Review: Little Fires Everywhere

Written by Sam Steelman

Celeste Ng tells a breath-taking story of the war between social classes, the chaos of parenting, the differing opinions centered on morality, with a “love prevails all” message, all in the confinements of a small town. This story forces the reader to look at controversial situations from both perspectives. It provides anyone who reads this book with a widened view as to why people choose the life decisions they do.

In all honesty, it took me a couple tries to be completely immersed in this novel. The first chapter grabs you by the throat. However, the second chapter takes its sweet time setting the scene. I now can understand and appreciate the slow parts of this novel because it was taking necessary time to develop these wonderfully complicated characters. The character progression in this novel is a beautiful experience. Seeing Mrs. Richardson’s complete loss of control and her youngest daughter, Izzy’s, reclamation of her own control is a meticulously written mother-daughter clash.

Mrs. Richardson’s character is intricate and complex, mean-spirited and vile, wrapped in a pretty bow to maintain an upstanding reputation as a small-town reporter stuck in her hometown. She forces herself to believe that staying in Shaker Heights was her plan in order to keep herself from feeling like a bird forever confined to its cage. I personally found Mr. Richardson to not be relevant to the story at all, except for his involvement with the McCulloughs. Other than that, he contributes almost no substance to the story. The Richardson children have their own unique personalities and relationships. However, Mia and Pearl are by far my favorite characters because of their aesthetically pleasing, adventurous lifestyle.

The main character rivalry in this novel is between Mia and Mrs. Richardson. Celeste Ng portrays each character as the other’s complete opposite, leading to a perfect falling out by the end of the novel. Mia is a completely free spirit. She parents Pearl with love and understanding, allowing her to make the mistakes she will learn the most meaningful lessons from. Mia goes wherever she feels inspired to complete her artwork, never staying in one spot for too long. On the other hand, Mrs. Richardson has perfectly structured her life, with a perfect house, perfect husband, perfect job. However, her desire to control her children to force them to follow the upstanding path she envisioned for them results in complete rebellion and resentment. Mrs. Richardson resents herself, and the reader sees this unfold throughout the novel. Mia wraps this up in a passionate confrontation: “‘It terrifies you. That you missed out on something. That you gave up something you didn’t know you wanted.’ A sharp, pitying smile pinched the corners of her lips. ‘What was it? Was it a boy? Was it a vocation? Or was it a whole life?’” (Ng 302).

Overall, I would recommend for everyone to read this book. I would especially recommend it to those with a narrow perspective on life, those who make judgements before thinking about the other party’s situation. Above all, this book, in the words of Celeste Ng, is for “those out on their own paths, setting little fires.”

Academic Arguing

Written by Lia Schuermann

When we use the word “argument,” it usually has two very different meanings. The version of arguing you’re probably most familiar with is when someone verbally confronts others and their beliefs and values while defending their own. You probably think of this kind of argument when two friends have a disagreement with each other, which can be highly stressful for them and anyone nearby.

Instead of making an argument, they’re having one, and it’s usually more about confrontation than persuasion (Fleming 249). Everyday arguing is a natural way that people express themselves, but this kind of conflict can be threatening because the focus is often on attacking others and defending ourselves.

In an academic context, we craft an argument in which we not only assert our opinions but present reasons to support them. When we argue in academic papers, we’re not trying to rationalize our own beliefs or defeat our opponents. We’re trying to reason with others. And so, academic arguing is an important and necessary skill and activity because it asks us to use reason to facilitate, manage, and even resolve differences.

What’s in an Argument?

To best craft an academic argument paper for class, you’ll want to prepare. That means before going into in-depth research, make sure you choose a topic or issue with which you can connect. At the same time, make sure it’s a viable topic – one with ample amounts of research that you can make use of in a paper.

If you can’t think of a topic, pick one that deals with being a college student – anything from student loans to parking! You can research the topic online (and/or use your school’s library database, not to mention your local public library) to find articles that not only discuss that issue but do so fairly by acknowledging and respecting those on both sides of the argument, just like academic arguing.

Writing an effective argumentative paper is about being aware of what others think on a topic, reflecting on the opposing views of that topic, and presenting reasons why those involved might compromise on the issue. We can even use academic arguing like this outside of class, but it’s probably not necessary when arguing over whether to have burgers or pizza for dinner. It can, however, be useful when discussing issues with others (friends, family, etc.) who are personally and passionately involved in those issues so that they feel respected and acknowledged.

Perhaps most importantly, in order to craft an effective argument, you must conduct some kind of research and use what you find as evidence to convince those who are reading that you’re not simply stating an opinion (like in a mundane argument with a friend).

For TWU Students

A specific database under the TWU library that reflects this is Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center, which is organized by issue and contains articles on one side of the issue and articles on the other side of the same issue.

For Writers at Large

Another really helpful resource that shows different sides of an issue is New York Times’ “Room for Debate” where they discuss current events and issues with writers debating multiple sides of that issue. What’s really cool about this is that there’s not necessarily just two sides to each issue, as debaters aren’t categorized by labels like for and against.

I hope these resources are as helpful for you as they have been for me as a college student.  And remember, academic arguing is about respecting and discussing, not fighting!

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References

Fleming, David. “Rhetoric and Argumentation.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H. Brooke Hessler, Oxford University Press, 2014, p.248-265, works.bepress.com/david-fleming/3/.