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“Arabic-speaking can driver has to open the hood of his car”.(49)
Evaluation
This is good because she brings the novel to modern times. She is showing that some people have to go through more trouble than others to get something. She shows that this problem happens in the past, in the present, and the future if no one stops it. There is injustice in the world just like in the past. She is waiting to go into a Lincoln museum. A museum about ending some injustice in the world. This is very ironic.

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“$14 cab ride to look at the display about the murder.” (50)
Reflection
She goes to extremes for her hobby to fully understand what it would be like to be in their shoes. Vowell wants the reader to be alongside her on her pilgrimage. She adds in these small details to make it seem realistic and relatable. Everyone does bizarre actions towards there hobby. I do some crazy things to keep up with my hobby.

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“Pultaceous” “ecchymosed” (49)
Rhetoric
The doctor used euphemism to help build a wall from reality. He was close to Lincoln so he used these words to describe the autopsy to separate himself. He also used them to soften the blow to the public.

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“I don’t have my drivers license (phobia).” (53)
Basic
Why does a grown woman not have her drivers license?
She doesn’t want the world to control her fate. She philosophically doesn’t want to go down in history that might kill someone in a car wreck linking her to the very assassins she studies about

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“Once I erupt, they’ll be wiping my verbal ashes off their windshields”. (4).
Rhetoric
She compares her firey words to a volcano erupting. This shows that she is fierce; if someone stops her from doing what she wants, she makes it worse for the other person. It also shows that when she gets on a topic she will keep spewing facts about. She goes into so much detail.

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“The assassins and the presidents invite the same basic question: Just who do you think you are?” (7)
Interpretation
Vowell makes the reader understand that there are two sides to every argument and both sides have valid points. It questions who really gets to be the judge of being innocent. It also shows the similarities between assassins and Presidents. They both have to be a little crazy to take on such a huge task. They both believe they are doing the right thing for the betterment of the people. They go down in history as either saints or assassins. Society gets to be the judge.

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“The brain weight was not above the ordinary for a man of Lincoln’s size”. (52).
Interpretation
Yes Lincoln was a tall man in that regard to size, but his role in the shaping of America was huge. She points out that even though he is out on this pedalstool, he is still like a normal person. He does not have super powers. She humanizes this hero.

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“Arrived in the middle of the night...days later...until the day he died.(59)
Rant/Rave
Vowell in this paragraph was describing how Mudd helped Booth escape. I liked how it was in sequence. It made it very easy to follow and sets up a time frame in which all the events occurred. My favorite part was that it was short and brief. It highlighted the main points so the reader could get the picture. It didn’t bog down the facts with fluffy details. Short and conscience just how I like it.

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“I gave up on God...wanting to believe in something bigger and better than myself” (11)
Reflection
I, too, gave up on religion. I believe that all the different types of religion do more harm than good. Most of them are about helping the less fortunate which is great. However, almost every war and conflict has been started by the disagreement of a religious beliefs. It is a constant battle to see which religion will be the victor. Whenever countries are at war over religion they are ironically hurting the people in poverty the most.

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“The people were obsessed, transfixed, following the daily, sometimes hourly, dispatches on the dying presidents condition as if the progression of his blood poisoning was the fourth quarter of the NBA finals, as if a movie star in a tuxedo were slowly opening the Best Picture at the Academy Awards” (134)
Evaluation
Vowell sets the scene from 1881 and compares it to modern times. I think this is good writing because it puts the reader in the shoes of the people back then during this time. The reader gets to experience the drama of Garfield’s death to something they can relate to.

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“ I am just one of the countless pilgrims who made their way to this house paying homage  to that man” (110)
Evaluation
This is good writing because it restates the plot.  Vowell goes into several side stories and background information that the reader may get lost. She says her main reason for going on all these trips. It is a good refresher for the reader.

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“She raises her hand and wants to know why someone so short to be called a giant. To which the guide, exasperated, mumbles, “Well, he was a giant in politics.” (106)
Basic
Why would Vowell add this conversation to her book? Is she showing that the new generation does not care nor have the knowledge of past historic figures?

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“Douglass’s frustration welling up inside him and squirting out of his mouth.” (118)
Rant/rave
I like the way she described his speech. She truly describes how Douglass gave the speech. It depicts the emotion he had toward Lincoln. It helps the reader visualize the him as he makes his speech. The reader can imagine being present during that time.

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“The Garfield assassination is an opera arrogance, a spectacle of greed, a galling, appalling epic of egomania dramatizing the lust for pure power, shameless and raw.” (135) Rhetoric
This metaphor compares Garfield’s assassination to an opera. His death, just like an opera had its ups and downs. It had plot twists and betrayals. This metaphor shows that his death wasn’t like a usual one. She put this sentence towards the beginning of Garfield’s chapter to lure the reader and know more about this exciting opera.

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“In 1878, in a bold power grab, President Rutherford B. Hayes stood up to his fellow Republican, the all powerful Conkling.” (128)
Rant
I thought this chapter was about Garfield. Vowell talks about the president at the time for a good 2 pages. I think this is unnecessary information.

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“As a Democrat who voted for Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election...”(130)
Basic
Why does Vowell not go into detail about the present issues? She still uses her sarcastic tone but not in detail like her other thoughts. She might think it’s off topic since her novel is about assassinations.  I think she should go into more detail other than briefly skimming the surface. After all , her ultimate goal is to change the way politics are now.

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“They could probably hear the sound of the stock market crashing him back to his old room at his parents house where he’d have  plenty of free time to contemplate hanging himself this boyhood bedsheets”(135)
Reflection
I think this is very funny statement. It really reflects what most people are doing after college. They don’t know what to do after they get out of school. They leisurely go through life until they decide to do something with their life.

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“A bloody rebellion against what citizens saw as Lincoln’s creed for bodies— theirs” (155)
Interpretation
Vowell ties the events of Garfield back to Lincoln’s time period. She is still showing that Lincoln was not a hero that everyone worshipped. He had his flaws just like every human being. This sentence is saying that Lincoln had a faith in democratic dead bodies during the civil war.

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“ even though he was, at the time of the assassination, the divorcé, a college dropout, a failed lawyer, preacher, and writer. (174)
Interpretation
Guiteau is a loser. The only thing he did in life that was of importance was killing Garfield. In a sense Guiteau, a disappointment, assassinated Garfield, a disappointment to the presidency.

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“(Though Platt would eventually rise from the ashes... making Theodore Roosevelt President of the United States.) (169)
Evaluation
Vowell writes several additional details in parentheses. She adds side notes. She rambles on and on. Vowell gives so much more facts than one needs to know. I think this could be a good or bad thing. As a writer it’s a good thing because all your thoughts are out and the reader can dive deeper into your comments. On the other hand as a reader, it makes the paragraph drag on and on. It might be a good extra tid-bit of information if the reader is into that certain topic.

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“Still, as a kid, history repeats itself terrified me...”(253)
Rave
I guess this rave will be over the entire novel. She makes learning history fun and exciting. She adds the drama and juicy gossip. The reader is always entertained compared to a history class filled with lectures. She truly shows that history repeats itself. It will continue to do so until everyone knows the past and punishments that follow the bad decisions. Most people don’t like history because it happened in the past and is not relevant today. But they are wrong. Vowell proves it time and time again that events that happened 100+ years ago are still happening in present day politics.

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“He wore a ring given to him by Secretary of State John hey. The rain contained the hair of Abraham Lincoln.” (235)
Basic
Is that an honor or creepy? I can’t tell. I’m going to lean towards the honorary side. It is Abraham Lincoln’s hair, one of the best presidents. Maybe the hair is symbolic. It represents good luck and good fortune with Roosevelt’s presidential term. Good luck towards ending something as terrible as slavery.

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“As the old southern preacher said, “if I don’t light your fire, your woods wet.” It goes without saying that my wood is soggier than a sunken stump at the bottom of the Potomac.”(151)
Reflection
I thought this was very funny and relatable. Her sarcasm makes me laugh every time I read it. I think I might have to start using this line from now on. The comparison is so visual that any reader can see that she is not religious. I also like how she related it back to history with the Potomac river. Her sarcasm is relatable to me because I use it at least once in every conversation.

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“She sewed a picture of her murdered spouse  into her knitting bag and then spent the rest of her life in a rocking chair, crocheting 4000 pairs a bedroom slippers, seeing her dead husband’s face staring up at her every time she reached for new ball of yarn” (192)
Rhetoric
Vowell description of Ida is very detailed. Any reader can visualize the scene. They can imagine the widow knitting. Even though she exaggerates the pair of socks, she makes it seem as realistic as possible. She chose the right blend of words to truly describe the scene.

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“I’m guessing that in the summertime, the place is crawling with children and partiers, but today the wind is so truly windy the frozen sea spray slaps us cold” (180)
Rhetoric
The personification shows how brutal the weather is. Vowell includes the weather to make it seem like the reader is right alongside  her as she goes on her findings. It shows that she went through obstacles for her hobby and interest. Vowell is feeling and doing all the same things the assassins and presidents did. She is creating the same adventure for her readers. They are following along as she walks  on history.

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“When I told a friend I was writing about McKinley administration, he turned up his nose and asked, “Why the hell would anyone want to read about that?”(205)
Reflection
I asked myself the very same question every time I open this book. Sure it’s history, but why am I reading this? She had so many people telling her not to but she did anyways. And she made a lot of money. I think the next someone tells me not to do something, I’ll do it. Who knows I might end up making some money out of it.

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“Still, these God-made-me a presidential war rationales apparently never go out of fashion. In the 2003 State of the Union address, President Bush foreshadow the coming Iraqi war.” (203)
Evaluation
Vowell compares past events with current events. Doing it this way really shows how times have not changed. She shows that history repeats itself. McKinley used religion to find his way and so did G.W. Bush. Putting the past and current right next to one another helps the reader understand that the present is similar to the past.

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“Having a hard life doesn’t justify murder. Insanity might explain it.”(215)
Interpretation
Vowell brings up a good point. Many people believe that murders kill because they grew up fighting to survive. They are only making their situation worse. They start in a bad place and continue down that path. They fail to crawl out of the hole unlike many people with the same background. They don’t have the right mindset. They are insane and have mental problems. If people who grew up with a bad life, then there will be so many more murders.

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“ I want is the most Hitchcockian preschool I ever met. He’s three.”(190)
Rant/rave
I love how Vowell talks about her nephew. He sounds adorable from all the creepy things he does. I like how it gives the reader a break from all the old, dead people. It refreshes the reader with a cute little story. Even thought it is off topic, I think it is okay because it’s a little three year old.

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“If you want a clear picture of the golf between the rich and the poor of Roosevelts era go to...”(222)
Basic
How could the political leaders sit back and watch the country go down this path? They had to be as corrupt as the business leaders. They might have allowed it because it made America’s economy boom. But shouldn’t the leader that the people elect try to help the people? Did the workers at the time not see the injustice or did they just care about their measly wages and didn’t care how they got it? Today the working conditions seem horrific but was that just the standard back then?

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“...driving toward what my favorite state slogan, that of Seawards beloved Alaska, proclaims: north to the future.” (88)
Rhetoric
Vowell is obviously alluding to William Seaward who bought Alaska. She also uses it as irony because Booth hated the north. She juxtaposed Booth being buried in the south with Vowell going north. It also symbolizes freedom for the escaped slaves. Booth was for slavery and Seaward said North to the future. Slaves thought that the North held their freedom. So north is where they travelled for a better future for them and their family.

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“If I were to travel back in time and confront my great-great-grandfather, what would we have to say to each other?” (65)
Reflection
I think this whole paragraph describes me. I make up this situation that will never happen. I argue with myself acting like the other person. It sounds crazy. It gives me hope that I’m not because Vowell does it, too.

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“Even if you hate Dr. Mudd, you’ve got to respect what he did during the epidemic.” (73)
Interpretation
Vowell incorporates Dr. Mudd’s help towards the yellow fever outbreak. She does this to show that Dr. Mudd has good morals even though he did help Booth escape. She makes him seem like a normal man who had some past problems in his life. She humanizes the man who betrayed the President of the United States. She points out the good side along with the bad to get an overview of his personality.

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“Then, alluding to our current national defense controversies...” (80)
Evaluation
Vowell compares past events with current events. She writes them right next to each other for easy comparing. Doing it this way really shows how times have not changed. Today the government still uses the same tactics it used 100 years ago. Putting the past and current right next to one another helps the reader understand that the present is as bad as the past.

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“I tell him how Edwin was known as the Hamlet of his day” (101)
Rant
Edwin is not important to the plot. He is an extra detail. Vowell writes 4 pages about him and the statues she walks by of him. She goes into too many details about this man. Did he kill any president? No. Then why talk about him for so long. She needs to stick to her plot and stop writing things just to take up pages.

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“As punishment imprisoned men were hung up by their thumbs” (68).
Basic
Is this a figure of speech? Vowell should address this more. If they actually did that to prisoners then that would help her argument that the fortress was a terrible place to go. It would create a more sympathetic tone. Thus, helping get her point across.