Journal Post #9 (Dr. Masters)

Gomorrah Part II Response:

For the second half of this text, I find myself more interested in the ecological observations and documentations—specifically with regards to toxicity as a marketable product, as it’s own kind of enterprise that is also regulated by (and at the mercy of) the System.

In “Land of Fires” the narrator discloses: “Any space with an owner can become a dump site. Fundamental to the success of the whole operation are public officials and employees who do not check or verify procedures or who allow people clearly involved in organized crime to manage quarries or landfills. The clans do not need to make blood pacts with politicians or ally themselves with political parties. All it takes is one official, one technician, one employee—one individual who wants to add to his salary. And so the business is conducted, with extreme flexibility and quiet discretion, and turns a profit for every party involved” (p. 288).

On the one hand, the passage above provides a forthright, detailed report about inside operations and the deliberate carelessness (if that is an appropriate word to call it here) of the employees. Also, the employees admitting/turning a cheek to clan members highlights how well known and widely known—if not all then the majority—are those within and/or some how affiliated/tied to the clan. On the other, the latter section of the passage not only further reiterates the clan’s power, but also underscores how well managed, organized, and controlled both clan and System are, as well as creating (and almost insuring) jobs for any “individual who wants to add to his salary.” I’m impressed by the simple fact that this superstructure is capable of operating so discretely.

I think an ecocritical analysis might fashion into a particularly interesting essay topic—especially considering the fact that the narrator provides so much of both the macro and micro. Garrard, in his Ecocriticism (The New Critical Idiom), examines the relationship(s) between ecology and apocalypse theory in relation to toxicity and landscape(s).

Although, I wonder how I could manipulate a 12 page research paper strictly out of documentation and journalistic writing. I feel as if I would need some type of narrative.