Assassination Vacation by Lily DiCicco https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf Lily DiCicco en-us 2019-04-06 13:04:44 UTC 2019-05-15 00:00:32 UTC hello@padlet.com Pages 1-43 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/349308319 1.
"Not that I want the current president killed. Like that director, I will, for the record (and for the FBI agent assigned to read this and make sure I mean no harm- hello there), clearly state that while I am obsessed with death, I am against it" (Page 6).

Type: Basic

This quote in particular sparked my curiosity. It lead me to question if Sarah Vowell wrote this line in a sarcastic way or not. I'm not sure because she seems to be very against and angered by the current president. I want to believe she is kidding; however, considering how obsessed she is with other assassination, i wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't a joke. I do think her obsession with president assassinations is a bit excessive.

2.
"...as if it where some kind of assassination fantasy camp. So how sick is that?" (Page 22).

Type: Rhetoric- Rhetorical Device

As the narrator climbs the stairs that John Wilkes Booth climbed, she utters this rhetorical question. It impacts the text well because it helps emphasize her love for assassinations. The purpose of this was to reveal and introduce her obsession. Therefore, when she ascended the staircase, her excitement help implement and strengthen her purpose. This question allows us to assemble the purpose. 

3.
“I like to call him the “the current president” because it’s a hopeful phrase, implying that his administration is only temporary” (Page 5-6). 

Type: Reflection

In this case, the author is talking about President Bush. However, I don’t relate to the part about disliking Bush. I agree to “the current president” portion. My family and I felt the same way with Obama. They’re still president regardless, but it’s nice to have a hopeful phrase to remind us that these presidents won’t permanently be in office.

4.
“Trying to be an educational Aunt, or as educational as a person can be when a three year old is trying to chop her head off, I told him that the act of chopping a persons head off is called “decapitation” and a head that’s been chopped off is called “decapitated” (Page 42)

Type: Interpretation 

I think Vowells intentions for this quote was to create humor. However, it didn’t come across as humorous. It came off more as strange. Teaching a three year old about decapitation is a little odd. That’s why I think Vowell implemented this quote. Vowell, however, did accomplish explaining that she wants to be an educational figure to her nephew.

5.
 "After all, if no one had hated Lincoln, there would be no Lincoln Memorial to love" (Page 17). 

Type: Evaluation

When I first read this quote, I had to go back and read it again because at first, it seemed really insensitive. However, as I read it again I think it was meant much more delicately than at first glance. When you really think about it though, as weird as this quote is, she isn't completely wrong. Lincoln's presidency is far more significant because of the assassination. I think this quote is also to add a little tension in the novel and to make us anticipate what's coming next. 

6.
"And while I gave up on God a long time ago, I never shook the habit of wanting to believe in something bigger and better than myself" (Page 11). 

Type: Rant/ Rave

This particular quote bugs me above all others. I find it very arrogant. It honestly just makes her look flat out dumb. The narrator is very insular considering she can't believe in someone bigger and better than her. There's a lot of things the narrator writes that are very "out there", but this quote is the farthest out there . 

]]> 2019-04-07 22:21:55 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/349308319 Pages 44-63 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/350186871 7.
"I just so happen to have a grandfather who deserved it, my great-great grandfather, John Vowell” (Page 63). 

Type: Basic

So far in the story, I’ve just assumed that the narrator is some random character that the author constructed. However, when i read this quote and I had to reread it. Her great-great grandfather has the same last name; therefore, it has to be the actual authors grandfather. Also meaning that the actual author is the narrator/character. So my question is, assuming that the authors also the narrator, is Sarah Vowell actually obsessed with assassinations and is this story about her life?

8.
“So there are two factions-those who believe Mudd was innocent and punished for simply doing his job...” (Page 60). 

Type: Rant/Rave

I got so bored reading this portion of the chapter. It was just so hard for me to focus and follow along. I just really don’t understand why she went on a long lecture about Dr. Mudd. Unless I missed what it signified, it had no real importance to me. I hope it’s significant. I also wonder if it was to take up time while they “looked for the Mudd House”. 

9.
“A lot of house tours are about the thingness of things”

Type: Evaluation/Reflection

I think this quote exemplifies her writing. It relates to all kinds of things. It relates to people showing off their things for presentation. Therefore, this quote is of great importance because it was well written and is relatable. It shows the materialistic tendencies of people today and even in the past.]]> 2019-04-10 01:25:48 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/350186871 Pages 64-104 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/351484249 10.
"Booth wrote the following in his journal, comparing himself to Brutus, Caesar's assassin immortalized by Shakespeare in the play Booth had performed with his brothers..." (Page 81).

Type: Rhetoric-Rhetorical Device

This allusion to Brutus assassinating Caesar is very fitting for this book. Brutus and John Wilkes Booth correlate very well. This allusion is also significant to the story because it shows the irony of Booth playing a man who assassinated someone significant, then later on Booth assassinates someone significant. I think this helps achieve the authors purpose because it demonstrates how Booth was always an assassin before the assassination. Another rhetorical device associated with this quote is that, Booth playing this role almost seemed to foreshadow his life and acts he committed. 

11.
"I haven't decided if he deserved to eat bread out of sticks or live in a rancid puddle probably because I haven't made up my mind whether anyone deserves such treatment" (Page 81).

Type: Basic


Sarah Vowell says some pretty weird things in the novel and this quote is one of those weird statements. Is she trying to be funny or is she really psychotic? I was reading the list of people who read along in the audio book for this story, and Stephen King reads for Abraham Lincoln. That being said, is this story supposed to have a darker side to it because Stephen King reads along? Is King reading for Lincoln supposed  to represent something? I want to get to the end of the novel so I can see Vowell's true intentions with the story.

12.
"But I fear that the consumer who buys the confederate flag coffee cup, which she will then put on her 
American flag place mat, is the sort of sophisticated thinker who is open-minded enough that she is capable of hating blacks and arabs at the same time" (Page 88).

Type: Rant

For someone who is smart enough to retain all this knowledge about history, this is one of the dumbest things I've heard her say. I can't comprehend what encouraged her to say this. It makes no sense what so ever. Just because someone doesn't agree with your views, doesn't mean that they're racist. Right before this quote, she states that she is small-minded and it definitely would take someone with a small mind to say this. 

13.
"Then, alluding to current national defense controversies" (Page 80). 

Type: Evaluation

This is just one example of Vowell alluding to something. Even though her allusions are sometimes long winded, they are good support for her purposes. She uses a lot of them throughout the novel and they really are significant. She identifies and explains them well. They are scattered but often all come together to harmonize the story.

14.
"...the one time I came in an ambulance (following a bike accident in which I hit a parked car) was during Reagan's successor's administration" (Page 84).

Type: Interpretation

Right before this quote, she was talking about Reagan getting shot and having to be transported in an ambulance. At first this came across to me as her trying to compare herself to Reagan. I was really annoyed because there is a significant difference between getting shot and ignorantly riding your bike into a parked car. However, it also mentions Reagan stating that he hopes his doctors are Republicans. Therefore, I think Vowell is showing us her interpretation when she stated in the ambulance that she didn't vote for Bush. It accomplishes her purpose of illustrating that her and Reagan are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. 

15.
"Perhaps this is the approach Dr. Mudd's grandson Richard should have taken...he should have recorded a hit song or come up with a crazy dance craze or something" (Page 102).

Type: Reflection

I find that this quote relates to life today. People cover up reality with weird dances or songs. People today probably personally relate a lot because a lot of people are suspicious that celebrities are hiding the truth behind songs. When something comes out about a certain person and its bad for their image, then they simply cover it up. In both the past and present, little energy was exerted in order to cover up reality. 



]]> 2019-04-14 16:56:44 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/351484249 Pages 105-127 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/351845798 16.
"The most famous thing ever said about President James A. Garfield is about how nobody has any idea who he was" (Page 123).

Type: Reflection

I thought this was funny because we've talked about it in APUSH that no one knows who Garfield is.  If the I'm being honest, I didn't even know he was assassinated. I recognized a Presidents name being Garfield. However I didn't know the significant things regarding his presidency. With that being said, I guess assassinations don't always make someone more popular. I am glad to know that other people are unaware of Garfield too.

17.
"Americans knew more details about Garfield's breath and blood than they did about their own lungs, their personal hearts" (Page 124)

Type: Rhetoric-Rhetorical Device

This quote is verbally ironic. She begins off this chapter stating that no one knows who Garfield even is. Then she goes on to explain that Americans knew the most intimate details of him. She also stated that at the time of Garfield's presidency, he was nothing more than just a person to Americans. So, how did they know these descriptive, nonessential details about him?

18.
"Chapter 2"- I don't have a quote specifically for this so I'm just going to type "Chapter 2" as my quote. 

Type: Evaluation

I found it very interesting when this chapter was about Garfield. It's nice to hear about someone other than Lincoln. I think her writing style, having each president belonging to their own chapter, was very unique and original. I've never read a book like this. I think it will be interesting to compare and contrast Lincoln's chapter to Garfield's.


]]> 2019-04-16 01:15:13 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/351845798 Pages 128-168 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/353493658 19.
"Every time he looks out the window, he sees farther than I...” (Page 141). 

Type: Reflection

I feel like a lot of people, including myself, can relate to this quote. There’s someone who can perceive beyond your ability. Someone who can capture a different view than you. Vowells saying that Valesky would be a “decent movie director” because of his ability to view things in a unique manner. She explains the way someone can see more by stating that they can see farther when actually you see the same landscape, it’s just a different way of viewing it, a different perspective. 

20.
“Though my personal favorite is the New Englander who was taken to task for his “too frequent mention of Vermont” (Page 145). 

Type: Rhetoric 

I thought this quote contained some verbal irony. She states that her favorite example was of someone who speaks frequently of Vermont. I thought it was ironic and funny because of how she frequently speaks about assassinations. Even her friends call her out on it. I’m assuming that’s why it’s her favorite example. 

21.
“He ran this town, this state, this whole country sometimes, and now, standing catty-corner from a Dunkin' Donuts, the only attention he is paid is from the dogs and drunks peeing at his granite shoes” (Page 152). 

Type: Rant/Rave

I found this quote really funny. Comparing the dogs and the drunks actions well suited the story. I think she definitely grasped ahold of the reader’s attention. It was a smart way of pulling the story about Roscoe Conkling to a close. Even though the story about Conkling was, at times, boring, it fulfilled her purpose of illustrating an image in our minds to tell a story. 

22.
“The absence of Senator Conkling gave rise to unpleasant surmises as to his attitude. His friends were embarrassed and somewhat indignant.” In other words...” (Page 152). 

Type: Interpretation 

I think Vowells interpretation of what Garfield wrote in his diary was a clear and well constructed way of repeating what Garfield wrote and intended. I got a little confused reading Garfield’s quote but Vowells interpretation made it easier to comprehend. She also added a little of her snarky sarcasm. As expected of course. Her purpose of interpreting what Garfield wrote was successful. I think we all understood what Garfield meant in the end. 

23.
“James A. Garfield walked in here on July 2, 1881. He was carried out on a stretcher”(Page 158). 

Type: Evaluation 

This quote was very well constructed. I really liked reading it because it showed the more emotional side of the assassination. It demonstrates how the assassination quickly became a reality. It had a strong “wow-factor” to it. I didn’t realize how quick something like an assassination can happen. 

24.
“But, as Laurie Anderson once put it, “It’s not the bullet that kills you, it’s the hole” (Page 160). 

Type: Basic

I got confused reading this quote. How is the hole the ultimate killer? My perspective on the matter is that the person who shot the gun is the killer. So why does Laurie Anderson believe the hole is what kills the person? After reading about Guiteau’s plea, I believe what she meant was that the germs that arrive in the hole, ultimately infecting it, is what kills someone. 






]]> 2019-04-23 18:23:10 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/353493658 Pages 169-189 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/356628072 25. 
"God told him to kill the president...Guiteau explains” Page 169

Type: Evaluation

I found this piece of her book interesting. I think how and why she wrote it was smart. It easily gave insight as to what embodied Guiteau when he decided to assassinate Garfield. Vowells incorporation of this fact was beneficial for readers to understand why he killed him. Plus it wasn’t long and dragged out, it was right to the point. 

26.
"Where did Guiteau get his insane notions?” (Page 170)

Type: Rhetoric

Vowell asked a rhetorical question in order for the readers to think about what corrupted Guiteau. She’s asking us what encouraged him to act upon this murder. She provides an explanation after. She tells us to think back to the republican party platform. It allowed to us to get full comprehension of Guiteaus murder. 

27.
"After God commanded Guiteau to kill Garfield, it actually took the assassin a couple weeks to summon the nerve to pull the trigger” (Page 170). 

Type: Basic

This was interesting to me. I wonder if anyone suspected that Guiteau was onto something. If so, I wonder if they just kept to themselves. In regards to the presidents safety, surely no one kept it from him or from anyone. My other question is, we’re they well trained security guards? Guiteau had been tracking all the presidents actions but no one found out. ]]> 2019-05-03 14:51:24 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/356628072 190-230 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/356634783 28.
"In the logo, most of the United States and Canada is blanketed in Miss North America's billowy, yellow dress" (Page 196).

Type: Rhetoric

This quote displays personification through the action of a characters dress blanketing Canada and The United States. Saying "billowy, yellow dress" provides imagery. It also creates the image of a "southern belle". Another example of personification is her saying that the logo has a dress on. 

29.
“Having a hard life doesn’t justify murder. Insanity might explain it" (Page 215).

Type: Rant/Rave

Although I do believe insanity plays a large part in murder, it's not justifiable. Murder is so inhumane that theres just no excuse for it. In a way, I can kind of see where she's coming from. However, I just don't find any justification for killing another human being. People should just have the common decency to know not to kill people.

30.
"...the Canucks might have suspected McKinley was invading to steal their maple syrup" (Page 212).

Type: Basic

Did she say this with spitefulness? Or was she saying this to insult Canadians? If she is trying to bash at Canadians, then I'm confused again because she doesn't seem to be the most patriotic person. A lot of what she says just goes straight over my head. Maybe I'm just not a fan of her so I choose not to comprehend her statements.

31.
“Except for the people who were there that one day they Discovered the polio vaccine, being a part of history is rarely a good idea. History is one war after another with a bunch of murders in between” 
(Page 208).

Type: Interpretation

When I read this, I think Vowell tried to send a different message. Yes, history is entertaining and interesting to learn about; however, when you live in history it isn't fun. Like she says, history is a series of wars and murders. That's not fun to live, through. For once I agree with her. 

32.
“There is one thing that assassinated Americans have in common. Fate seems to grant each man one last good day ... before he bleeds" (Page 211).

Type: Evaluation

I'm not sure why, but I really like when Vowell constructs these deep and meaningful quotes. Even if she says it in her sarcastic ways, it still has a lot more to it than that. I think her incorporation of this quote was a good way to introduce the paragraph. You read this quote once and it doesn't mean much but you read it again and it says more. It's also a great way of tying together all the lives of assassinated Americans. 

33.
"...as I spend most of my free time indoors with people who talk about politics and entertainment" (Page 224).

Type: Reflection

I relate to this quote a lot. For some reason, I really enjoy politics and I enjoy talking to people about it. This also relates to a lot of Americans because everyone is so caught up with the political arena, that no one seems to have an actual life. I don't get caught up to the extent to where I don't take my mind off it. A lot of people let politics determine their relationships with people and I have a suspicion that Vowell is the same way.]]> 2019-05-03 15:05:46 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/356634783 Pages 231-255 lndicicco12 https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/357017562 34.
"The ring contained the hair of Abraham Lincoln" (Page 235).

Type: Basic

What does this mean? Does it have any significance? It's very odd, I can tell you that much. Did she think the readers should know this? She likes commenting odd things like this, so that's probably a contributing factor of why she stated it.

35.
 “Come to think of it, I can probably trace this whole morbid assassination death trip back to my parents record collection" (Page 252).

Type: Rant/Rave

I do appreciate this quote because it shows that she is aware of her weird, morbid lifestyle. It's funny that it seemed to take her 252 pages to catch on or at least announce that she's aware. It kind of gives an explanation of why she is the way she is. Also, why the book is the way it is.

36.
"Then I nod at Gandhi, whose Bronze Statue stands on the square's western edge. They shot him too"(Page 255).

Type: Evaluation/Interpretation

This ending to the book really exemplified Vowell's writing. I can't see any other way of her ending the book. It shines with her personality. I think this is Vowell's interpretation of getting the last word. Although I don't like Sarah Vowell, I do appreciate how she is a confident writer and always sticks to her writing style and tactics. 


]]> 2019-05-06 01:37:50 UTC https://padlet.com/lndicicco12/w37n9r60jjtf/wish/357017562