Readings from Rick Bragg and Tobias Wolff

In the first reading, 100 Miles per Hour, Upside Down and Sideways, by Rick Bragg had a very interesting story. He used many metaphors and similes in his story that made his story more compelling. For example, " It looked like a white sheet of paper someone had crumpled up and tossed in the ditch from a passing car." This was just one of the many similes that he put into his story. I also really liked the way he described his car. He used "her" instead of my car in the story to show his relationship with the car and how he treated it. You could really tell that he loved his car because he worked two summers to pay for the car and he called the car his "equalizer." He was saying that his car completed him. Obviously, his car was like his best friend. He also said his car helped him become popular and help him get the prettiest girls in school. This goes to show that people sometimes like you for things that you have and not your personality.
My favorite part was the forshadowing with the "Eagles' Greatest Hits tape." He explained how it was the only tape he could play in the car in the beginning and it showed up again in the end when he crashed into the ditch. After he crashed, the repetition of "The Lord was riding with you, son,"stuck in my head the rest of the story. At the end when his uncle lent him the money to fix the car up, I was really surprised by this. I would never think that an uncle would let his nephew drive the same car when he almost killed himself.

In the second reading, On Being a Real Westerner, by Tobias Wolff, the author described the gun very well. He also had a need for this gun like Rick Bragg had a need for his car. You could also see that Tobias looked up to Roy. He wanted to be like him and be in the army to shoot guns and wear the uniforms, but mostly to have the look of the army personell. When his mom gave in and let him have the gun, I was completely surprised. He wasn't that old and she even said that she couldn't trust him. I also couldn't believe that he shot the squirrel in the road and then lied to his mom about it. I don't know how someone could cry and mourn over a squirrel when he didn't even care about the squirrel in the first place. It kind of makes me sick to think that he would just kill the squirrel just to shoot something.