Bibliography for Apologia (only one source cited)

Works Cited

The Canadian Encyclopedia. Nino Ricci, 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.

Personal Reflection

During this ISU, I feel that I became a lot more conscientious of proof reading and editing my work. I also feel that I have become a more effective reader, looking deeper into what the author is trying to say. I feel that I accomplished this through writing the Apologia and the Explication, they allowed me to challenge myself and actually read for meaning and insight rather than just to finish the book. The ISU also made me appreciate Canadian authors a lot more, after reading this book I am excited to start reading more by the author and more work by Canadian authors in general. It is also interesting that this book has educated me on what a lot of people go through at certain points in their life; uncertainty, confusion and so fourth – but if you want it to it will always work out in the end. You just have to be strong. As for writing for a larger audience, it did not change me as much as I thought it might. I just stayed focused and tried to write the best I could – as I always do. Throughout the entire writing and reading process of this ISU I found that I learn the best by reading and re-reading sections of the book to understand, I also found that reading my work out loud was very beneficial to creating quality work in the end. Ultimately, this assignment has helped me grow as a student, an intellectual and amazingly enough – as a person.

(word count: 278)

Explication (Polti's Second Dramatic Situation - Deliverance)

I chose the Second Dramatic situation because when I read the book I felt Alex was leading an unfortunate kind of life until the end of the book – when he found deliverance. The Dramatic Situation specifies an Unfortunate, a Threatener and a Rescuer - however in this book I believe that there are multiple Threateners and Rescuers. The main character Alex, whose life is less than rewarding, takes the primary role of the Unfortunate.

One of the biggest threateners in Alex's life is the breakup with his ex-girlfriend. "Alex had more or less admitted from the outset that it was his breakup with Liz that had driven him here…" (21) the breakup led Alex to seek therapy and caused him to have malfunctioning relationships with other women. Throughout the book, Alex feels that the breakup with his ex is hanging over his head, causing him to slip into depression and question his stability as a person. The therapy sessions that Alex must attend are also seen as a threatener. "Twelve minutes, asshole, Alex thought, though he also thought, you're damn right I don't want to talk…" (20) he resents going to them, when he is in the sessions his mind is elsewhere, and the Doctor who is 'helping' him, Alex feels is not helping him at all, in fact he may be adding to his problems. The other big threatener is Alex's thesis. Alex is under a ton of stress in regards to his PHd, always working on it but feeling like he is getting no where. Alex's thesis makes him feel worthless, he contemplates quitting everything constantly because of it. In this book, it seems as though Alex's life can be heading no where but the gutter. However, I would not have chosen Dramatic Situation Two if I felt Alex did not have rescuers, and ultimately – deliverance.

Rescuers are found throughout the novel. Strategically placed in order to give Alex motivation to carry on. Without these rescuers Alex would be a lost cause, and the novel would be an extremely different story. As one of Alex's threateners is established near the beginning of the book there is also a rescuer in order to create a balance. Alex meets Esther and is somewhat reluctant to go for a coffee with her because he has work to do, however he agrees to go. "Alex felt himself blushing…What force had sent her suddenly hurtling across his path?" (10), Esther turns out to be the biggest rescuer Alex has in the book. She is always motivating him to do his thesis, presenting different ways to work on it. Esther is always there for Alex to provide advice, and a safe place to talk when he is in need of some help. It appears that Esther knows what is best for Alex, and he always listens to her. Its an interesting relationship between Alex and Esther – she has a serious disease and needs help – so Alex is always there to be the helping hand for her. It could be the fact that Alex can actually help someone else and be a positive part of her life that makes Esther a rescuer.

The other rescuer is an odd one; Alex's newly acquired friend just midway in the novel – Steven. This relationship is peculiar. Steven is Alex's friend, however Alex uses him not as a model of what to do properly, but what not to do. In short, Alex does not want to be a father like Steven is, separated from his mother, spending close to no time with his son and fighting rigorously for that time. Alex finds motivation from Steven near the end of the book and that leads him to his deliverance in the end.

Alex finds deliverance through his son that lives half way around the world. From his countless talks with Esther and his motivation found from Steven, he realized that he does have a purpose in life. His purpose, he realized – through the help of his rescuers – is to go to his son and be a father. Alex is truly delivered from an unfortunate soul to a proud happy father by the end of this book. There is one line that I feel truly captures the feeling of Alex's deliverance (and it mentions his primary rescuer as well) "He kissed Esther's Hand, then slipped quietly through the door and into his life." (472).

(word count: 738)

Apologia

The book the Origin of Species should be considered a great contribution to Canadian Literature for a few reasons. Nino Ricci (the author) was born and raised in Canada, and attended prominent Canadian Universities for his studies. Not only that, but he was raised by two parents who immigrated here from Italy, so Ricci alone is going to draw in readers outside of Canada. The book represents Canadian themes and settings while relating to other cultures as well. This author, and this book, are essential contributions to Canadian literature because of their ability to capture the cultural mosaic we have in Canada, and to have readers of many different nationalities appreciate the work.

Nino Ricci has been praised for his writing style in this book. "The Governor General's Award jury praised the novel for its ‘great humanity, realism and wit.’" ("The Canadian Encyclopedia"). Ricci captures a classic Canadian male persona in his protagonist character Alex. This character is essentially a description of a typical personality of a thirty something male in Canada, this is a man who really does not know anything but appears as though he does. His thoughts are jumbled and love life is extremely convoluted and coarse.

The settings in this book are quite vivid, and most of them are in Canada. The main setting is Montreal, which immediately shows Canada’s spectrum of culture. We have a multi-cultural country, and this is displayed with prominence in the book. One of Alex’s jobs is to tutor French citizens of Quebec in English; this is a display of our diversity right away. Another example is the city itself - Montreal - this city shows the immediate second, prominent culture in Canada - French. Ricci is proud of our countries ability to encompass many cultures. In the book some of Alex’s closest friends are foreign immigrants from Salvador. In fact, Alex himself is Italian. The other setting that is spoken of in Canada is Toronto. These two main Canadian locations are very clear representations of the point Ricci is communicating to the reader - the fact that Canada is all –encompassing (with the French speakers at home, as well as all of the immigrants). Looking away from our own country there are many other locations in the globe found within the book. The settings go as far as the Galapagos and Sweden, actually Alex travels all over Europe. What’s particularly interesting about this is that Alex acts as an ambassador for Canada, while visiting these other countries. He is always polite when in another country, trying his best to speak their language, and being considerate to the locals. Alex says while traveling in the book that being Canadian abroad is actually very helpful. What Ricci is doing by displaying this is showing how Canada interacts with other countries and cultures outside of our borders. This book has the underlying tone of being a clear representative of Canadian qualities and ideals, which are being good while abroad and having the notorious reputation for being kind, polite people.

This book has many qualities, not only Canadian, which I mentioned above in regards to the settings in the book. This book will appeal to so many cultures because of its diversity of cultures within the book, for the fact that it allows the reader to see him or herself in the book. If this book were to be read, in England, it would be appreciated for, of course the incredible writing, but also the inclusion of something English within the book (there is in fact at one point a main character who is an English prof.). Because this book will be so widely read due to its diversity and its incredible writing (believable characters, amazing plot development ect) by a Canadian author, people will begin to see this as a main representation of Canadian literature.

What Ricci has done here is actually quite incredible. He has managed to write a book based in Canada, but at the same time write a story that envelops almost the entire globe. From an author born and raised in Canada by two Italian immigrants, he has managed to create a piece of literature that is sure to be remembered for its in depth but subtle analysis of Canada (as a cultural mosaic), people and the world.

(word count: 720)

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to my blog, consisting of what I would like to call clear, concise and detailed insight into the book the Origin of Species by Nino Ricci. There will be a few journals on subjects that I found the most important or interesting in the book, and you will also be able to read about my thoughts on the book and hopefully gain a greater knowledge of it. Later on there will be some postings that are slightly more formal (explication & apologia) however they will still be centered around my thoughts. Through my in-depth analyses, I hope to enlighten the reader about this truly incredible piece of modern Canadian literature.

Links List

1. Nino Ricci’s official website. (http://www.ninoricci.com)
-Includes information about the awards he has won
-Biographical information
-Information about his other works

2. The CBC news article about Nino Ricci winning the Governor General’s Literary Award. (http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2008/11/18/gg-literary-awards.html)

3. A BBC article about the historical figure Charles Darwin. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml

4. The official site of the Galapagos Conservation Trust.(the Galapagos is an integral setting and takes up almost 200 pages of the book without a break) (http://www.gct.org/intro.html)
-The site includes:
-Geographical information
-Plant life and animal life
-Information about the historic visit paid by Charles Darwin

5. A review of the book from More Magazine. (http://www.more.ca/attitude/arts-and-culture/nino-ricci-s-origin-of-species/a/1919)

6. A secondary biographical resource for Nino Ricci, presented by the Canadian Encyclopedia. (http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0010866)

7. A transcript of an interview with Nino Ricci. (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/canadian_literature/30045)
-(another interview, in video form: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2246750/interview_with_nino_ricci_governor_general_award_winning_autho

8. The official website of the Governor’s General Award (http://www.canadacouncil.ca/writing/)
-the award Nino Ricci’s book the Origin of Species received

9. The city of Montreal is the main city in the novel, in which Alex lives. Here is the official website (http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=5977,40491560&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL)

10. An article about Canadian Literature and some information about it’s main components. (http://www.artandpopularculture.com/Canadian_literature)

Journal #4 (The Last Line)

“Outside, he knew, the city still lay stretched, just an instant’s remove from the wildness through space at untenable speeds. He kissed Esther’s hand, then slipped quietly through the door and into his life.” (472). This is the last paragraph in the Origin of Species. When I was nearing the end of the book, I was beginning to struggle through it. Until I read the last few lines. Unlike a lot of books, the last paragraph in this one was clarifying and helpful in understanding the concept of the book in its entirety. When I read the last line of the book “slipped quietly through the door and into his life.” (472) I instantly understood the book more than I did even a mere few pages ago. What this line, and this paragraph did for me was help me realize the use of Esther’s character in the story of Alex’s life.

I began to think of the possibilities of Esther’s character in relation to Alex’s life. I came up with a couple options.

1. Esther is a physical manifestation of Alex’s conscience in the difficult time of his life.
2. Esther is Alex’s guardian angel.

1.Looking at the first option, I believe that Esther and Alex have a very deep connection. I realized this when I read the last paragraph. Essentially what happened is Alex was freed. He was let free of his conscience with Esther’s passing. No longer would he worry about what other people thought of him, or what his life was like, just the fact that he is who he is, and he is okay with that now. Without Esther’s character Alex never would have realized this in himself, he never would have gone to live with his son in the end, and he would live the same unhappy life, day after day. Esther helped him realize himself, what he truly wanted, and in the end – set him free.

2.Esther protected Alex. Not from harm of others, or terrible life threatening misdoings but she protected him from himself, from his thoughts of his life, and how it was going. Was it normal? Was it ok to live like this? Esther protected him from thinking that it was not ok to live his life. In the end, it was because of Esther that Alex moved on from his insecurities, and pursued his son and the life he truly wanted.

It’s crazy how much that one line clarified an entire part of the book for me, an essential part of the book. Usually the ending of books is a nice, simple conclusion to the story, but this one really gave me something to think about (what I mentioned above), and it seriously contributed to the story’s integrity.