The Disposable Rocket - John Updike

Title: The Disposable Rocket

Author: John Updike

The author of the piece, John Updike, attended Harvard University where he focused on art and writing. He is famous for his short fiction stories, but the skill he is best known for his ability to express himself (even if it is blunt). His essay, The Disposable Rocket, is a fictional essay comparing the male body to the female body. He wants to convey to his audience – most likely males – that the male body is incredibly graceful and interesting.

Early on, Updike writes an anecdote about his childhood: “I used to fall and jump just for the joy of it. Falling – backwards, downstairs – became a specialty of mine” (paragraph 2). He uses this to transition to the idea that the only thing that seems to harm the male body is physical activity – that is, sports. He explains that his “hobby” of falling was one that took a toll on his body.

He goes on to discuss the longevity and intricacies of the male. He uses various metaphors to describe the male’s genitals: “a demon of sorts has been attached to their lower torsos, whose performance is erratic and whose errands, at times, seem ridiculous” (paragraph 5). He describes a fascinating sort of disconnect within the male body; Updike considers there to be two people within the male. However, as the essay progresses, Updike describes that this “disconnect” is something beautiful and is something to be appreciated. He uses personification to further characterize the body itself, which again assists him in sending his message.

John Updike successfully delivers his message. Although the male body can be unpredictable, if treated properly, it can last a long time. His essay was quite a strange one, about an awfully uncomfortable topic, but his bluntness and ability to get his points across in as little words possible make for a special piece.

We evolved like this for a reason.

Insert Flap "A" and Throw Away - S.J. Perelman

Title: Insert Flap "A" and Throw Away

Author: S.J. Perelman

Insert Flap “A” and Throw Away is a humorous essay by S.J. Perelman, a 20th century writer and humorist. His piece is a fiction with an unknown time or place. It is written to simply entertain the reader – it seems Perelman’s goal is to get a chuckle from his audience. The writing seems to be intended for anyone willing to take a look at it – though one could say that it is meant for people looking to laugh.

The story is a narration, an account of the main character’s shortcomings. From the beginning until the final few paragraphs, the narrator (who writes in first person) tries teaching groups of children how to build various items: the “Jiffy-Cloz” and “Self-Running 10-Inch Scale Model Delivery Truck Construction Kit,” for example. Unfortunately, every single attempt ends in failure.

Perelman writes using satire – in the first paragraph when introducing the first thing he fails to build, he writes that he learned, “the shortest, cheapest method of inducing a nervous breakdown ever perfected” (paragraph 1) This sets the reader up for an interesting story, to say the least. He uses dialogue to add a more personal dimension. He asks a child to hand him a knife but the child refuses for safety reasons. The narrator gets a knife on his own a sentence later, the book reads that the narrator is “in the bathroom grinding his teeth in agony and attempting to stanch the flow of blood” (paragraph 11). Little, unexpected moments like these keep Perelman’s piece exciting.

In the very end, the narrator wakes up. It turns out that he has been in some sort of mental institution and he was dreaming. The story ends with the doctor instructing that the man does some exercises with his hands – exactly what seems to have gotten him into trouble in the first place.

The author is successful in accomplishing his purpose, which was really just to make the reader laugh. There were several moments where I had to reread sentences because they were so ridiculous. Using a very informal tone, S.J. Perelman writes a unique, memorable, cliff-hanging essay.

Nightmare... or reality?

How It Feels to Be Colored Me - Zora Neale Hurston

Title: How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Author: Zora Neale Hurston


Zora Neale Hurston is an African-American short-story writer, famous throughout the 20th century. Her work typically has to do with her African-American identity, making her a good source for an essay such as How It Feels to Be Colored Me. This piece is about a young girl (Zora) living in a small Florida town in 1903: a very racist time and place. The little girl ignores what people say and interacts with the white people who pass through her neighborhood. She doesn’t care about societal norms; she embraces her race (although she claims she doesn’t feel she even has race).

Zora aims her piece towards anybody that is mistreated or is unsure of their place in the world and in doing so, she tries to explain that people are in control of their own destinies. She believes that her enslaved ancestors were simply there to make way for her successes. She uses an interesting metaphor: “The terrible struggle that made me an American out of a potential slave said ‘On the line!’ The Reconstruction said ‘Get set!’; and the generation before said ‘Go!’ I am off to a flying start” (paragraph 7). She makes the point that God created every single person randomly through the use of another metaphor, this one relating to stuffing bags. Her piece is written in the narrative form and she uses specific personal anecdotes to further her points.

She is successful in teaching this lesson to her reader. Zora was born into a society unaccepting of her skin color. Regardless, she marched on and her lovable personality turned her from an outcast to a hero. She kept a smile on her face the entire time. The essay gives hope to people who don’t know where they belong or are unappreciated. Everybody has the ability to stand up for themselves. With proper courage, determination, and perseverance, anyone can make change.

A spark of light in a sea of darkness