Response to "A Boy's Life" and other things that, in reality are pretty sad and devastating

mspitts — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:15:55 +0000

Well, where do I start? First off, I vaguely remember the news coverage of Matthew Shepard’s murder. But, I do remember it and after reading it years after it happening, it still seems kind of eerie to me. I didn’t understand it too much when I was younger, but now it just saddens me. Although I was not in the right mindset when I read it, it was interesting to say the least. But seeing that this piece of writing came from the Harper’s Index, according to my recent knowledge of what the Harper’s Index stands for, I can say that this piece probably without even reading it, is going to test or try what people think as normal. Just from the title I think that it will test or even make fun of what it “means” to be a man? Who gets to decide what is manly?

To be totally honest, I have no clue what it is really saying? Perhaps it’s my fault, but I can’t really conclude anything concrete about it. As far as the methods used, I would say that Wypikewski used ethnography, used data collected from court records (how Shepard was killed), and the media (what his murder symbolized). Even though I can’t really go into detail about the design of the paper, I can say that the author’s rhetoric made Shepard’s story think about society and what is right and wrong. It makes you feel bad for Shepard, while challenging you to feel bad for Henderson and McKinney.

But to go on to other things that confuse me, is my project. Although I think my topic is do-able, I don’t know what approach to take. The recent work I have done in regards to finding sources for research, at the moment has not afforded me any insight as to what I am going to do. So, still as from day one, I am confused. Maybe it’s just my mindset or my laziness, but in the end I need help.

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Response to "A Boy's Life" and other things that, in reality are pretty sad and devastating