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"As Westinghouse's alternating current became more popular than Edison's direct current, Edison launched a smear campaign against Westinghouse in which, attempting to prove the danger of AC, he staged demonstrations electrocuting horses and dogs that caught the eye of New York prison reformers looking for humane ways to carry out capital punishment." -p. 212

This section is simply difficult to understand, it is very confusing. First off, how did electrocuting animals benefit anyone at all? If Edison was trying to win support for his idea, murdering animals probably wasn't the best option. Second of all, why would electrocuting animals catch the eye of someone looking for humane ways to punish someone? That seems like the complete opposite of what they're looking for. Perhaps it was the time period, but this section is confusing and not explained well, similar to the remainder of the novel.

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"Because the whole time I stand around reading his speeches, searching his eyes, I feel like I'm bringing Abraham Lincoln back to life." -pg. 251

This quote from the text exemplifies the some good writing Vowell produces. She discusses reading his speeches at the memorial and keeping the president, Lincoln, alive. Then she talks about "searching his eyes" like it is actually the eyes of Lincoln and not his marble statue. She brings him back to life again by saying she is really searching his eyes, seeing him as a person. In the final part of this quote she directly states that she does feel she is truly bringing Lincoln back to life. Vowell uses all parts of the quote to achieve her purpose of detailing how she can bring Lincoln back to the living just by visiting his memorial. She is truly paying respects to a fallen president.

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"Now I don't care what it looks like. They could have carved it out of chewed bubble gum and I would think of it fondly." -pg. 248

In this portion of the text, Vowell transforms from being an architectural snob to someone who knows it's not all about the outside. She evaluates the outside of these buildings, then she flashes back to her conversation with her grandfather. This remembrance of the conversation they had brings her back to what the purpose of this memorial is truly about. This also gives the reader a wake up call about what people had to go through and what it means to other people, not just how pleasing it is to see. Vowell refers back to World War II and what the men fighting had to go through in order for her to see the importance of this monument, despite it's outward appearance.

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"They shot him too." -pg. 255

The rant I have chosen has to do with the very final words of the novel and why I have such an issue with them. I usually love abrupt endings when appropriate, but this one seemed out of place. I understand why Vowell thought this would be a good ending because it was very much her. Something I would expect her to say. A sentence that would make people think more in depth. It would make the audience think about all the people who have been assassinated. However, for any other normal novel I feel as though there could have been a deeper discussion for the conclusion. She could have mentioned what her pilgrimage taught her or how her life has been forever altered by this experience. She could have also tied it back into history, hers or Americas. It just seems as though this novel stops and does not have a proper ending that a novel like this should posses.

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"Truth was, Czolgosz hadn't held a job in years...Czolgosz suffered some sort of mysterious breakdown, quit working, and started to study socialism and then anarchism..." -pg. 215

In this section of the text, Vowell intends to educate the audience on how Czolgosz got into his deadly mindset. It transitions the section that says he killed McKinley for not treating the workers right to an explanation about how he became an anarchist. Vowell explains how these events came to be chronologically. From when he first lost his job to when he started studying anarchism. This excerpt gives the simple meaning of how Czolgosz came to do what and why he did what he did. Vowell first mentions how Czolgosz killed McKinley for the workers, then how he hadn't had a job in years, but then he started studying socialism to tie all the contradictions together. A very interesting interpretation of the events.

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"Czolgosz was a sad pathetic figure...he was the one psycho killer in Assassins who never gets a laugh. He is as drab and morose as Charles Guiteau is snappy." -pg. 214

I relate to this section because I, too, sometimes feel "pathetic" and "drab". I definitely fell as though if I had a biography those would be two words used to describe me. Of course, I never assassinated someone so that is where Czolgosz and I differ. I do seem to be happy and laugh a lot, but I do feel drab and sad on the inside. After everything people go through in life, sometimes it is not always easy for people to smile and laugh. Especially someone who murders a president, they do not probably have a lot of happiness in their life.

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"...Smith ordered his troops to retaliate by shooting to kill every Filipino capable of bearing arms. When asked to pin down a minimum age for the murderees, Smith decided on ten." -pg. 205

This section of the text is truly disgusting and appalling. How anyone can shot a ten year old and live with that feeling. Most of the time, people were racist so they would shoot to kill everyone. These U. S. soldiers would just end these innocent people's lives because they did not like a person's skin color or when they came from. The soldiers would kill a ten year old and would move on with their life. There should not be a circumstance when someone can kill a ten year old and move on with their life. Smith appears to be an awful man who should not have been given a leadership position or granted the title of general of the U. S. military.

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"...a colossal Gothic tower...the downtown skyscrapers, a gray-blue blotch of haze that might be Lake Erie." -pg. 189

I believe this is good writing. The descriptive words used to describe James Garfield's tomb are very colorful and descriptive. The audience can truly feel and see how beautiful the tomb looks and the scenery around it. From her view of the burial, she looks out and tells the audience exactly what she sees. Vowell has a reputation of just writing whatever pops in her head, but this is a section shows her writing can truly be chosen carefully.
This part really does define the purpose of establishing what Garfield's tomb really looked like.

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"in the 2003 State of the Union address, President Bush...'I believe God wants me to run for president'..." -pg. 203

This quote alludes to God's affect on the presidential office. Bush and McKinley were religious men who used that to justify their actions. This is especially present when Vowell mentions how Filipinos were converted to Christians already. This proves that all through the history of America, God has been a reason for doing many things. These presidents use the excuse of religion for their mainly bad actions. The allusion of God between the past and present presidents explain how God is still apart of the presidential actions.

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"Guiteau's trial was a sensation-a laugh riot well attended by the ladies of Washington, who packed picnic baskets to catch his act." -pg. 173

The extended metaphor in this sentence captures what his trial was like to the American people. Calling his trial "a laugh riot" downplays the should-be seriousness or a murder trial. It makes it seem like a comedy and proves how this trial was not taken seriously at all. The metaphor continues when it is stated, "...who packed picnic baskets to catch his act." This phrase adds onto the metaphor of comparing Guiteau's murder trial to a comedy show. By stating that people would watch his act, there is convincing evidence that people did not find him serious and thought the trial was rather fun.

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"The unforeseen pleasant surprise... is that I seem to have luck into a lot of present-day kindness, making the acquaintance of an embarrassment of knowledgeable nice people..." -pg. 183

It is wonderful to run into genuinely nice and knowledgeable people. I have made acquaintances of some nice and interesting people before, similar to Vowell on her journey. These types of interactions can brighten up a day and change thoughts of a person. On an occasion such as Vowell's, it is always needed to make someone else happy. It is needed to meet new people to gain new knowledge and learn about a new person, as well as to grow social and interaction skills. The circumstance of meeting these nice people helps bring awareness to the world around us.

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"It stands at the bottom of Capitol Hill facing the Mall. The sculpture intends to present a late-nineteenth-century vision of dignified classicism." -pg. 178

Why is Garfield's statue so big? If he is not a significant president, why does he have such a big statue in such a significant place? Garfield does not seem to be a very significant president, so I do not understand why his memorial is so huge. I suppose it could be like it states to present "dignified classicism" but that could have been anyone, so why him? It maybe could have been this because of his extraordinary life as a scholar, soldier, and president. It could have also been simply because he was assassinated and the U. S. government pitied him and thought he needed a memorial.

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second paragraph of 166

I would like to compliment Vowell on how she really has her facts straight. I can imagine the amount of research that went into writing this book in order to make it as accurate as possible, and she hits it spot on. There is not a paragraph in this book that does not have historical evidence, I mean this thing is full of it. Also props to Vowell on being able to make history somewhat interesting. As much as I complain about her as a person, her writing is impressive and in all honesty the book isn't the worst read.

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pages 163-164

Now before I get into this, O know this is Vowell's book and that she can do whatever she wants with it. But I just have to say in these pages there is a lot of dialogue, and Im wondering why she doesn't use that more often. Her writing to me is very to-the-point. She just briefly explains things and then moves on. She throws in a personal story with some dialogue in there every once in a while. The dialogue holds my attention and allows me to understand what is being said and what Vowell is attempting to portray in her writing.

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"But Garfield lets loose a few obstinate hints of spark and spite that suggest the old soldier still had some fight in him." -page 156

I enjoyed her choice of words used here. It made the topic seem light and white. Because Vowell doesn't usually use these specific types of descriptive words, it added on to the complexity of her writing. Her diction is generally a longer choice of words and sometimes the words come with a negative connotation. This quote made me giggle a little bit and was pleasant to read and to understand.

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" I love this sermon as literature..." -page 149

I love how she makes her personality raw here. She explains thoroughly her love and not just her interest in a topic. It is nice to see Vowell express a different emotion, to see another side of her. This matters because it is important to truly understand the main character, in this case it is the author. Revealing more emotion, reveals more about the person.

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"Any theologian who assured his fellow victorian that fondling one's neighbor's wife is as ordinary as frying an egg was bound to attract a following." -page 138

The purpose of including this simile is to make the drooling over another mans wife seem like it happens frequently at this time. Just as people everywhere fry eggs, people everywhere folding over a friends wife is happening everywhere. I found it interesting though that she decided this simile Not that it doesn't make sense, because it definitely works, but because it is unusual and I've never heard it before.

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"If there is a recurring theme in Garfield's diary..." -page 134

This is not a reflection of the author, but a reflection of Garfield. (I hope that is allowed) He explains that with all the political drama and sickness he faces, he would "rather be reading". I can relate to this because, I have found myself feeling his sense of boredom as well. Wishing I could be reading a book... not this one though. I just found that interesting, not only that Vowell included that fact, but that she built upon it and supported it with evidence.

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"To our forebears, Garfield had eyes that opened and closed, sweat glands and pus, the pus getting an awful lot of play." -page 124

I first noticed in this section the interesting choice of diction from Vowell. "to our forebears"... what does that even mean? I looked up the definition of forebears and it said "an ancestor" I am confused as to why she chose this word to address her audience. Another thing is the very graphic details of Garfied's state as he underwent surgery. I found these details unnecessary and wonder why they were included in the final cut of her novel?

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"That phrase 'whether ever, I may return' is pretty poignant considering he would return, but in a long black casket decked with silver stars and fringe." -page 115

I can see the Lincoln lovers and supporters, as  well as the county as a whole, were very touched when the heard this farewell address. Especially not knowing their beloved president would soon pass away. On another note, Vowell continues to be insensitive to the topic of death, especially one of such power. She speaks about Lincoln's death as if it is just another topic... perhaps she doesn't see the severity of this topic or perhaps she's doing it to purposefully arouse her audience.

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The first paragraph on page 108

Vowell uses the phrase "as if..." fill in the blank, over and over again in this paragraph. She has done this repetition several times throughout her novel so far. She uses this rhetoric device to create emphasis on the topic at hand. This device also aids and allows the audience to see the sarcasm in her writing. She continues explaining why she was so offended as to her guides warning. Her sarcasm and minor rant seems to go on forever.

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pages 66-67

I am confused. What is the point of adding in that whole story about her being sick on a boat. Vowell goes into extreme detail about her vomiting experiences and as i kept reading, I was awed by the length and detail of this portion of text. I soon realized after she transitions from the boat, to talking to Mike on the shore, there was absolutely no point in telling that story. Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe theres something I'm not seeing?

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"I was standing there reading the plaque and admiring Mudd-forgiving him."-page 75

I choose this quote as my reflection because I found myself doing the same thing. AS i was reading more and more about how Mudd helped all these people who were suffering from yellow fever, my hatred was lowering. He chose to stay back and help the people in the fort rather than free himself from the horribleness that was the fort. I realized that, yes he did bad at one point in time, but it was just a bad choice, a wrong decision. We all make mistakes and at least his mistake was healing someone in pain, even if the patient was a murmurer. I believe doctor Mudd as a whole was misunderstood.

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third paragraph on page 69

One thing Vowell is exceptionally good at is imagery. She can describe locations, smells, people, and situations so well. When reading her book, it sometimes feels as though you are standing there in the museum with her. I realized this especially in this section of the text as she is describing the outside of the fort. Using words like "grassy", "breezy, but pleasant", "tourist glamour", "sun-chapped smiles" these are amazing examples of how to take the reader on a visual exploration. I truly could see the wonderfulness of the fort even though I have never played eyes on it

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"I considered putting an exclamation point at the end of the previous sentence to more accurately portray the gusto in which it was delivered... Doesn't look , on the page, like a sentence full of fun, but it was."- page 78

Vowell is trying to come off more casual. She does this many times throughout the book, where she stops what she is doing to add humor. She is doing this to make the book easier to read. She wants less of a history book and more like a personal journal. This matters because it alters how we ,as the audience, perceive the information. If it were given as a straight fact it would not have been interpreted as she would have wanted.

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"But I fear a consumer who buys a confederate flag coffee cup, which she will put on her american flag place mat, is the sort of sophisticated thinker who is open-minded enough that she is capable of hating black and arabs at the same time."-page 88

Vowell does this countless times, where sensitivity isn't taken into consideration. Im not saying that I agree or disagree with her but the calling out is unnecessary. The sarcasm, although comical at times, leaves the audience in awe. Maybe this is her goal? to be so out there, that her entire audience can't believe what they just read.

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"...hold onto your hat, hopefully you won't be blown away.' Well I am blown away. The view is majestic"-page 79

Vowell does an incredible job at merging two subjects. First off she is accomplishing a description of a thought-out story, using descriptive techniques. She can move from the subject of her fear of heights to how windy it is to how blown away she is from the view seamlessly. She uses the literal meaning of being blown away when her friend mike referrers to her hate and the quickly changes pace to a figurative meaning of being blown away when describing her view from the lighthouse. This is a very interesting technique that I was impressed with.

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"...Lets suppose that against all odds, a gun-toting bushwhacking guerrilla warrior could be overpowered by me, former art history major." -page 64

I can automatically sense that Vowell sees herself as better than everyone else. Is this needed in her description of how she explains her fantasy with her great-great grandfather? although this is all in her imagination, she is still describing herself in a novel. Is she not worried about what readers will think of her? how is she going to continue to build her character?

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"like, if I were in the presence of loved ones who's deaths I dread, then I would be more likely to remember the grief of the loved ones of the dead presidents." -page 53

I can understand her reason for doing this. I would most likely do the same if I were in her position.Keeping people she care about close by so that she can easily compare or pretend to see how she would feel if they were taken from her. Those emotions can be brought to life so that she has an insight to how the loved ones of the presidents felt when they passed. It isn't a selfish thing, just a educational thing.

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"grandfather paradox" -page 63

Vowell uses syntax in this portion of the text. She was explaining how Mudd was arrested and his family was dealing with the embarrassment of that. Vowell the discusses the grandfather paradox, which is going back in time to kill a relative thus leaving you to never be born. She then adds on that she would do that to one relative, her great-great grandfather. As she says this she continues to describe how her great-great grandfather contributed to history at this time. I found this a very creative and effective way to switch gears in order to move on from one topic to the next.

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"...there was a picture of Powell, very tall, very handsome man. Who's that? I wondered." -page 41

Vowell includes several times in the book so far about the attractiveness of some of the assassins. It just leads me to wonder there is a genuine reason she is including her thoughts on including her thoughts on the physical appearance of these men. Is it appropriate to make these remarks? It, to me, takes away from the subject at hand. I have a feeling that these thoughts will continue and might even build up to more of an obsession. Are vowel's interests in these presidential assassinations too extreme? Is Vowell obsessed with assasins

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"...as these folks ate their freshly baked muffins and admired the bed-and-breakfast's teapot collection, that they probably didn't want to talk about presidential gunshot wounds." -page 3

The author explains her experience of a presidential assassination play to the people staying at the bed-and-breakfast. She really emphasizes how her topic of conversation doesn't fit in with the rest of the group. She uses imagery to describe how "flowery" and "cozy" the location she's in is. She goes out of her way to describe the facial expressions of the people she is telling the story to, This use of contrast shows the audience how uncomfortable of a situation she was in and how her interests didn't align with the rest of the group.

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page 30-31

These two pages explain the action-packed story of Powell and Seward's encounter. I find this good writing technique throughout the book thus far, she gives a history lesson. Vowell explains countless events of history very in-depthly. allowing the audience to clearly see what she is referring to. She also allows the audience to see why she thinks the way she does. Giving the reader insight to the historical context in which she is explaining, gives a clear explanation to her beliefs and accusations.

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"Booth's plan was to kill..." -page 30

Initially, Booth wanted a kidnapping of president Lincoln. Then the war winded down and kidnapping no longer served a purpose. Vowell uses personification when describing Booth's plan. It was not only to actually kill Lincoln, but also the federal government. He hoped that by murdering the president, that everything would dissolve to chaos within the government. Vowell gave Booth's  plan the ability to kill.

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"There is a lesson for all the terrorists of the world..." -page 29

In this section, Vowell explains how Booth was able to move freely between the North and South as a member of the Confederate Secret Service during the Civil War. He was able to do this because he was a nationally famous actor. She compares this to current time as celebrities get "whisked through airport security" while the rest of us are forced to wait in long lines. All was well until she brought up terrorists. She said that if terrorists seek to get ahead that they should recruit celebrities because their luggage doesn't get checked. I believe this remark is extremely unnecessary and inappropriate. Her comparison of back then and nowadays with airports is compared enough, there is no need to take that extra step by making fun or speaking lightly about a serious topic. I can't help but think, how can Vowell get away with this?

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"but i paused on the balcony stairs for a second, thinking about how these were the very stairs that Booth climbed to shoot at Lincoln and how sick is this?" -page 22

I can relate to what is being discussed on page 22, where Vowell is explaining the sickening felling that overwhelmed her as she examined the interior of the Ford theatre. I can relate to this because I too had the feeling. As she was describing the president's box as the very location a former president was killed, prior to her realization, a sinking feeling fell in my stomach. She realized the sickening feeling she had as she was walking up the exact stairs that Booth walked up to kill Lincoln. Thankfully she was reassured, as was I, to recall that the stairs were only a duplicate. The entirety of the building was duplicated after the theatre collapsed, in memory Lincoln's life. However, I can't imagine the feeling of witnessing the building for myself.