The last two paragraphs in Richard Hugo's The Triggering Town were very interesting to me. In chapter 8, Ci Vediamo, I enjoyed hearing about the writers past and his visitation to his past. I have always been interested in the air force and I find it very interesting that he was a bombardier. I enjoyed the humor in the line "I was on the American side, but let me assure you the history books are right. We Won. If you had seen me bomb, you might have doubts."(75) Ci Vediamo translates to see you later and I thought it was a clever title because he is revisiting his past in Italy and with the last line in the chapter "I still wasn't sure why I'd come back, but I felt it must be the best reason in the world." (98) I enjoyed reading about things he did and the places he visited and hearing him comparing WW2 Italy to post WW2 Italy and seeing how different everything was and what all changed over the years. I liked hearing his stories from the past because they give you a better understanding of him as a person and I enjoy hearing people's experiences and hearing about places I have never been. My favorite part about chapter 9, How Poets Make a Living, was the story about the squatter and his wife. I thought it was a very good story and I felt bad for the people on both sides of the situation. I felt bad for the man because he was losing everything, he was losing his home, and I really liked his line "I only lost homes in my lifetime." (107) I felt bad for the company because they had to kick a man and his wife out of their homes and see it affect the man, especially in the letter that he wrote to him. I as well almost envied the squatter man like Hugo says on page 104 "And secretly, even to himself secretly, he admired, almost envied, the man because the man was not civilized, and I suppose basically no one wants to be civilized." There are many advantages to civilization but there are also disadvantages and that squatter man had freedom in his own way and he lived how he wanted and he was okay with it and he did not have to deal with society and the problems in it. I agree that it is better to be civilized but I still somewhat envy those who are not and those who do not live by societies rules and standards and do not hurt anyone else by doing so. When I was younger I would dream of living off the land and building a cabin in the woods and so did a lot of my friends, not being civilized can be very desirable but today it is not as possible to accomplish if it is even possible at all, I do not know.
One of my biggest take aways from this book comes from the very first page of the first chapter "You'll never be a poet until you realize that everything I say today and this quarter is wrong. it may be right for me, but it is wrong for you. Every moment, I am, without wanting or trying to, telling you to write like me. But I hope you learn to write like you." (3) I really like this because you go through school and people teach you how to write and how to write like them but to be a great writer you need to learn how to write like yourself and how to write for yourself. You cannot try to be exactly like another writer, you can try to imitate their style but you cannot be them, you must be yourself and that is how you will succeed the most in your writings, even if it isn't anything bigger than personal satisfaction, being your own writer and having your own techniques and writing how you want will always be the best option. The other biggest take away from this book is from the second chapter "Once a spectator said, after Jack Nicklaus had chipped a shot in from a sand trap. "That's pretty lucky." Nicklaus is suppose to have replied, "Right. But I notice the more I practice, the luckier I get." (17) I like this quote and it stuck with me because the more you practice at something and try the more likely something will turn out really good for you. I enjoy playing golf and this quote is very true, the more you practice the luckier you will get when you need it and I think this can relate to a lot of things in life and especially writing. You just have to keep trying and you cannot give up and maybe someday you will get a really lucky break or create something really amazing, even if it is just one thing, you can always be proud of that one great piece.
Great takeaway Hayley! That hit me as well, too! It have always heard when having a mentor who is well established do exactly what they tell you until you find they are lying or a better way. I felt that was true here, he was well established and we have to try his way, but along that way we might find something better for us.
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