Perfect Storm Essay, Research Paper

Sara Tillison

9/10/00

Ms. Parks

Eng. IV Adv.x

The Perfect Storm Journal Entries

1.What kind of person do you think the author is?

I think Junger is very, very interested in the topic of the book. He showed great knowledge when it came to the setting the boats, and the terminology. I wouldn?t be surprised if he was into a few extreme sports. Sebastian Junger weaves a compelling narrative. He tells of the lives of sword fishermen and their families. He describes the training and ordeals of sea rescuers. He explains the meteorology of ocean storms, their origins, how they are compounded, and their terrifying fury and destruction. And, most harrowing, he recreates the likely scenario of the last hours and minutes of a swordfish boat lost to the storm. He must have done great research to write this novel, and make it so interesting to read.

2.Would you change the ending of the story in any way?

Well we all know that this is nearly impossible sense the lives of those men, were not only lost in the novel, but also in real life, but still I would have liked to see them come out of it. It was weird reading this book, and know that these men were going to die. The whole time I just wanted to scream to them, ?hello, do you know what you are getting yourselves into!? Things happen, and I imagine that the success of the book would not have been possible buy the few lives that could have been spared. With all non-fiction novels, for one reason or another we like to hear about things that really happed, gross, mean, or violent, or even deadly things. Something in us is turned on, and we thrive for the bad stuff. I guess I just have a lot of compassion for the families of these men, I really, really wish that they have had lived through that, and came out with lots of cool stories.

3.Are there any parts of this work that were confusing to you?

It took many times of me asking my step- father what side of the boat is which, what?s this, whites that. I was constantly going to either my stepfather or my uncle, since they both fish a lot, what was what in the novel. At one point I had to break away my book from my uncles hands. I didn?t grow up around here, so I don?t know were some of the places were, or the weather conditions, or the terminology for a lot of things were, I just had to place it all together. I guess it?s because I do not fish, and I have only been on my boat around 3 times, and that was only to go tubing in the bay. I got through it though.

4. If there is a film version of the story?..

I was the only person on the southern region district that did not see this movie, but from what I heard, and things that I saw on TV, I think that the stories were very much the same. I know that I was watching a show on how they made the movie, and they said that the director took the utmost time and showed great respect for the story. The movie was filmed in, Gloucester, and a ship from Barnegat Light was used in the filming of the movie. The families of the victims were there and help with the making and the characters of the novels.

5.Do any incidents, ideas, or actions in this work remind you of your own life?

I just think that is odd that our community had all the theaters showing this movie, on 2 screens for the whole summer. Our whole town could have been the setting of this book. IT could have been one of our boats, or our men that died in that storm. It could be my stepfather one-day. Who knows? The thing is that this novel has so much truth in it, and paints our town and I am sure other towns along the eastern sea board. Who is to say when the next storm of the century or ?perfect storm? is going to hit, maybe the next time it will hit us. Its scary for me to think about that, I mean, last year was the first time I had to deal with a hurricane, and any sort of weird shore weather. So the whole novel cleared up a lot for things, and made me learn a little more about a life style that I did not know about.