Once again, you can respond in any substantive and non-qualitative fashion you wish to the piece. (Again, this is not the place to say whether you "liked it" or not; nor should you feel inclined to put in your two-cents about what you'd cut if you were the editor.)
You might want to consider thinking about the ways in which this piece is about the Maine Lobster Festival, and also much more. What kind of work is Wallace, as the narrative perspective of the piece, doing? What could be a different way of approaching this subject, and what might be gained or lost from those alternative approaches?
Remember to write a minimum of 250 words to receive credit and to respond to one of your peers' posts as well.
I found “Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace a rather easy and enjoyable read. The reading was facilitated by the opening summary, which basically said the Maine Lobster Festival, which is a 56-year-old festival, consists of the simple “sun, fun, and fine food” qualities, but one person argues that there is so much more to it. That quick, two sentence, summary immediately allowed me to know what to be looking for in the reading. I enjoyed how the author took an interesting angle into the story by describing quite literally what a lobster is. I thought I knew enough about lobsters because reading this, but now I feel like an expert. This story reminded me of Forrest Gump’s character, Bubba, who could tell you everything you could possibly know about shrimping, but this feature was for lobster. I believe there is a sort of ironic complexity to this feature about the Maine Lobster Festival that makes it easy and enjoyable for me to read.
ReplyDeleteAfter all the reading about how great lobster feasting is and how great the Maine Lobster Festival is, David Foster Wallace mentions how there is another side to eating lobsters, which is the way they get to your plate. Even at MLF, there are kids walking around with pamphlets reminding the customers about the pain lobsters go through before they are boiled and prepared.
I like how David Foster Wallace found many different angles to come into to write his feature, and I think it gives me a good glimpse of how I should write my feature.
He does remind me of Bubba! It's funny how the author gave us step by step instructions on how to boil a lobster alive, but then he hit us with how they thrash because they feel how they're being boiled alive.
DeleteI agree with you. It is funny how this story relates to Bubba. The author did show us about the festival from two completely different sides and I think that it was interesting to see the sides as well. I learned so much about lobsters. I also like how he took many different angles to describe his feature.
DeleteMatthew Cook
ReplyDelete“Consider the Lobster” I assumed would focus on the events of the festival and the people in it I did not expect to be reading about the morals of boiling a lobster alive. In the beginning David Foster Wallace made the festival seem amazing he talked about the world’s largest lobster cooker and all the events like the cooking contest. I was eager to learn more about this event when the whole topic of the writing changed. Now it was talking about the people that fight against the festival. More than half of the article is trying to answer the question: Is it ok to boil lobsters alive. I would much rather read about the festival than this. To me this question seemed to have an easy answer of yes, it is ok. I still do not understand why boiling a lobster is wrong, it is just like eating beef someone killed that cow for you to eat. The biggest reason people think it’s wrong is because they must kill it them self or it must be killed for you in house. Not as many people would have a problem if it was killed miles away and shipped to you unless they were already against eating meats. I’ve cooked lobster and crab before so to me it is a normal thing to boil them alive. I think it is strange that there are fliers handed out at the event saying that you shouldn’t eat the lobsters since all the people at the event are there to eat lobsters these pamphlets are probably ineffective. I enjoyed reading the beginning of the piece but it quickly moved to a subject that I wasn’t as interested in making it harder to read for me.
I believe the authors main problem with boiling the lobsters is it is slowly killing them alive, It’s in human. It’s not that the author is against killing animals for food but rather torturing them to do so.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI do agree with you on the fact that i believed the author went to much into detail on whether boiling a lobster was morally acceptable. I was hoping for more information on the festival, but he kept going on about the debate.
Delete-Gabriel Padin
I agree that the author could have lightened up a bit on the boiling a lobster part but beyond that I found the article to be very enjoyable.
DeleteAnthony Cusenza
I see what you're saying in regards to the author lightening up, but I think it was a necessary aspect to include in the piece, as I always like to see both sides of the argument.
DeleteAileene Amadis
ReplyDeleteThe Maine Lobster Festival is deemed as a fun, famous and big festival that everyone in Maine looks forward to, until the author reveals his inner thoughts. What I liked while reading this was his ability to sneak his questions into this essay. He wasn’t attacking anyone eating the lobster, or the festival in general with the aggressiveness most activists use to inform others about their topic. He described the crowds, the awards, the missions of the festival, to make lobsters more accessible and more than an expensive meat, but also gave us a disturbing perspective. It was almost as if we the reader, were in his mind, looking through his eyes, at the big tanks of live lobster, or The World’s Largest Lobster Cooker, wondering the same things. While taking in the amount of families, smiles, long lines, and hot weather, we are also thinking, “Do those lobsters feel anything when they are dumped into the cooker?” Our point of view takes on a hazy gray and times gets slower while we contemplate this, then when the person in front of shuffles forward, everything wipes away, life is vibrant again, sounds are clearer and we forget about the feelings of the lobsters. David Wallace held on to the question and elaborated. He managed to ask and make the reader think, without criticizing the festival as PETA would. You could tell he had disapproving thoughts, but he backed up his claims with facts that makes the reader nod along. If he hadn’t focused on this seemingly trivial thought, the real question of lobster’s pain tolerance (or intolerance) could have been lost.
The whole issue of the lobster's pain was confirmed by the authors emotions, but the science is yet debated. However, the author did a good job of keeping away from pure emotion and sticking to a logical argument. Now do the lobsters attempt to claw the pot because they feel pain or because it's a stimulus of them being in hot water?
Delete-Alexander Kostandarithes
Before reading this article, I had thought it was going to be about the festival and then the people who attend but it was an interesting take to read about the lobsters of the festival instead. The “Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace was a very informational read. While a very informational piece I found the article to also be somewhat funny. The author threw in small phrases and lines to keep the reader intrigued. Although the article was sometimes intriguing I found myself not fully interested in the article. David Foster Wallace did an excellent job setting up the order of the story, clearly marking each new section start with a couple of bold word and then making the article flowed effortlessly. Wallace also vividly described scenes to the point where I felt like I was there. I learned a lot about lobsters, maybe a little more than I ever wanted to know. More than just talking about lobsters the author shed light on the other side of things, the side about how we harm lobsters. Not just killing them and eating them but we torture them, so much so the chef needs to leave the room. The author took this article in many directions but was able to make the article work together. Towards the end of the article Wallace asked a lot of questions, making the reader have to think about what the answer is and then why the answer is that. The whole article challenged the reader to think farther then the box.
ReplyDeleteWord count:255
- Hailey Safra
I agree with you in that I also found this article comical in a way. All in all it was pretty boring of a read, even after having some interesting points. A lobster is a food and I believe it should be treated as such.
DeleteI agree that the author ended it in a way they kept the reading thinking. He made it the readers choice to deside their stance on the subject. I also agree that the authors descriptions were very vivid in the fact that i felt like i was there.
DeleteJonathan Gallon
“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace is an article that discusses the Main Lobster Festival. This festival, held every July for the past 56 years, attracts people from all over the country and allows them to simply enjoy lobster cooked in all sorts of fashions. This article not only covered the Main Lobster Festival, but it also talked about many other things such as describing the different species of lobsters, and the process of cooking them. I was surprised to find out the variety of species of lobsters that exist. The only downside to the article was that it went a little too into depth on whether boiling a lobster alive was morally right or wrong. It seemed as if by going into this debate, the author sort of lost focus on what the main point of the article should be about which was the festival. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with boiling a lobster alive, although I can see how many people could be against this since it is a little inhumane. But nevertheless, I was still intrigued in the article because it did talk about of variety of topics about the lobster and never stayed in one section too long. Overall, I felt as if the author did a great job in informing the reader a great deal about this festival and the lobsters themselves. After reading this article, I have gained a better understanding of how to write a feature and how it should be formatted.
ReplyDelete- Gabriel Padin
Diego Mendoza
DeleteI mostly agree with you Gabriel, but in my opinion, the reader should have seen this coming just off the title. Thankfully, whenever the author brought up a certain point, he was able to back all of it up with substantive information. I also gained a lot of knowledge about lobsters and the festival.
“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace was a fun and interesting read to me. I enjoyed how the article was set up. It talked a lot about the lobsters in general, what they are, how they can be cooked, and if all of this was right to do. It was interesting to me to learn so many things about the lobsters and the Maine Lobster Festival. One thing that really surprised me about this article was when it mentioned that “Up until sometime in the 1800’s, lobster was literally low-class food, eaten only by the poor and institutionalized.” (Wallace 55) Now, lobster is looked at completely different. Most of the time, it can be the most expensive thing on the menu at a restaurant. Wallace approaches this article from two different viewpoints. The first explains how great this festival is and how many people are attracted to the culture and taste of lobsters. The other side questions this whole festival. It debates whether or not these lobsters should be killed and eaten. He supports it by telling us about all of the people who walk around with pamphlets at the festival. These pamphlets are against the killing of lobsters and the way they are prepared. I believe Wallace is trying to have us develop an attachment to the lobsters by informing us so much about them and telling us all of the different ways that they can be cooked. Then, by telling us about the festival from two different angles, I believe that he is trying to make us have an opinion on whether or not we feel the cooking of lobsters is right. Overall, I enjoyed the story and becoming informed on this event.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you were surprised lobster was for the low class before the 1800s, I would of never known that since today its very expensive and so many people want it. I agree with you also that he is trying to make us have an opinion on the cooking of the lobster. I think the article was well written on informing us about the Maine Lobster Festival and the various cooking methods on lobster.
Delete-Sydney Denkert
I agree with your comment on how the lobster was a lower class meal in the 1800s. I always thought it was a higher class meal just because growing up that would be a mess for special occasions when I was younger.
DeleteI also had no idea that lobster was considered food for those of the low class. It's very nice that Wallace shows us different viewpoints of the festival and I agree that he may be trying to have readers form an opinion on whether boiling lobsters alive is ethical.
DeleteIn the article, Consider the Lobster, I enjoyed learning more about lobsters and the Main Lobster Festival that has been going on for fifty-six years. I really liked how the author went into detail about the festival and I really felt like I knew what was going at the festival with all the details about the people and the way they can serve the food and the reactions people have about the festival. Wallace gave me an understanding about how lobsters use to be for low class people but how that drastically changed with having lobsters in five-star restaurants and everyone wanting some for themselves. I liked how he gave us not only the positives about lobsters but the negatives. He mentions that some people don’t agree with keeping lobster alive to cook it. He shows both sides of what people think to give readers a better understanding about people’s opinions. I also like how he gives recipes and helpful tips to the readers about lobster. The article was well written and it made me want to continue reading through it to find out about lobster and how people really feel about the whole festival and the way people treat lobsters. I liked how he used his own opinion in the article and how he also asked other people for their opinions. He made the Festival seem fascinating and shows how fun it is with people being able to come from all over the world and then being able to try all the different types of ways they cook the lobsters.
ReplyDeleteWord Count:261
Sydney Denkert
I feel that the authors was able to give his opinion without making the reader take them on as their own but i don't really see the part about how fascinating the festival was. I feel that whole part got lost by the end.
DeleteMatt Middlebrooks
ReplyDeleteIn opening few paragraphs of “Consider the Lobster”, the author details information about the Maine Lobster Festival, such as the various foods and attractions. The author then transitions to provide background information about the biology and economics of the lobster, itself. This is very helpful to readers, as it provides a basis of information on the main subject of focus throughout the article. One thing that surprised me about the article was that the author not only gave information about the lobster as an animal, but also as a food by giving step-by-step instructions on how to properly prepare lobster in various ways. This bit of information came as a surprise to me because I had originally thought that this article would have mainly focused on the Maine Lobster Fair itself, not necessarily such specifics in the culinary field. However, I believe that this bit of information creates a better flowing introduction into the next topic, being the questioning of the morals of boiling live lobsters. The main claim was that lobsters should not be boiled because they do feel pain, similar to humans, and boiling puts them through an agonizing and slow death. I have eaten lobster many times in my life, and personally have never taken into account that the animal could be able to feel pain, let alone even realize that chefs boil lobster while they are still alive. Although this does come as a surprise to me, I still do think that this is moral because it is a normal way of preparing lobster for human consumption. Overall, the beginning of the article was somewhat misleading to what the main focus of the article was, since it was mainly focusing on the festival rather than the morals of the festival. However, I did find this article to be interesting, as it was a topic that I had never really took into consideration prior.
ReplyDeleteDiego Mendoza
“Consider the Lobster,” by David Foster Wallace was a reading that was fascinating and gave me a different way of looking at things. It all starts off with reading the title, automatically, it gave me a sense of confusion. I wondered, “Why is the author titling this piece about the Main Lobster Festival, as some sort of point of view by the lobster.” It starts off by giving the reader a summary about the Main Lobster Festival, the atmosphere, where it’s held, and things that are interesting about it. After that, he just kind of went off by just listing a whole bunch of ways to cook the lobster, by that time I was getting bored and didn’t really understand the significance. There were also the parts were he was describing the lobster, the roots of the name, and from what species it’s from. Then we get to the subject of where the author talks about how boiling these lobsters while they’re alive is in-humane. The way he brings this subject forward is very discrete in its own ways, he does not attack anyone about it but puts the idea out there for the reader. He always proved his points wherever was necessary and did not just write his opinion without backing it. One of the parts that got my attention when he put the perspective of the MFL council and how they said that lobster do not feel pain but then he proceeds to put another perspective that shows that lobster Do feel pain. If David did not back up his questions or his position towards the boiling of live lobster, then this article would’ve been just someone speaking without anything substantive.
word count: 285
I thought that the author was actually trying to get us to side with the lobsters when he was discussing how the lobsters were boiled, apposed to him just putting the idea out for the reader. You can see evidence in this for instance when says some chefs say stabbing lobsters save them from the cowardace of boiling. cowardace is a strong word and it wasnt quoted either
DeletePatrick Moore
I expected “Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace to be more about the Maine Lobster Festivals but the author wrote about a wide variety of facts, stories, and personal experiences all pertaining to lobsters rather than the festival itself. Wallace included a detailed description of lobsters, followed by their history and scientific category, and many more facts. He explained all of the ways the lobster can be prepared and gave step by step directions on how to boil both hard and soft-shell lobsters. When I came to the topic of whether it is right or wrong to boil a living creature, I like how the author showed different perspectives on the matter and was not set on one opinion, which made it easy to relate to. He used a lot of imagery when describing how the lobster acts and the sounds that can be heard when it is placed in the boiling water, which made it somewhat sad to hear. I believe he used all of the extra detail mentioned earlier to add length and background before he started telling the stories of the festival. It was interesting to learn about the way they serve the lobsters and what the lobster fans bring to prepare to eat. It reminded me of the many bar-b-que festivals that I’ve attended in my hometown and the way that the fanatics act when it comes to BBQ. The detail and descriptions Wallace used definitely made the story more interesting to read and relate to.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how the writer evoked sympathy for the lobsters being "prepared" from the reader. He posed ideas and questions the allowed me to reflect on my own morality.
DeleteIn the article, "Consider The Lobster" by David Foster Wallace was a very enjoyable, fascinating, and intriguing article. At first look at the title you would think you were about to read a article written by a mad man but instead a very intriguing story about lobsters. It starts off by giving the reader a summary of the Main Lobster Festival on what to expect going there and how it attracts tourists. It actually sounds like a very enjoyable place for lobster enthusiasts but in the eyes of the lobster it is not quite the same. In the eyes of the lobsters, "Consider The Lobster" is just another name for hell where their kind go to die to become food for another. Then the story goes on about how to boil a lobster and how you put them in a boiling pot alive. I know it sounds horrifying but it it the right way to cook a lobster if you would want it to taste good. But, the lobsters last thoughts are he's going back in the ocean where it is a little bit warm but instead he is going into a boiling pot. Nevertheless, David Foster Wallace wrote a terrific article about lobsters on about how people enjoy them from having festivals about them to boiling them in a pot. I found the writing style to be very descriptive. I also believe that what made his article very descriptive is that he put his opinion and the opinion of others in the article which made his story very intriguing. I found David Foster Wallace's story on the Main Lobster Festival to be very intriguing and encourage many people to learn more about it and maybe even go to it.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Cusenza
Word Count: 290
I agree that in the eyes of the festival goers it is an awesome experience but for the lobsters not so much. I feel like if you think about how the lobsters are cooked that the festival goers would not enjoy what they are eating as much. I also agree that this piece was very descriptive which made it a very fun and easy read.
Delete“Consider The Lobster” starts off by stating what the Maine Lobster Festival is and some of the attractions that are featured. This confused me a little because the title did not really match the way the story was going. The author talks about all the different lobster themed meals and how the crowds who attended where numbered to be in the “80,000s”. The author sounds like he has been to the festival many times. Then the story starts takes a turn when the authors transitions with the question “Is it all right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?” This is a great example of how features transition from the profile to the the wider reason of writing the feature. The story then goes on to explain how people protest the event. For example, the author says that a lady stripped bare and painted herself as a lobster. It seems as if people look at the festival in different ways. It has a dark side that contrasts with the fishermen and the locals who love their delicacy. People believe that boiling the lobsters alive is cruel and inhumane. The author states what the protesters say in their argument. The author would then either rebuttal the comments or agree with what the protesters would say. It seems like the author looks through or explores every aspect of the festival. Weather its in support of the festival or its against the festival the author states both views. Its defiantly an interesting way to write about something.
ReplyDeleteJon Gallon
Word count:258
Before reading this article I was thrilled by the topic because lobster is my favorite food in the world so I was intrigued. As I started to read this article I really wanted to go to this festival because it is one hundred percent committed to strictly lobster. This piece by David Foster Wallace is basically written as an informational piece on a popular event that thousands of people attend. He basically started this pice out talking about where the festival takes place, what time of the year, and also the activities that take place. Some of the descriptions of the food that was prepared was amazing because it made my mouth water because I crave lobster so much. I liked how this piece didn't talk about just the festival but it talked about different ways lobsters are prepared and the different types of lobsters there are. As I read I was amazed at the fact that in todays time lobster is looked at as a delicacy but in the past it was looked at as poor people food. As I kept reading it said that they put the lobsters in while they are alive which came as a shock because it is not very humane in my opinion. The lobsters being cooked alive was one of the main topics because the argument is that they feel just as much pain as us humans feel. Wallace, through his writing, made the festival sound amazing and that everyone who attended thoroughly enjoys their time there. This was a well written piece; and who knows one day I may attend the festival.
ReplyDeleteword count: 270
Patrick Moore
ReplyDeleteConsider the lobster is in my opinion a very well written feature. It does a good job at viewing all sides of the lobster festival. The author begins with information about lobsters instead of the festival itself which increases our understanding. Then eventually gets to the controversial issue of boiling lobsters alive. This is not something I’ve really thought about as unethical but the author does a good job to bring it to the light. I feel as though this the main topic of the article. The lobster festival itself seems like it’s more of a vessel to bring the issue to our attention and to inform us about what lobster means to the people at the festival, which is one of the perspectives he writes from. He also shows the lobsters perspective indirectly when he goes over the ways they can be boiled and uses pathos to appeal to our emotion when he goes over the sounds lobsters make when they are being boiled and how they may be subtle while in a paper bag but when they are placed in the boiling water they become alarmed and come to life. Even though he does acknowledge that there’s no real way to tell if a lobster or any animal is in pain. He also shows the perspective of people defending the lobsters. He does this through the story of the lady who took off most of her clothes painted herself red in protest of lobster boiling. This shows how passionate some people are about it.
Patrick Moore
The lobster article does well in describing the festivities at the Maine Lobster Festival. Not just giving a bland history, the article describes well the other events going on, from the flat soft drinks to long lines. While not much of a seafood person, it seems quite a fun event to visit. An interesting part was about the event’s balance between it being a tourist trap and a local shindig. The author made it apparent that hordes of outsiders enjoy the lobster, yet the locals haven’t given up on attending. A local’s response of his absence to the festivity did show that perhaps the place lost some charm. However, the rest of the article described not the festival but the morality of boiling lobsters. While trying to avoid taking sides, the author clearly puts the reader on the defensive about his/her views on the issue. Appealing directly to emotion, she emphasizes the events where lobsters attempt to crawl out of the boiling pot. The cowardly chef certainly gives ammunition to the writer’s fight. The author does show both sides of the coin, but makes it obvious of her opinion. While not completely debunking the theory, she tries her best to dissuade the reader from believing that lobsters cannot feel pain. The car ride between the two other gentlemen, referring to the boiling of lobsters, does well to show that the author is not the only person feeling this way. By support of other peoples’ opinions, it justifies her position on the situation. Perhaps one day we will find a more efficient way to ensure fresh lobster at a cheaper cost of morality.
ReplyDelete-Alexander Kostandarithes
Word Count: 272
Matthew Cook
DeleteA thing you brought up that I did not think about before was that this article was made to bring out the readers emotions about boiling lobsters. It instantly made me defensive about the fact that I think nothing is wrong with boiling them. To me it did not seem like the author had a obvious opinion about the issue however I now think this was very well written since the author made me defensive about my views.
I agree, although I was not very fond of reading about the morality of boiling lobsters, the article made me almost rethink my views on whether or not it was ethical to boil lobster.
Delete- Elizabeth Zyryanova
From reading the title, I could tell that this article was going to be about lobster. This article was very informative and I did not get bored of reading it. The author, David Foster, starts by talking about “The enormous, pungent, and extremely well marketed” Main Lobster Festival. I liked how the author went into detail when explaining the festival and the people, as well as how you can eat lobster cooked in many different ways. He then talks about the history of lobster, where I was very surprised at the fact that lobster was a low-class food that was only eaten by the poor and institutionalized. Considering that nowadays lobster is pretty expensive at restaurants, it was surprising to know how much things have changed since the 1800’s. This is something I would’ve never known if I didn’t read this article. He also gives many different ways to cook lobster, which I think caused to article to lose track of its main focus. David Foster mentions how there is an issue on whether or not lobsters should be cooked alive. It was claimed that lobsters should not be boiled alive because they die in terrible pain. He supports this by adding that people walk around with pamphlets at the festival. Before reading this article, I did not know about the process, and now I think I might reconsider eating lobster. I believe that Foster’s purpose for writing this article was to inform and encourage readers to attend the Main Lobster Festival. Overall, I think this article was very interesting.
ReplyDelete"Consider the Article" by David Foster was an interesting read for me, I always like learning about different cultural festivals that people take part in. Before reading the article I expected it just to probably some history about the festival, how to started, what goes on during it, and that's really it. But as I began to read I was surprised to see the author to really go in depth with his content, even explaining what a lobster truly is. I did not know until reading this article that lobster used to be a meal for the lower class, I always saw it as a high end meal, that middle to upper-class would eat. The author gives the audience various of different things about lobsters themselves. He gives us information about lobster like how they're prepared, or how they should be. He talks about some pros and cons of lobsters. He talks about the many different ways the lobster is prepared at this festival, and how the people take so much pride in this festival. To me, this festival sounded like their Super Bowl, their World Series. It was a very exciting time in the community when that time rolled around on the calendar. The people of the town were clearly very passionate about their lobster, almost as passionate as the people of Tallahassee about their Seminole football team. The dug deep and found how these people feel about something that is important to them.
ReplyDeleteShane Drohan
Shane, I had similar ideas to your response to the reading as well. I like how he used imagery and descriptive language in the reading.
DeleteLove the quote about the Seminole football team. I also love learning about new cultures.
DeleteReese Albert
ReplyDeleteRight off the bat I was intrigued to start reading this solely because of the title. The author went into detail very well I thought and I was managed to be entertained throughout the piece of writing. My mind depicted a vivid image as I read the words from left to right across the page. I liked how he didn’t only talk about the single festival; he went into detail about many things regarding lobsters such as some facts and stories as well. That really helped keep me engaged in the reading. However, there were a couple of cringe moments when Wallace went into his explanation of boiling live lobsters; The imagery he used actually made me hear the sounds the lobsters make when they hit the boiling water. It made me ask myself, “What if that was me?” It doesn’t seem fair sometimes but then again’ the lobsters don’t have the same rights as us humans. Something else I thought was interesting was that lobsters used to be mainly for low class citizens; in today’s world however, that is not the case. It is directly opposite now due to the demand of them over the years. Through a lot of descriptive language and vocabulary Wallace described the festival of something in relation to the world series. He made it sound like a huge event and that it is something that everyone would love. Personally, I can relate to this because back home my friends and family would get together and have huge cookouts, not lobsters necessarily but it was always fun. Needless to say, from what it sounds like I would love to attend the Maine Lobster Festival.
Word Count: 284
The writer begins with a very detailed description of the setting, not only of the setting of the festival itself but as well as the surrounding regions and the significance of certain attractions in the festival, the World’s Largest Lobster Cooker for example. He rarely, but effectively inserts himself throughout the article, only adding to the sense of the festival experience as opposed to distracting from the subject at hand. He very honestly expresses the downsides of the festival experience by detailing the various “petty inconveniences” from messy kids to unnecessary fees for chairs, etc. He unexpectedly details the history of lobster cuisine, starting as an abundant “peasant” food and gradually becoming a modern delicacy “only a step or two down from caviar”. That importance of background research of the subject of a feature is very evident, the writer describes everything from, biologically what a lobster is, to the history of the Maine Lobster Festival and its surrounding area. He includes testimonies from locals as to the societal significance of the festival. He cleverly segues quotes from his cabdriver about the festival experience into an aside about the ethics and morality of “preparing” lobsters for consumption which then becomes the main focus of the article. It is obvious that extensive research has gone into detailing the experience of pain on lobsters. He acknowledges that “pain is a totally subjective mental experience” but unexpectedly leaves the reader with a bit of sympathy for lobsters being boiled, or at the very least insight into the mental and biological processes of them. He concludes with very thought-provoking questions, leaving the reader to question his or her own views on the “preparation” of lobsters and the overall glorification of lobster cuisine surrounding the Maine Lobster Festival.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Wedderburn
Consider the Lobster written by David Foster Wallace is all about the Maine Lobster Festival. David Wallace wrote this piece in a very interesting way despite how boring the topic is. I believe that Wallace is a great writer because he makes a piece that isn’t necessarily the most entertaining or boring story and he makes it more interesting to read. Wallace starts with telling the history of the Maine Lobster Festival. Although this is not necessary information to get the point of the story across, it does give the article a little bit of background information. In this type of writing I think that it is imperative to tell a story while writing information. This will make the piece a lot more interesting as well as give the readers a sense of where exactly they are. One example of a story in the piece is of the post-hippies from PETA fighting for animal rights. Wallace interviewed the spokesperson from PETA and she told him that one year a lady went to the Maine Lobster Festival completely naked and painted as a lobster. This is a funny story, which grabs the reader attention to keep him entertained. Wallace then mentions the Worlds Largest Lobster Cooker, which changes the subject from the people against the lobster festival to interesting things that actually happen at the festival itself. He also describes the lobsters themselves and how exactly they are cooked. This is a good way to describe to the reader exactly what goes on at the festival.
ReplyDeleteKendall Pope
Words: 255
The article by David Foster was a very easy read, and I found it to be very interesting. The Maine lobster festival is held in Maine’s west side every July. The lobster industry and the tourism industry are the two largest industries in the state of Maine. Immediately when I heard that fact I knew that the Maine Lobster Festival was not just any festival. At one festival alone there was 80,000 people in attendance. It was estimated that in the main food tent at the festival there around 25,000 pounds of fresh caught lobster. This is some of the facts Foster used in the first part of the article. And then when the article reached the second page the article started to focus on the physical biology of a Lobster. On each separate page there tended to be a separate topic involving Lobster. I think David Foster was very smart in setting up the article in that way. The article was interesting through and through, and the different topics kept me interested. If David Foster only focused on The Maine Lobster Festival, the article would not have been as interesting. Profiles are supposed to cover a wide array topics and focus on a lot of details. David Foster managed cover a lot of details about lobsters effectively. In the beginning of the article Foster talked about the Maine Lobster Festival as a whole. Then, throughout the article he talked about different details about lobsters which kept the ready very involved in the reading.
ReplyDeleteUpon reading the sentence below the article’s title, I could kind of assume that the article would bring up the topic of ethicality. The author makes a sharp contrast when he begins to talk about the realities of the festival and how cheap the soda is or how skimpy they are with napkins. The realities of the festival become a little more clear as David Wallace describes the messiness of the nature of eating lobster and the people around him including young children. I thought it was nice that the author includes information about lobsters such as their class and family as well as definitions of crustaceans and arthropods. I thought it was nice that the author includes information about lobsters such as their class and family as well as definitions of crustaceans and arthropods. The sixth footnote is quite humorous because the author states that he does not believe it will survive the magazine-editing process. As I continued reading, I became more focused on the events of the MLF and I was caught off guard when the author began to discuss the ethicality of boiling lobsters alive. The issue had never crossed my mind beforehand, despite always seeing live lobsters in tanks at some certain seafood restaurants. A excellent analogy given to the treatment of lobsters is the mention of the Nebraska Beef Festival if one could imagine the public watching cattle being herded and slaughtered before their eyes. I felt very uneasy when the author described the lobster rattling inside the pot as it is being boiled alive even though they may or may not register pain or suffering.
ReplyDeleteWord Count: 271
Charlene Forti
Elizabeth Zyryanova
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting how in “Consider the Lobster”, David Foster Wallace went from giving factual scientific facts to kind of drawing a caricature of the festival almost making fun of how it “really is a midlevel county fair with a culinary hook…” (page 55) But although the author pokes fun of the culinary aspect of the festival, he proceeds to give a descriptive culinary section for the reader, which I thought was useful for the reader who has interest in the lobsters and how to cook them. Also I really enjoyed the way Wallace compared the lobster shedding its exoskeleton to people buying new clothes as they age and change body shape, I thought it was good description and an analogy that was very fun to imagine. Another imagery that the author used which I enjoyed is how one could pick his/her supper in the supermarket “while it watches you point” (pg 60) it gave an eery feel to how I used to look at eating lobster, it almost made me feel like this monster choosing my prey. Which is interesting considering how the author chose to talk about PETA soon afterwards. When the author changed the tone to talking about the morality of cooking lobster, I considered the points but I feel like it was a little unnecessary to write so much on it, I love meat and seafood and I do not really want to think about how I get the food because it really is a difficult thing to consider. That is why I loved the phrase “They do their thing and we do our thing” (pg 60) I think it perfectly shows that there is no harsh feeling as hate or love it is just how things play out, it is an interesting relationship.
Word count: 299