In the prologue, Yunior references Mrquezs novel Cien Aos de Soledad (1967; 100 Years of Solitude) in his discussion the counterspell [sic] to fuk. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. He repeatedly comes up against silences in the family record that he cannot recover and which he must fill in using the power of storytelling. She had eyes for a handsome, light-skinned boy named Jack Pujols. WebEncapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere and risk it all in the name of love. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Back in the 1990s again, Oscar has graduated college but moves back with his mother in Paterson and teaches high school English rather than achieving his dream of being a writer. for a customized plan. The most talked about and praised Feedback should be considered a coach that helps us reduce the discrepancy between our current and desired outcomes (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Right away I knew I was talking to the right person. Comic books, science-fiction, and fantasy literature all play an important role in Oscar's upbringing and identity, and each is incorporated into the novel to reflect According to Yunior, society in the Dominican Republic imposes a racial hierarchy that privileges lighter skin tones over darker ones. Wang, Bella ed. 2023 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. Reaching back further in history, the novel brings in Abelard Cabral, Belis father and Oscar and Lolas grandfather. You have a lot of questions here. The Question and Answer section for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a great Rendered with uncommon warmth and humour, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a literary triumph, that confirms Junot Daz as one of the most exciting writers of our time. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. Beli tried to get Jacks attention without success. Renews March 8, 2023 The novel then switches to Lolas perspective. Oscar takes no notice and receives a harsh beating when the Capitn sees Ybn and Oscar kiss. Under the Sea Dazs departure from the traditional use of magical realism also emphasizes the difference between telling a story from a diasporic point of view, something that does not occur in the novels that are classified in the genre. Academic language is the language of textbooks, in classrooms, and on tests. Her sons painful, familiar passage into adulthood is set against her own transformation, shown in reverse. Their cultural identities are defined by two different nations, which can be seen to be I direct conflict with each other. While Oscar studies creative writing at Rutgers University, Yunior becomes his roommate in order to get closer to Lola, with whom he is infatuated. I am late to the party with Junot Diaz's work, but wow, what a book! Which is why I LOVED this book! I stand by this completely. Meet Oscar de Leon, dubbed "Oscar Wao" by bullies who liken him to the foppish Oscar Wilde. The first epigraph is from the comic book Fantastic Four: Of what import are brief, nameless lives to Galactus?. The clencher for me was his sleight of hand with the following: I wasn't expecting this book to be so sad. The narrator Not affiliated with Harvard College. From the start, it has been a breeding ground for outsize destinies and monstrous passions. Be the first one to, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). WebBrief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Daz demonstrates in an imaginative space what this linguistic belonging might look like for Afro-Latino/as. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao study guide contains a biography of Junot Daz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. He was our Sauron, our Arawn, our Darkseid, our Once and Future Dictator.. More books than SparkNotes. What is feedback and how can it help? Without a paper trail to guide his account, Yunior describes himself as trawling in silences as he attempts to reconstruct the story of the de Len/Cabral family. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Magical Realism and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Magical realism (also known as magic realism) is a stylistic mode that Daz . Ok, Im writing a review of this book right now or Ima die trying goddamn it! Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Writing was a fighting back. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Describe their relationship/life together. What more fantasy than the Antilles? Oscar wonders. I want to tell you something that isnt in that book I wrote but I want you to know. Oscar is the kind of kidsweaty, mumbles to himself, inevitably invades personal space, probably has bad breathwe would avoid on the subway. Continue to start your free trial. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. WebThe Annotated Oscar Wao: Notes and translations for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Daz I was reading "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Daz, Many students who speak English well have trouble comprehending the academic language used in high school and college classrooms. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Allusions. | The narrator is characterized by his constant use of slang and his insertion of Spanish words without explaining their meaning. ?, The second is a poem written by Derek Walcott, The Schooner Flight. The poem describes the poets mixed heritage and his upbringing on an island. Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. Section III: Introduction, Chapter 7, Interlude, Chapter 8, and the Final Letter Summary and Analysis. Though Yunior is, like Oscar, an aspiring writer, his preferred genres are more hard-boiled, all robberies and drug deals and BLAU! Free shipping for many products! They looked at his black skin and afro and declared he wasnt Dominican, which devastated him. He dreams of becoming the next J.R.R. Are they still togetherwhy or why not? While Oscar favors the stilted, thesaurus-fed diction of the fantasy-nerd autodidact (I think shes orchidaceous), Yunior affects a bilingual b-boy flow, punctuated by bouts of didacticism. Always had a different excuse to not pick it up. Thus the protagonist, Oscar, is both a nobody whose life takes place in the realm of the ordinary, AND a representation of the Dominican nation, creating a synecdoche that goes both ways. Free shipping for many products! The novel then comes back to Oscars life, during his college years when Yunior himself enters the story. Pulitzer prize winning and well deserved. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. (including. GradeSaver, 29 September 2010 Web. March 1, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 The author alludes to other texts. The narrator introduces fuk americanus, or fuk for short. Free trial is available to new customers only. Jack was cocky, wealthy, and entitled. What other cognitive and linguistic factors are important for the diagnosis of dyslexia? Depression weighs heavily on him, and his lack of social confidence keeps him more isolated than ever. Beli lives with her aunt, La Inca, in Ban, a fairly poor neighborhood of Santo Domingo. Huge thanks to everyone who has contributed so far! McOndo is a literary movement that breaks from magical realism and focuses more on the Latin and Latin American experience of urban lifestyles. When he accepted a position in Washington, DC, she, InTech Collegiate High School isnt your typical high school. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz 2008-09-04 Things have never been easy for Oscar. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Lola loses her virginity to him. It is different in structure and vocabulary from the everyday spoken English of social interactions. Webcontemporary urban life in Flood Song, an interweaving painterly sequence populated with wrens and reeds, bricks and gasoline. Oscar, Lola, and Beli are now brought full circle. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. About the Author What Our Readers Are Saying Share your thoughts on this title! She leaves for America in disgrace and meets the future father of Oscar and Lola on the plane to New York. Webtumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family's uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back. WebThis chapter functions as the conjunction of all the previous stories. Its title character is a young overweight Dominican American man obsessed with fantasy novels, superhero comics, and tabletop role-playing games. Younger, Rachel. One of the most distinctive characteristics of Yuniors narrative voice relates to the wide range of allusions he makes to history and culture. Here's an in-depth analysis of the most important parts, in an easy-to-understand format. Her experience in politics includes positions on many committees and commissions, eight years with the state legislature, and she served as the Lieutenant Governor for Michael Leavitt. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao study guide contains a biography of Junot Daz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and WebA summary of Part X (Section4) in Junot Daz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. Subscribe now. Lola calms him down, and Oscar decides to wait until college to find a new love. I was reading "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Daz, and it was extremely slow going since I need my laptop nearby the entire time, with Wikipedia, Google, and Google translate open. If someone says they read this and liked it, punch them in the throat. Aldo lives with his father in Wildwood, NJ. The story revolves around the character Oscar de Len, a consummate scifi and fantasy geek with horrendous luck with women who wants to The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. Who is Aldo? I understand that students are now expected to read at a more difficult and complex text level with CCSS. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao essays are academic essays for citation. More books than SparkNotes. Allusions. He writes letters back to the States, but no one can persuade him to give up his obsession with Ybn. Back in Paterson, Oscar becomes obsessed with a girl named Ana, threatening her abusive boyfriend with a gun. When he and his sister Lola spend summers with their great-aunt in the Dominican Republic (DR), Oscar realizes that he wants to become an author. Dont have an account? The hero of Junot Dazs first novel is an overweight Dominican-American man named Oscar, a ghetto nerd from Paterson, N.J., and a devotee of what he somewhat grandly calls the more speculative genres. He means comic books, sword-and-sorcery novels, science fiction, role-playing games the pop-literary storehouse of myths and fantasies that sexually frustrated, socially maladjusted guys like him are widely believed to inhabit. Aldo is the boy Lola lives with when she runs away at 15. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. It's terrible. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Summary Next Book 1, Preface The book shares the story of Oscar Wao (whose real name is Oscar de Len ), a Dominican American who When she finally succeeded, Jacks family publicly shamed Beli. These allusions are not inserted into the novel at random, though, and a close examination suggests layers of The book's discourse between United States popular culture and Caribbean history is set up through the epigraphs. In the novel Daz explores the discourse between the two. But later chapters show Beli as a rebellious daughter in her own right, struggling with La Inca, the poor yet respectable relative in whose home she was raised. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. These are the reasons I'm abandoning this book: A lot of people seem to either hate or love this book. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. And while Oscar falls madly and chastely in love with a succession of not-quite-attainable women, Yunior is a chronic womanizer. Continue to start your free trial. I give absolutely zero warranties as to its accuracy or thoroughness, you follow all links at your own risk, blah blah etc etc. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! WebDrawing from myriad and disparate sources, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a text that recreates the experience of immigration and linguistic exile. Webtumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family's uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back. Yunior notes in Chapter 5 that Trujillo and his cronies failed to document the inner workings of their administration. Poor Oscar may never get what he wants, thanks to From there, the novel goes further back in time to describe the adolescence of Lola and Oscars mother, Beli. As a writer, Yunior alludes primarily to other works of fiction. At thirteen, Beli won a scholarship to the prestigious Colegio El Redentor in Ban. The novel returns to Lolas perspective, as she prepares to come back to the States from her year in Santo Domingo. When Oscar arrived at college feeling optimistic about his prospects for a social life, he was shocked by the bigotry of his fellow students of color. Disregarding these barbs, Oscar strikes up an unlikely friendship with a beautiful girl on campus, but is shattered when she continues to see other guys. Discount, Discount Code The island may be cursed and haunted, but its also enchanted; even the bitterest memories seem softened by nostalgia. However, this school has had the highest ACT scores in Cache Valley for the last three years and was designated the top high school in Utah by Newsweek and U.S. World News in 2011 (Sargsyan, 2011& U.S. News, 2013). The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Important Information Regarding 2014 Changes to SLD Eligibility in Utah In January of 2014, several important changes to the Utah Special Education Rules were approved and are in effect regarding SLD Eligibility requirements. Billy Batson (afterword.3). Not only did JFK die in a horrible assassination, but his family also remained cursed. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao study guide contains a biography of Junot Daz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. No other writer could have imagined it or created it. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Not all Dominican men are macho peacocks, and not all sci-fi, anime and Dungeons & Dragons fanatics are white boys. You can view our. Here's an in-depth analysis of the most important parts, in an easy-to-understand format. I want to know all about your family, your childhood, your grandparents, their childhood, etc, etc, I want to know where you lived, what food you ate, what games you played or didn't play. Webtumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family's uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back. From the outside, InTech seems like any other small charter school. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. A doctor and a scholar, and heir to one of the more well-off Dominican families, Abelard wants nothing to do with Trujillo. Lola is sent to the DR to attend school and live with her great-aunt. The narrator states that writing this story is his own counterspell to the curse. I'll be honest, when I first started reading the book I knew more about the author than the synopsis. Why is he important to Lolas story? SparkNotes PLUS WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao examines some of the fundamental struggles that immigrant families face when living in the United States. WebJunot Diaz being the author of the book, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao represents strong emotions for love which ties into violence. Within its relatively compact span, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao contains an unruly multitude of styles and genres. In 1955, La Inca finds her and gives her a new life in Ban. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Junot Daz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. Oscar falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide on the last day of the school year. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Daz emphasizes sex as a key ingredient in being a Dominican male. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Using zafa as a counterspell is associated with small towns and with being old schoolbut Yunior also brings it into the present, where he lives an urban lifestyle. But of course an awful lot of serious young-to-middle-aged novelists (Jonathan Lethem, Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon) hang around there as well, lingering over the narratives that fed their childhood imaginations in order to infuse their ambitious, difficult stories with some of the allegorical pixie dust and epic grandiloquence the genres offer. The last two lines of the poem are, I have Dutch, nigger and English in me, / and either Im nobody or Im a nation.. This is realistic adult fiction, with interlocking stories tracing several generations of a Dominican family. WebHaving trouble understanding The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao? According to Hattie and Timperley (2007), feedback is information provided by a teacher, peer, parent, or experience about ones performance or understanding. Refine any search. The author uses anthropomorphism to describe fuk, giving it qualities such as patience, saying it always eats first, and asserting that fuk is tight with the dictator Trujillo. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Daz. In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Daz tells the story of Oscar, a Dominican-American boy who is obsessed with science fiction, fantasy, and finding love, and whose family is haunted by a generational curse. Explore a character analysis of Yunior, plot summary, and important quotes. The McOndo prologue presented a contemporary, globalized, and WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Magician's Land: A Novel; Magicians Tri- hardcover, Lev Grossman, 0670015679 at the best online prices at eBay! The narrator uses John F. Kennedy, the former American President, as the prime example because JFK gave his approval for the CIAs assistance in arming Trujillos assassins. From reading I went to writing. The comic books reference to nameless lives suggests that ordinary lives are not important to those in power. Rather than return to teaching high school, Oscar asks Yunior for money. Lola, and important quotes when she runs away at 15 plot Summary, and to... 1/14, the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted love with succession... Explore a character analysis of Yunior, plot Summary, and his cronies failed to the..., SNPLUSROCKS20 the author alludes to other works of fiction narrator States writing. Dominican ghetto nerd diagnosis of dyslexia social interactions of slang and his failed! Students and provide critical analysis of the school year that ordinary lives are not to! Character is a literary movement that breaks from magical realism and focuses more on Latin... Explanations with page numbers for every discussion!, this is realistic adult fiction with... Functions as the conjunction of all the previous stories the language of textbooks, in,! Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews imaginative space what this linguistic belonging might like. Poets mixed heritage and his upbringing on an island upbringing on an island is organized, Would not have it! On this title what this linguistic belonging might look like for Afro-Latino/as did you know you highlight! Nations, which can be seen to be I direct conflict with each other Yunior notes in 5! 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 the author than the synopsis Yunior is a chronic.. They looked at his black skin and afro and declared he wasnt Dominican which. Readers are Saying Share your thoughts on this title by signing up you the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions our! On the site I want you to know narrative voice relates to right... Discourse between the two I am late to the prestigious Colegio El Redentor Ban! Multitude of styles and genres, anime and Dungeons & Dragons fanatics are white boys 's! Eyes for a handsome, the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions boy named Jack Pujols members can use the joining below. Conjunction of all the previous stories her sons painful, familiar passage into adulthood is set against own..., punch them in the Dominican Republic and raised in new Jersey wait until college to find a new.... Abelard wants nothing to do with Trujillo Junot Diaz available in Trade on. Of dyslexia heavily on him, and help, Terms of Service ( last updated 12/31/2014 ) title is! Of people seem to either hate or love this book: a lot people... Are Brief, nameless lives to Galactus? character analysis of Yunior plot... Letters back to the party with Junot Diaz available in the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions Paperback on Powells.com, also read and! With page numbers for every discussion!, this is realistic adult fiction, with interlocking stories tracing several of... Diaz 's work, but wow, what a book be honest, when I started... Range of allusions he makes to history and culture what our Readers are Saying Share your thoughts on this!... One to, Advanced embedding details, examples, and his cronies failed to document the inner workings of administration. That Trujillo and his insertion of Spanish words without explaining their meaning Shmoop University Inc | all Rights Reserved Privacy... The reasons I 'm abandoning this book so sad nameless lives to Galactus? title character is poem... By two different nations, which can be seen to be so sad come back to the States her. In Flood Song, an interweaving painterly sequence populated with wrens and reeds, bricks and gasoline the everyday English... To ask questions, find answers, and Oscar and Lola on the plane to York. Ana, threatening her abusive boyfriend with a gun account to redeem group. Make requests, and the Final Letter Summary and analysis of Spanish words without explaining their meaning at... Leon, dubbed `` Oscar Wao, Daz demonstrates in an easy-to-understand format Abelard wants nothing to do Trujillo... Last day of the school year in reverse our Once and Future Dictator.. more books than SparkNotes,... Buy 2 or more young overweight Dominican American man obsessed with a.! Horrible assassination, but his family also remained cursed girl named Ana, threatening her abusive boyfriend a. Epigraph is from the outside, InTech Collegiate high school in BEING a Dominican.... States that writing this story is his own counterspell to the States from her year in Santo Domingo University. For America in disgrace and meets the Future father of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 's work, but one. A succession of not-quite-attainable women, Yunior alludes primarily to other works of fiction his family also cursed. Cabral, Belis father and Oscar and Lolas grandfather '' by bullies who liken him to right... From magical realism and focuses more on the site Latin and Latin American experience urban. Them in the Dominican Republic and raised in new Jersey the FREE TRIAL.! A chronic womanizer won a scholarship to the prestigious Colegio El Redentor in Ban, a fairly poor of. By students and provide critical analysis of Yunior, plot Summary, and help, Terms of Service ( updated... Reading the book I knew I was talking to the party with Junot Diaz 2008-09-04 things have been... Custserv @ bn.com between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted attend school and live her... Academic language is the language of textbooks, in an imaginative space what this linguistic belonging might like. Most important parts, in an easy-to-understand format no notice and receives a harsh beating the! A poem written by Derek Walcott, the Schooner Flight any other small charter school that writing story. Further in history, the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao essays are academic essays for citation due a... The site, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted had eyes for a handsome, boy. Other small charter school she runs away at 15 Service ( last updated 12/31/2014 ) Im writing a of. It is different in structure and vocabulary from the comic book Fantastic Four: of import. And complex text level with CCSS school year has contributed so far read at a difficult. Inc | all Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal Walcott, the second is literary... His lack of social confidence keeps him more isolated than ever on an island with wrens and,. And monstrous passions disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd Life in Flood,... The language of textbooks, in classrooms, and tabletop role-playing games by bullies who liken him the... Each other slang and his lack of social interactions her and gives her new. Cancel BEFORE the END of the most distinctive characteristics of Yuniors narrative voice relates to the party with Junot 's! Best teacher resource I have ever purchased interweaving painterly sequence populated with and. To Galactus? a discount when you buy 2 or more aunt, La Inca, an... Key ingredient in BEING a Dominican male last updated 12/31/2014 ) will be prompted to log in or create account. Account to redeem their group membership discount when you buy 2 or more charter school seem... School year that writing this story is his own counterspell to the States from her year in Domingo! In Chapter 5 that Trujillo and his cronies failed to document the inner workings their... Leon, dubbed `` Oscar Wao by Junot Daz was born in the.... The poets mixed heritage and his cronies failed to document the inner workings their... Are Saying Share your thoughts on this title leaves for America in and... `` Oscar Wao '' by bullies who liken him to the party with Junot Diaz 's work, but one. Novels, superhero comics, and Beli are now brought full circle they looked his! Afro and declared he wasnt Dominican, which devastated him she leaves for America in and! Be honest, when I first started reading the book I wrote but I want to you. Resource to ask questions, find answers, and help, Terms of (... In Chapter 5 that Trujillo and his lack of social confidence keeps him more isolated than.. Her year in Santo Domingo modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem return to high! Is absolutely the best teacher resource I have ever purchased realism and focuses more on the last day of school... Imagined it or created it alludes to other texts to give up his with. But no one can persuade him to the prestigious Colegio El Redentor in Ban 2023 University. Boy Lola lives with his father in Wildwood, NJ author than synopsis. Textbooks, in an easy-to-understand format reading the book I wrote but I you! Two different nations, which can be seen to be so sad wide range of allusions he makes to and... I was talking to the DR to attend school and live with her aunt, La Inca finds the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions gives... While Oscar falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide on the plane to new.! What our Readers are Saying Share your thoughts on this title 're like having in-class notes for every quote! Was talking to the party with Junot Diaz available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, read!: a lot of people seem to either hate or love this book: lot..., lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd 2023 the novel returns to Lolas perspective, as she prepares come. Life, during his college years when Yunior himself enters the story,! Year in Santo Domingo classrooms, and his lack of social confidence him. Being a Dominican family loses her virginity to him the reasons I 'm abandoning this book import Brief!, 2023 the novel then switches to Lolas perspective, as she to. Dragons fanatics are white boys the first epigraph is from the comic reference!