So Much Water So Close To Home

In So Much Water So Close To Home, Raymond Carver explores the hardships that society brings upon us by using dialogue and character development to reveal that men and women alike have difficulty reconciling the differences in ethical and moral values. Carver is able to do this by relating to topics that demonstrate the character’s difference in morality. These include such things as death, gender stereotypes, and relationships. While discussing these topics, Carver reflects upon society’s social standard and compares that with the roles of the characters throughout the story.

The narrator reveals herself as Jane. Using a female narrator helps indicate the position and role of women at that point in time. In the beginning of the story, we learn that Jane has recently given birth to a child and she is weakened because of this experience. Her physician husband does not seem to understand her condition (although, no one really did at that time) and prescribes her bed rest as the best way to recuperate. This only adds to her suffering and problems though. Gilman uses Jane to illustrate the role held by women in society at the time. As an example, Jane says that “I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can’t do it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once. And John is so queer now that I don’t want to irritate him. I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don’t want anybody to get that woman out at night but myself” (Gilman 766). This shows the fear, but also the delusions that Jane is facing.

Although tender and caring, John played a significant role in causing the narrator’s descent into ‘madness’. By taking on the role of a physician and a husband, John symbolises the stronghold power men had over women in the past. Instead of respecting his wife’s request for some form of mental stimulation, John insists that she takes on the ‘rest’ treatment. The treatment only focuses on the physical condition of the patient, and not the emotional or mental

The first conflict John faces is the loss of his mother. Tabby’s death both angers and upsets John. In any case, losing your mother is a horrible. It was especially unfortunate for John because he has no idea who his true father is. He is irritated that she never even got around to telling him who his real father is. It even makes him more resentful when he finds out she lived sort of a second life as “The Lady in Red”. The most tragic of John’s experiences is the sacrificial death of Owen Meany. John is absolutely traumatized by the death of Owen. Owen’s death is the reason John lives in Canada, hates America, and is stuck in the past. John still hasn’t even come close to getting over Owen’s death, and he never will. John even ends his memoir with “O God-please give him back I shall keep asking You!” (617). The trauma John has gone through has even damaged him sexualy. He is still a virgin and has never felt sexual desire. Katherine’s husband describes him as a “non-practicing homosexual” but he believes that his problems are caused by his

The state of Michigan has so many interesting facts. Those facts include the well-known Great Lakes and how it Influences the population and the environment. Also, an important fact is that Michigan came into being through erosion and the formation from huge glaciers. Over the years, many plants and animals came into existence in the both the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula. The state is one of leaders in the areas of production and manufacturing. Natives and settlers came over to utilize the land and make it what the state is today, Michigan.

In the beginning of the story the reader is introduced to the male dominant dynamics between the woman and her husband John. In fact, the woman is never given a name in the story, unlike John, signifying the denial of her importance. Furthermore, there is an immediate juxtaposition of characteristics, “John is practical…He has no patience…John laughs at me”

She told John that she was raped by a former friend; and that she decided not to abort him. She also told him that that man had passed away since then. John, however remembers one day when he was young an angry neighbor referring to him as a son of the streets; something he did not understand then. Peers tease him with the words that his mother is a “slut”. His peers are constantly telling him that his mother refuses to tell him whom his father is because there are so many men involved that any or even a ‘combination of them’ could be his father.

Paranoia and distrust heavily lingered on Claire’s mind when she discovered the inhumane response of her husband Stuart and his friends towards the cold, deceased body of an innocent young girl they found drifting through the Naches River during their fishing trip in the short story: “So Much Water So Close To Home,” by Raymond Carver. Throughout the story, a significant theme that the author attempts to convey through the story is when seeds of doubt are left to grow, even the strongest of bonds may be put into question. Over the course of the story, Claire struggled internally on whether or not she could bring herself to trust her husband anymore when he showed no remorse or desire to contact the authority when he found the dead body; rather, he just ignored it while he and his friends partied until morning. Triggered by these events and traumatic memories from her childhood event, she began to question the her husband’s humanity and moral code; thus, it is emphasized that even even a single random occurrence, such as discovering your husband’s cold hearted behavior, distorts one’s previous perspective as well as completely change the way they view something or someone.. Sadly this fact is apparent in everyday life and the trauma and distrust cannot be undone so easily.

Known for his ‘Dirty Realism’ writing style (Rundle, 2007), Raymond Carver wrote about the tribulations of the American Working Class. In his short story, ‘So Much Water So Close To Home’ (1975), Claire’s husband, Stuart, and his three friends go on a fishing trip, only to discover the body of a young woman floating in the river shortly after arriving. Instead of contacting the authorities immediately they continue to fish beside the body until some two days later. Carver examines what ‘men owe women’ and what ‘the living owe the dead’ (Byrnes, 2006). Director Ray Lawrence and his screenwriter Beatrix Christian attempt to develop these themes further in their 2006 Australian adaptation, Jindabyne. While there have been many alterations to the narrative, the film still closely revolves around Carver’s concept of responsibility. Although both Carver and Lawrence have explored societal and moral issues, Jindabyne’s more modern observations may further develop the representation of gender and culture and, more importantly, preserve the intricate ethical pillars of Carver’s short.

Women play a central role in “The drovers Wife” by henry Lawson and the film, ‘Australia’ by Baz Luhrman. With references to the narrative elements and cinematic conventions, discuss how women were portrayed in both Genres.

Water is the most abundant resource that the Earth needs to sustain itself and all the life with it. Based on prior knowledge, about 70 percent of our body is made up from water; and ideally, we are supposed to drink half a gallon of water per day. So, why is water so important and why do we need to sustain it? It is pretty simple, without water, we die. Nearly every species on Earth requires water to live, so a balance needs to be met by humans in order for other species to thrive and for all to live in harmony with clean water. People are generally educated to an extent on the effects of not drinking enough water and/or not drinking clean water. If we do not consume water every single day, our bodies go into dehydration which can lead to serious consequences if not addressed properly or on time; and drinking dirty water can also cause unwanted medical issues as well. We have a basic understanding of what happens to us when we do not have adequate water, but water is used for many other things on Earth, vital to not only us, but the planet itself and other organisms it houses.

Water is without a doubt the most precious resource on Earth; it is not only essential to the survival of our planet, but it is also essential to the survival of human beings and animals. As humans, we need access to clean water for several reasons, including physical, environmental, and industrial conditions. However, the most crucial aspect of clean water is our survival. Sixty percent of the human adult body consists of water, and it is vital in order for our bodies to function properly (The USGS Water Science School, 2016). A body can survive up to a month without food, but without water it can only survive about one week (All About Water, 2004).

Water is the basis of all life on earth and in the last few centuries human activities have degraded our fresh water supply more than any time in history. The Earth needs it to keep its moderate temperatures, vegetation needs it for its cohesive nature, and as a solvent it’s part of almost every chemical reaction inside our bodies. Even our own cells are made of 70% to 95% water. The increasing pollutants we have introduce into our water supply inhibits the properties of water that are so vital to life.

El Paso is currently a top 20% growth city in Texas and is expanding due to the help of Fort Bliss and the expansion of the city to the east (City of El Paso, 2016). Like most things in our environment, water is needed for growth---a vital nutrient our desert city lacks. Currently, El Paso, Texas received 9.34 inches of rainwater in 2016, down from 12.54 from 2015 (National Weather Service, 2017). As of September 28th, 2017, El Paso currently has 8.54 inches to this year (National Weather Service, 2017). With the scarcity of water and the need for water to support our growth the importance of finding not only Escherichia coli 0157:H7 but other species of bacteria in our project can help benefit further research and show the susceptibility

It is nearly impossible to deny the fact that water is a necessity for life. As surprising as it may seem, fresh water is a scarce resource. Only 1% of the world’s water is both fresh and accessible. This brings up the issue of water sustainability and management. Water sustainability is keeping water available. To do so, we must manage and over-watch our water use. Managing industry is a step in keeping water sustainable. This management can be both voluntary by companies themselves or by restrictions made by local and national governments.