In chapters 5-8, our group found it interesting that Perry opened the chapter titled “Death” saying, “I can turn you into a corpse” (128). This is a unique opening for bringing up a morbid subject. At first you might think that he is trying to create a lighter overall tone; that he is merely just trying to throw a joke a in. As you read the rest of the first paragraph, however, you realize this is far from the truth. Perry can picture any person as if they were dead. This comes from years of seeing dead people and our group found it intriguing that he was able to do such a thing. All of us agreed however that we would not like this ability just like Perry wishes he didn't have it. It would be horrible, for example, to be eating a family dinner and look across the table and see your father dead in his chair. At first we thought this would be a neat talent, however we realize that this is one the downfalls of being a firefighter and having to live with the reality of maybe being too late for a person.
Personally our group thought that chapter seven, titled “My People,” was a hard chapter to get through due to length, vocabulary, and vastness of all of the stories. This chapter did bring up the issue of high and low society within Perry's world which when Perry applies them both to his life, can be interesting to discuss. On one hand he is a writer for big-name companies and papers such as the "New York Times" . He has been to high dollar restaurants and experienced the life in high class societies. On the other hand, he is a country boy from a small rural town. His two personas clash. It is interesting to see how Perry fits both his lives into one but at some points they do come to a head. An example of this is when he is asked to ride on the float in the parade. The town saw him as something different from them, of a higher class because of his job, so they wanted him to be on the float. He at first thought himself not any better than the next person so he asked himself why he deserved to be honored. He wrestled with this idea and researched the other writer the town produced and he realized he was unique, but at the same time not any better than his neighbors with lawn ornaments or his brother the farmer.
Another part, that those of us with siblings, could relate to was when Perry and his brother Jed were fighting the fire in the basement. Growing up people always talk about the horrible fights and arguments but when it comes down to it we really do love our siblings. Perry decribes how worried he is for his brother in the basement and that seems to be his main concern. Perry has seen death and he knows what could happen in a situation that a structure fire. We can only imagine what it would be like to loose a sibling so we can relate to how he is feeling for the safety of his brother.
Today in class we discussed how to make an effective book cover. After this discussion, our group sat down and analyzed the book cover for Population: 485, and decided that overall the book cover is effective. The picture of a man walking down a road in the countryside, with a cow crossing sign, and a barn in the distance helps convey the small town rural feel. Then, the title of this book is in white letters, with a green background, which represents the population signs one sees when driving into towns. This cover does meet the needs of the audience because anyone from a small town can relate to the book, like Jenny, or someone who knows about small towns but wants a better understanding, like Megan, will be both interested and find the book one they want to read.
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