I had a hard time with this essay, feedback is greatly appreciated!!  Tracy

Methamphetamine, a Blessing and a Curse

Imagine you are seventeen years old. You are the sole provider for your twelve year old brother and your six year old sister. Your mother is mentally ill and unable to provide any support. Your father is a known methamphetamine dealer who is often absent and out of the picture. This is reality for the main character of Daniel Woodrell’s compelling novel “Winter’s Bone”. Ree Dolly lives in the rural area of the Ozarks, located in Missouri. She is struggling to keep her family feed when she learns the horrible truth that her drug dealing father is missing, and even worse, he signed their family home away for his bail. Ree and her family are destine to lose their home if he does not show up for bail, therefore, Ree sets out to find her father and save her family.

“Winter’s Bone” is a captivating story that houses many themes within its pages. This is a story about family bonds, perseverance and most notably drug use. Throughout, this story the reader is confronted with the commonplace use of drugs that occurs in the Ozarks. It is apparent that the characters in Daniel Woodrell’s book are dependent on methamphetamine not only for its pharmaceutical purposes’, but also for the things that the drug can do for their economy. “Winter’s Bone” shows firsthand the negative and positive effects that Methamphetamine use can have on a person and the small town that they call home. This novel details how a small town depends on meth to fuel themselves and their economy as much as they are victims of meth’s devastating consequences.

Methamphetamine is widely known as a devastating, addictive, and life altering drug. However, that wasn’t always the case. Initially, Japanese chemist, Nagayoshi Nagai, first synthesized Meth in 1898. The public rejoiced it as a miracle drug, and “By 1933, Meth was heralded in the United States as a drug on par with Penicillin.” (Methland, 44) Methamphetamine was used to treat conditions such as narcolepsy, weight gain, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, fatigue, alcoholism and hyperactivity. (Methland, 44) This new miracle drug was also used to aid soldiers that were going in to battle. With all the promises being made on the part of meth it is easy to see how so many Americans as well as nations around the world demanded a large supply of this drug.

Now let’s examine the effects that methamphetamine had on the economies of small towns like the author’s hometown of Oelwein, Iowa. Citizens in small towns like the author’s hometown believed that nothing bad could ever happen in their town, and they were right, until the farming crisis hit in the 1980’s. (Homans) People who had been farming, or working for a small factory all their lives suddenly found themselves jobless. The author of “Methland” Nick Redding uses his book to convey the story of a young man named Roland Jarvis.  He became addicted to Meth while working for a meatpacking plant. “Jarvis considered Meth to be his job security” “It made Jarvis into the ideal employee.” (Methland, 50) Although, at the time Jarvis made good money and was receiving full union benefits from his company, he used Meth to make it possible to take on double shifts and work for days on end to try and save up money. (Methland, 50) Then things in small town Oelwein, Iowa began to change when Jarvis’s small meatpacking plant was bought by Gillette (Methland, 51) “Overnight, the union was dismantled, and the wages according to Jarvis and Clay Hallberg, fell from $18 hour to $6.20.” (Methland, 51)  Meth was now not only Jarvis’s addiction, he began to dependent on it to supply for his family. This is just one of the many stories of small towns in American that saw the introduction of Meth labs. The story of Roland Jarvis mimics the story of so many of the characters in “Winters Bone”.

After reading Daniel Woodrell’s “Winter’s Bone” I still had some lingering questions as to why the characters would embark on making meth when they know all too well the negative effects of the life of a meth cooker. “Methland” showed me that the characters of Daniel Woodrell’s novel depended on the manufacturing of meth to keep their economy going when like the example of Roland Jarvis, their towns offered them no other opportunities to provide for themselves. With all the benefits that are promised from meth, it is understandable why some people feel making meth is their only option to survival.

Of course, for all the things that Methamphetamine promise, in my opinion the negative effects far outweigh the positive. Meth has lasting negative effects on the way a person looks, their local economy, and of course their overall health. The cleanliness and safety of their home, the safety of their environment, including, their drinking water, the ability to feel emotion, the ability to care and provide for their families are all at risk once a person becomes addicted to Meth, because, Meth becomes the only thing that matters.

“In our discussion of health risks, we noted the potential for fires, explosions and toxic fumes in the manufacturing of meth.  Many meth cookers have inhaled toxic fumes, incurred serious burns and some have been seriously injured or killed as a result of meth-related explosions.  The injuries and deaths take their toll in human and financial costs to those involved and their families…” (Dobbins)

These aforementioned negative effects are show throughout “Winter’s Bone” in the melted meth labs, dysfunctional families and scarred faces of Woodrells general public. The costs of Meth usage to a community is almost impossible to determine. “Meth users and cookers are also prone to heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, premature death, and overdose” (Dobbins) and most of these do not have insurance; therefore, the cost of their care falls on the taxpayers. Hospital bills are also incurred by addicts because of their lack of fine motor skills, making addicts prone to accidents while doing task such as driving. “The meth industry also takes a high cost on the environment.  Meth fires, explosions and the dumping of waste products are threats to environmental conditions.” (Dobbins) Illegal dumping of these waste products pollutes the environment while seeping into the soil and effecting water and food supplies.

            I am grateful for the glimpse into the world of Methamphetamine use that Daniel Woodrell has given me. Having no previous knowledge of Meth except for the fact that it is bad for you, it was interesting to see Meth use and production from this point of you. It is easy to see how for the people of Ree Dolly’s world Methamphetamine use and production seems like their only option. However, one might wonder if they have considered if the high that is gained or the money earned from producing Methamphetamine is enough to justify all the negative effects.

Works Cited:

1.         Nick , Reding. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town. <http://books.google.com/books.

2.         Homans, Charles. "Why Midwestern Small Towns Have Been Ravaged by Meth Addiction." . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2012. <http://www.alternet.org

3.         Dobbins, Kenneth. "Costs of Meth." . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2012. <http://www5.semo.edu/criminal/medfels/text_meth_cost.htm>.

Methland

Nick Reding's book "Methland" is the true story of the rise and use of Methamphetamine in America. The author begins with telling the tale of small town America. A place where everyone knows everyone and nothing bad could every happen, that notion of course is wholly inaccurate. The author focuses specifically on his home town Oelwein, Iowa. Today, the word methamphetamine is almost always synonymous with the word criminal. However, that wasn’t always the case. Initially, Japanese chemist, Nagayoshi Nagai, first synthesized Meth and marketed it as a “miracle drug”. Meth was prescribed to housewives and soldiers alike, the depressed and overweight. This new drug could make you productive, successful, thin and wealthy. On the contrary, no one was prepared for the devastating and lasting effects that meth would have on them and society as a whole. Eventually, meth addicts cannot function anymore, they loose their emotions and they are unable to feel happy of fulfilled without the help of meth. Meth becomes their only need, and they are prepared to do anything to get it.

I was very pleasantly surprised with this excerpt from “Methland”. This book is very informative. Having no previous knowledge of Meth except for the fact that it is bad for you, it was interesting to see meth use and production from this point of you. From this portion of “Methland”, I learned that Meth is a horrible drug, but it can also be the answer to a person’s prayers for a while. In essence, this drug promises the American dream. After finishing the book “Winter’s Bone” by Daniel Woodrell, I still had some lingering questions as to why the characters would embark on making meth when they know all too well the negative effects of the life of a meth cooker. “Methland” showed me that the characters of Daniel Woodrell’s novel depended on the manufacturing of meth to keep their economy going. With all the benefits that are promised from meth, it is understandable why some people feel making meth is their only option to survival. It is ironic however, in these small towns, that the very thing keeping their tiny town going is also the thing that is tearing it apart.

Click Here for more information on Methamphetamine.

Works Cited:

1.      Reding, Nick. Methland, the death and life of an American small town.. 1-57. Web. <https://lbblackboard.yc.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-832578-dt-content-rid-4042479_1/courses/201210ENG102PRE132/methland.pdf>.

2.      Woodrell, Daniel. Winter's Bone. New York: Back Bay Books; Little, Brown and Company, 1-193.

3.      Henning Wagenbreth . 2009. Photograph. The New York Times, New York.

Depressed mother, missing father,
I am left to the dirty dish water.
My father's promises leave me a fool,
I will get my brother's off to school.
The law is here, my father must show.
If he doesn't we will have no place to go.
Looking for answers, finding only closed doors.
I am strong, I will endure.
Take the drugs, push them down,
my own troubles I must drown.
Escape is an illusion. I wind up scarred.
No length or distance is to far.
Mixed emotions, lover or friend.
I must see this quest out to the end.

Bartleby the Hero

            First impressions are not everything. For instance, at first reading of Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street”, I was left aggravated and searching for meaning. However, through closer inspection it is easy to see that this fiction has subtle depth and understated meaning throughout its paragraphs. We are introduced to a scrivener named Bartley, who appears lazy as he repeats that he would “prefer not to” (Melville, par 21) do any type of work at all, as well as his boss who appears intellectually endowed and merely a victim of Bartleby’s strange ways. As you will see appearances can be deceiving. Truly, Bartleby is the hero of Herman Melville’s story in his refusal to participate in a workplace that represents the sad, dreary atmosphere of a bureaucratic, industrialized society.

            First, let us examine the Narrator. He is an older, well-educated man who thinks highly of himself and his place in society. He is the epitome of capitalism. “My avocations had been largely increased. The good old office, now extinct in the State of New-York, of a Master in Chancery, had been conferred upon me.” (Melville, Par 4) He is very proud of his accomplishments. Also, he could be described as a calloused man, “The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next, method. (Melville, par 3) He is proud to be a man that is admittedly very smart and methodical in the business world. However, for all the business sense that he possesses he lacks compassion and human empathy. This is evident in the way he interacts with his employees. He refers to his other scriveners by the way of nicknames and can readily list their faults; “The difficulty was, he (turkey) was apt to be altogether too energetic. There was a strange, inflamed, flurried, flighty recklessness of activity about him.” (Melville, par 6) The lawyer sees his scriveners only for their faults. This is important because he interacts with Bartleby in the same manner, hardened and aloof. Never really paying much attention to Bartleby as a person until his productivity begins to suffer and thus affects the narrators business. Eventually, when Bartleby “prefers not to” (Melville, par 21) do anymore copying and is no longer beneficial to the narrators business he only wishes to be rid of Bartley so that he does not negatively impact his agency or way of life.

            In this story, the narrator is a symbol for modern capitalism. In this new workplace employees are replaceable. Self-worth is ascertained only through the work that you can provide. This is truly a story about Wall Street and its influence on society and the human condition.

            Next, let us examine the hero of our story. Bartleby is first introduced to the reader when he answers an advertisement placed by the nameless narrator. He is hired by the lawyer to copy law documents by hand. Bartleby is described by the narrator as “pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!” (Melville, par 15) However, in the beginning Bartleby’s odd demeanor doesn’t bother the lawyer. He is a young man who is very good at his job and the lawyer believes his quiet manner will do well to balance out the temperaments of his other employees. “At first Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light.” (Melville, par 18) However, when the work of a scrivener fails to fulfill Bartleby and the narrator continues to belittle him and his coworkers, he decides that he would “prefer not to” (Melville, par 21).  Upon analysis, it is understood that Bartleby is not simply a lazy worker; he is actually a very skilled scrivener that lacks motivation. Although, at first glance, Bartleby would be considered to be lonely and unhappy, it is his lack of human connections that allows him to be disconnected from the world. This separation from society allows him to be completely free off the pressures of the lawyer’s world to fit in and gain acceptance. He has the capacity to do as he desires.  Therefore, Bartleby decides to follow his own principals and not become a soulless product of the narrator’s hardened world of capitalism.

            Bartleby symbolizes the working class of the American society. Creativity, self-worth, and personal relationships have no place on Wall Street. Big business became the governing force of American life. Society became less concerned with a person’s overall well-being and instead focused on the bottom line of production and currency.  Bartleby is the hero of Herman Melville’s story because of his refusal to participate in a workplace that represents the sad, dreary atmosphere of a bureaucratic, industrialized society. He was very talented at his job he simply refused not to work once he was treated like another nameless and replaceable worker. Although, in the end Bartley dies in prison, he does so on his terms. He is the hero because he does not allow himself to be silenced; he makes a lasting impact on the narrator and does not become another product of capitalism.

Works Cited:

Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Bartleby. N.p., 2011. Web. 26 Feb 2012. <http://www.bartleby.com/129/>.

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street

 

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street is the sad telling of a man who has lost all will to live. At first look, this is a dry account of a gloomy man who comes to work as a copyist. However, once you dig a little bit deeper into the sub context, to find the story within the story, you start to realize it is so much more. Bartleby represents the human condition. He is the range of emotions and problems that are prevalent in societies spanning the history of civilization. The narrator of the story represents the part of society that would rather hide its face when confronted with adversity than acknowledge it is there. “Ah, happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay; but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.” (Melville, par 89)

At first, when the narrator is confronted with Bartleby he is annoyed. He thinks of Bartley only in terms of the negative effects that he might have on himself, his employees and his office. “And I trembled to think that my contact with the scrivener had already seriously affected me in a mental way”. (Melville, par 115) The narrator represents how society can judge a person before knowing anything about them. In fact, the narrator cares little about Bartleby as a person until he fails to keep up production.

                Secondly, when ignoring Bartleby is no longer affective, the narrator decides that the only option is to fire Bartleby. Although, he expresses that he feels bad for him, he doesn’t want to have to inconvenience his life any further, and instead tries to buy Bartleby off. “The time has come; you must quit this place; I am sorry for you; here is money; but you must go.” (Melville, par 138)

                As the story progresses, the narrator starts to become fond of Bartleby. Bartleby states “ I would prefer not to” as he has so many times before, but this time, the narrator has a change of heart and decides that Bartleby really isn’t hurting anyone by being there, and lets him stay. That is until his clients and colleagues start to comment. “I believe that this wise and blessed frame of mind would have continued with me, had it not been for the unsolicited and uncharitable remarks obtruded upon me by my professional friends who visited the rooms.” (Melville, par 168) In the end, the narrator cares more about what is being said about him and his office than what he knows is right. Often, we as society do not help those in need because of a greater fear of what others might think of us.

                Next, the narrator decides that the only thing left to do is to move to a new office. This is ironic because in the story he mentions that calling the police himself when Bartleby refused to leave would be too harsh of a consequence. However, the narrator is fully aware that when he leaves the office building the new tenants will likely call the police. The narrator is fine with Bartleby going to jail as long as he cannot be held responsible for him being there.

                Finally, the narrator decides to take responsibility for Bartleby once he is already in jail. He tries to become his friend; however, Bartleby is too far gone. Bartleby dies in jail. It is only now once it is too late that the narrator acknowledges that Bartleby was in fact his friend. In society, we habitually ignore our problems until it becomes too late. If the narrator had taken the time to get to know Bartleby before he passed away there is a very good chance this story could have had a different ending. However, as it is, this story taught me about social responsibility and compassion for our fellow “sons of Adam” (Melville, par 89).

Click HERE for information on the history of the scrivener.

Works Cited:

Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Bartleby. N.p., 2011. Web. 19 Feb 2012. <http://www.bartleby.com/129/>.