men, they’re described in third person plural, so we have to make a guess, what they might want in school (p. 3, 17).
By the stream-of-consciousness-technique, the author uses regularly, we learn that Matt is innocent (p. 5, ll. 17-19). The writer wants to show that to us, because then we know that we’ve got to be critical while reading something about Matt, like the later rumors. We can almost see the anxiety of Matt, because he only thinks about what they could want, what might have happened or what will happen. He worries if something has happened to his parents. Matt often stammers or swallows so it’s definitely sure that he really doesn’t know what’s going on (p. 7, l. 6).
In my opinion this chapter is a good introduction of the book, because we find out that he’s didn’t do anything wrong. From that point we always believe in what he says. We know that the rumors are wrong and we can analyze why he is suspected of doing cruel things in the next chapters.
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