Blog#6:Quarter 4: Tender Bar

In the story, although Moehringer develops a personality he likes and he talks positively of the men at the bar, it seems like the men were corrupting him and turn us into hating him too. At the beginning of the story, I thought that J.R. was pretty innocent, had ambitions, but was slowly being corrupted by the men at the bar that he had called his saviors. At one point, his uncle, one of the men at the bar, and the one who introduced him, took him to the bar where he would "mature." In my opinion, this lead to a downward paths in his life. For example, when his mom had been in the hospital because of a car accident, he didn't try to do anything. Instead, he decided to call up a girl he had met at a party by the name of Lana. At the point where his mom is in trouble, he gave her up. Even though she was being taken cared of, the extra comfort by him would've helped her. However, on that day, he took out Lana, to try and lose his virginity because he believed that it was what would transform him into a man. These were the ideas that the men at the bar had taught him and these ideas corrupted him, and as noted before by me, would ruin his life because as he adopted these new ideas, he had lost the ambitions that he had developed from before.

Blog#5:Quarter 4: Tender Bar

In this story, there are several ethical issues that the main character faces. J.R. Moehringer, all his life, was given the impression that he should hate his father because of what his mom said. His father had left him and his mother penniless and his mom just despises his father. Ever since, he had started to severe relations with his dad, and working to become a lawyer like his mom had dreamed. However, there were certain problems. When he wanted to fill out for YALE applications because the paternal figures of the bar insisted he do so, he needed his father's address. He put "NOT APPLICABLE" but he kept on hesitated about it. Later when he was interviewed and asked about his name, J.R. he didn't want to say that it was his father's because he was ashamed of his dad. He didn't want all his work to be his dad getting credit for it. His mom then arranged for him and his father to have time together. They spent time together and Moehringer began to like him. Soon it was time for his father to go. He was going to ask him why he left him and his mom penniless. He didn't have the guts to do so. However, later on he gave up on the idea of becoming a lawyer and suing his dad because he didn't want to betray his dad. He didn't want to help his mom and betray his dad. However, because of this, in his mind, he thought that he had betrayed his mom.

Blog#4:Quarter 4: Tender Bar

From what we are showed, Moehringer tells us that he didn't fit the qualities of a seven year old either. He had his "security blanket" which was kind of like the object he carried around him even when he was seven years old and he had started to develop strange tantrums. He had develop tantrums that his mom hoped to grow out of, but he just got worse. Soon after he returns from his psychiatrist meetings, we learn that he develops his problems from his anger developing inside of him. This adds to the problems that is lead throughout his life. He has to suffer living in the "Shit-House" while his neighbors are all living in such big houses. Such anger and jealously of them causes him to start suffering delusions and superstitions and fears. He would fear cats, dogs, ladders, and other things that can lead to trouble. All of this just add to how he disliked being of a lower class because of his grandfather's scrooge like attitude.

Blog#3:Quarter 4: Tender Bar

As we continue throughout the story, we find out about the life of Moehringer's life. As a child Moehringer had always wanted to see his father, whom he called the VOICE. The Voice was funny to him and was heard on the radio a lot, preaching. According to him. We learn from him the personalities of his mom and grandpa and how they don't approve of each other. She was unable to pursue her dreams of going to college because of the money factor. For that reason, she always wanted Moehringer to complete what she couldn't do. The mom shows herself as someone who puts pressure on a kid for what she didn't accomplish, for what she couldn't do but what she wants her kids to achieve for her. This can play an important role in Moehringer's development because we might see her not let him be able to take on his own goals. This is the reason why he lives in the Shit-House. This can play a significant role since his grandfather's scrooge like attitude might prevent him from achieving his goals. This also creates problems with his mom and his grandpa since they don't like each other.

Blog#2:Quarter 4: Tender Bar

Meohringer's memoir tells us of his everyday family life. We learn that he lives in a big house with many family members. His household is known as the "Shit House" and it includes his mother and him, his grandpa and grandma, his mother's two grown siblings, Uncle Charlie and Aunt Ruth, and Aunt Ruth's five daughters and one son. We learn that he is not happy in living there because he is bothered by noise that is made constantly from all the arguing and disgruntles in his family. We learn that he doesn't like the noise, however the experience of living in such a house has taught him to enhance his selective listening skill. He states that this skill was helpful whenever he wants to listen to the thing he wants to while ignoring every else. The reason for it being a "Shit House" to him is because his grandpa not caring about the house and so doesn't want to repair it so it looks like crap to him. This all adds up to the fact that makes him try to stay from the house as much as possible. By doing this, we can foreshadow that he will start hanging around at the bar more because he loves the happiness that is brought upon in the bar.

Blog#1:Quarter 4: Tender Bar

In J.R. Moehringer's memoir, The Tender Bar, in this story, Moehringer tell us about the life of his town and how it revolves around the bar. In his memoir, he states, "My hometown was famous for two things - lacrosse and liquor"( Moehringer 5). By stating this, he informs to us that his hometown is known for playing lots of lacrosse as well as drinking and going to bars. This helps us to understand the community that he is in. We also learn within the first few chapters of the book that his dad has left him and his mom by themselves. His mom decides to leave him because he is a tempered man. In doing this, his mom angered his dad and for that reason his dad to abandon them. This happened when he was young. Whenever he hears his famous dad on the radio, they try to hide it away from him by telling him that he never had a dad. However, we can see that he understands that even as a kid and because his dad has left him, he had to look for other fatherly figures throughout his community. This all leads him to the bar when men will act like his dad.