This American Life

All of these videos we watched in class had the similar theme of escape.  None of them actually went anywhere but they all seemed to create and identity that let them be the person they wanted to be that helped make them fell safe.

In the first video with the disabled man i think he feared never be to live his life on his own and always needing from someone like his mother or caretaker at the time.  He wanted to escape from that life and those thoughts by trying to you his disability money to be able to live on his own to where he has to take care of himself even though it doesn't seem like he should.  I felt like his reason for escape was fear because he didn't want to be dependent, he just wanted to live like a normal adult even though he was far from that.

In the video about the kids at school i felt the main focus dealing with escape was that when you get to a place like high school you can kind of create your own identity and be whoever you want all the kids around you to see you as.  In yearbook pictures everyone looks exactly the same but in reality everyone is different and you can be as different as you want to be when you first start highschool.

The last video invoving the two men in prison obviously wanted to escape from the life they were living in there.  they wanted freedom and would do whatever it took to try and get it even if they didn't deserve it.  and the man who created his own town with the action figures was basically in my opinion trying to live through them.  Because he could kill or hurt whoever he wanted and he would remain safe no matter what.  there would also be know consequences for any of his actions in an action figure world.  The incident he sufferd outside the bar scared him for life and his own fake world that he escapes to and makes him feel safe.

i believe this can all relate to writing because when you write you can tell as much truth or as much of a lie as you want.  You can create any character or any story that you feel comfortable or safe with, and no one can tell you its wrong.  People can live through their writing by telling stories that they aren't capable of doing in reality.  Writing can be anyones own way of personal escape with no consequences or harm.