The Potter Life (Chapter 10)

Prompt #18

As you know, The book that I chose to read was called Mr. Potter. Jamaica Kincaid is the author of this book and I believe that she chose this to be the title simply because Mr. Potter is the main character in the novel. Jamaica Kincaid has always had very simple and original titles in most of the things that she writes so it is no surprise to me that this book was named after the main character. If I named this book, I would name it The Potter Life. The reason why I would name it The Potter Life is because I felt the presence of not only Mr. Potter throughout the book, but also the way his father, Nathaniel, and his mother, Elfrida raised him into the man that he became rather quickly. I felt that they were a big part of what Mr. Potter did and I also would name it The Potter Life because his sister was the narrator so her presence was also felt constantly. Regardless of the title of the book I really enjoyed reading it as my independent reading book and it kept me intrigued the whole time unlike many other books.

Style Points (Chapter 9)

Prompt #11

Kincaid's style and use of language is one that I have never seen in any other book that I have ever read before. When something in the novel is important, she will beat it into your head so you do not forget it. For example, when talking about the Dr. Weizenger's wife, she says that her name is May several times within a 2 page span. She says it in a way that whether it is the first or seventh time you are hearing it, she makes it seem like it's always the first time. I think this is very effective because reiterating the key points in the novel really helps me throughout the book and makes it an easier and more enjoyable read for me.

The "Usual Place" (Chapter 8)

Prompt#14

"That day the sun was in its usual place, up above and in the middle of the sky, but Mr. Potter did not note that, so accustomed he was to this, the sun in its usual place, up above and in the middle of the sky."

Reading this quote in the beginning of the novel, it did not make much sense at all to me but as i read on I made more sense of it. This quote sums up the novel in a nutshell all in one sentence. It is referring to not the sun but to Mr. Potter. Each and every day he does the same thing without even realizing how repetitive his lifestyle is. The author uses a metaphor to show this by using the sun and how it, like Mr. Potter, rises and falls the same way each and every day and this quote is one of the most if not the most important quote in the novel in my eyes.

Mother Potter Response (Chapter 7)

Prompt #7

I predicted that we would get to hear a story about or meet Mr. Potter's mother within the next few chapters. My prediction was somewhat correct. Mr. Potter's sister, the narrator first started off by telling about her mother. Her mother was 16 when she had her and when she turned 25 Nathaniel Potter had another child with another woman. This woman was Mr. Potter's mother. They tell us about the mothers of Nathaniel's kids as a whole. They had a one room house with four windows where all of his children lived and their mothers. They had no choice because Nathaniel could not always gather enough fish to support everyone so they were very limited as to what they could afford. It took a lot of unity for all of these people to co-exist under one roof but they managed to do it. It was extremely hard for them because Nathaniel Potter had all daughters until Mr. Potter came along so he had a lot of people to take care of. Mr. Potter's mother spent a lot of time with him when he was a child to make him strong with the intention that he would be a fisherman like his father. This never happened but we learn that his mother was very caring and loving.

Mother Potter (Chapter 6)

Prompt #6

So far in this novel we know that out of Mr. Potter's family the narrator is Mr. Potter's older sister, Mr. Potter is the main character, and his father's background and life story. I have been thinking about his mother. When talking about his father, they told us that Nathaniel Potter had kids with more than just one woman. I am curious to know if we will ever meet Mr. Potter's mother and what role she plays or played in Mr. Potter's childhood and life. I think that we will eventually meet his mother because we have met every other important person in Mr. Potter's life and who could be more important than the mother who gave life to him. This is why I think there has to be some type of story about his mother soon.

Chauffeur (Chapter 5)

Prompt #5

Something that moved me was when the man who employed Mr. Potter, Mr. Shoul, shared his thoughts on Mr. Potter. One thing he said was, "Mr. Potter will always be thinking to himself forever and ever; this is his story." This moved me because I felt bad for Mr. Potter for many reasons. He could not speak English well at all and he had no family who he could relate to. He was a boy who was forced to become a man at an early age and work countless amounts of hours. His conversation with people was very simple if there was any at all. He could not have intelligent conversations, not because he did not want to but because he did not know how to. This made me wish for a better life for Mr. Potter because he deserved to have people who he could bond with and not have to work for the people who are closest to him.

Tracing lineage (Chapter 4)

Prompt#4

Something that surprised me this chapter was when they were telling the story about Mr. Potter's father. It gave me a greater sense of appreciation for Mr. Potter and how he became the person he is as a chauffeur. They explain how his father, Nathaniel Potter, was a fisherman and it was not always easy to raise all of his children to be able to read and write. He had 11 children and because he was on his boat much of the time, he did not have the opportunity to teach his children the vital lessons and give them experience in certain areas where they would need to be successful later on in life. Mr. Potter was the final child of the eleven and this whole story surprised me because Mr. Potter taught himself to do nearly everything he has ever learned. He has been able to find a decent job and make a living for himself regardless of what his past was like and I thought that was very strong of him and it surprised me.

Mixed Signals (Chapter 3)

Prompt #3

In the novel, Mr. Potter meets new people on a relatively regular basis because of his job. Being a chauffeur helps Mr. Potter with his social skills especially since he is not fluent in the English language. Throughout the book I noticed that it was the clients Mr. Potter was dealing with who made the excahnge awkward and uncomfortable. For example, Dr. Weizenger who was one of his clients once said, "Just then I wanted to shut off Mr. Potter's ability to take in oxygen, I wanted to silence him forever." I felt this was a harsh comment to be making and that characters like Dr. Weizenger acted in this way because Mr. Potter was a black boy and they felt the need to put him in his place if you will. Since this book is held in the 1950s and the main character is black, this factor contributes to a lot of the feelings of many other characters who are mainly rich and white. This is the best and most clear cut explanation as to why they acted the way they did at times throughout the novel.

Repetition(Chapter2)

Prompt 2: Although I liked the beginning of the book, the second chapter confused me at times with a couple of minor details that perhaps may progress into greater significance. I do not know if this is Kincaid's style but she seems to repeat many words or phrases frequently in the same sentence. For example, her most used line is, "that day, the sun was in its usual place, up and above and in the middle of the sky," and she repeats this twice each time she says it. I encountered this phrase at least 5 times in the first two chapters and I started to question why the author chose to do this. I don't know if this has a deeper meaning or not and I wonder if she will continue to do this in later chapters and throughout the book.

Setting the stage (Chapter 1)

Prompt 1: I like the way Jamaica Kincaid sets the stage for the book and the main character, Mr. Potter. When you open the book and start reading you instantly know that this book will be taking you through the life of a black chauffeur and what hardship and difficulties he has to go through day in and day out. She doesn't rush into any story or event, she simply tells you the background of Mr. Potter. I enjoyed this because it helps me know what to expect and makes it an easier read. I get uncomfortable with authors that put the reader into a situation they are unfamiliar with to start a novel and with this book Kincaid does a good job in the introduction so everyone is on the same page.

Independent Reading Project

I will be doing my Independent Reading Project on the novel Mr. Potter by Jamaica Kincaid. I will take you through my experience and insight of the book as i read it. Feel free to comment on any post, it will be greatly appreciated. You can expect me to add two to three posts on my blog regarding my independent reading project every few days. Stay tuned.

Thesis

Che's character and charisma caused him to drop his medical career to become a leader trying to impact the world, which he never successfully accomplished.

My do now

Imagine yourself in Che's position in Peru. You are in a foreign place where not many people speak the same language as you and each day is an adventure not knowing what to expect. How would you handle it or could you handle it? How would it change you as a person? I chose this because I think it is interesting to see what people think about putting themselves in Che's position.

Che's dreams

The young Che was more of your original, normal person. He wanted to be a doctor and help people and felt he would be well-respected by having this occupation. He wanted people to feel like they could go for him for help. Che realized that this was not his destiny after going on his road trip with Alberto. Che did not feel like he was doing much of anything for people by becoming a doctor. This is where the later Che developed. Che wanted to be in control and had been for most of his life in whatever he did. As he got older, he knew that he didn't want to help only a few families but a whole nation worth of people and this is when Castro becomes a part of his life. I think Che wanted to go out in more of a fashionable way and actually have a grave where people could visit him. I think he was happier with his life after his motorcycle road trip.

Chilean history

Long and narrow coastal southern cone.