English 20--Spring 2015--Sacramento State University

REMINDER:
The Musings on Immigration assignment is due on Monday.

Also...

Below you will find two sample student responses to out of class essay 3. I want you to consider the first one it a fairly strong essay. It earned a high "B". At times, the essay spends too much time summarizing, but overall, the focus and organization and supportive evidence is good. I want you to consider the second essay a bit stronger and of higher quality, especially the analysis. It earned an A-.

Walter White and Heisenberg

“The concept here being just as your left hand and your right hand are mirror images of one another, identical and yet opposite,” starts Walter White's lecture on chirality, “but although they may look the same, they don't always behave the same.” Throughout the first season of Breaking Bad, viewers watch the life of Walter White unfold after he is diagnosed with terminal and inoperable cancer. Walter, who initially appears to be a typical mild mannered family man and high school chemistry teacher, domineered by his controlling wife and emasculated by his macho brother-in-law, has a deeply buried side of himself, a side that viewers come to know as Heisenberg. With these two personalities, we learn the tragic irony of his lecture on chirality; two men identical in appearance, but opposite in behavior. Walter White is submissive, compassionate, and inadequate; Heisenberg is dominant and clinical.

            From the first scenes of Walter with his family, viewers see Walter being submissive. He is handed a plate of breakfast with eggs and bacon in the shape of a five and a zero, for his 50^th birthday.  Walter's son, Walt Jr., complains that it is not bacon, to which Walter replies, “We're watching our cholesterol, apparently,” along with the look that he does not like it either, but is eating it because his wife, Skyler, told him to.  Later that day, Walter is at his second job, as a cashier at a car wash.  His boss, to Walter's dismay, consistently tells him to leave the cash register and wipe down the cars.  While on his knees, cleaning the wheels of a car, one of Walter's students looks at him and laughs, taking a photo of Walter with his cellphone.  Although humiliated, Walter does not stand up for himself to either his boss, for making him do work outside his normal job, or to the student, who is constantly disrespecting him.  This humiliation is carried home with him to his surprise birthday party, where his wife nags him for being late.  That night, for his birthday, Skyler gives Walter a hand job, barely paying attention, while using the other hand to work on her laptop. Throughout that day, Walter puts up with being humiliated, ignored, and scolded without once doing anything about it.

            Even though most of the people around him do not fully respect him, Walter still manages to do his best to be a caring and compassionate person.  This side of him is perfectly illustrated by his interactions with Krazy-8.  Even though Krazy-8 tried to kill Walter, and is currently Walt’s prisoner, Walter still brings him food and tries to make his imprisonment more comfortable by giving him beer and toilet paper.  Walter's compassion also comes in the form of him receiving treatment for his cancer.  Originally, Walter was going to cook meth to secure his family's financial future, but because his family really wants him to go for treatment, he gives in.  This treatment causes him to be constantly sick and exhausted, but he still does it because his family wants it.

            Walter White is a genius in the field of chemistry, but very inadequate when it comes to everything else.  While good with chemistry, Walter is a very bad chemistry teacher; he fails to get the attention or respect of his students.  While he does care about his students, when he is shown in his classroom, there is absolutely no one listening to what he is actually saying.  This lack of success carries over to his attempts at cooking meth; while the chemistry portion of the business is perfect, everything else falls apart.  First, Walter and Jesse try to sell their product to Krazy-8, but Emilio ends up recognizing Walter from the drug bust; this causes the drug deal to implode, the aftermath of which is Walter attempting suicide, the RV stuck in a ditch with two bodies inside, and a brush fire.  Next, they try to sell the meth to Tuco, a crazy meth distributor, but Jesse ends up being robbed and beaten.  Their later attempts to kill Tuco almost result in both Tuco killing them and Hank arresting them. Every time Walt and Jesse take a step forward, their mistakes set them two steps back.

            Heisenberg is not a new personality of Walter's.  In a flashback, we see the Heisenberg personality talking with Gretchen about the composition of the human body; we see Heisenberg leaning over Gretchen, strongly asserting that his way is right.  Heisenberg's strongest trait is this dominant presence, most noticeably around Jesse.  This dominance is first seen when Heisenberg blackmails Jesse into partnering up, threatening him with jail time unless he helps him sell meth.  Once they made their first batch of meth, Walt and Jesse try to sell it to Krazy-8, and when that situation implodes, Walter barters his recipe for his life.  While in the RV showing them the recipe, Heisenberg is actually making poison gas, which results in the death of Emilio, and the incapacitation of Krazy-8. While Walter seems unaffected with being invisible, Heisenberg risks his life to make sure that they succeed.  That same night, after all the mayhem that the day brought, Heisenberg does not settle for the half-effort handjob, but instead initiates aggressive sex with Skyler, causing her to ask, “Walt, is that you?”

            The pinnacle of Heisenberg's dominance comes after Jesse is beaten.  Heisenberg calmly walks into Tuco's office with what appears to be a bag of meth, introducing himself as Heisenberg; he demands that Tuco give him the money that Tuco promised Jesse before beating and robbing him.  When Tuco is about to do the same to Heisenberg, he calmly picks up a rock of the meth, and explains that it is not actually meth.  He throws the rock into the ground causing a massive explosion; he then takes the entire bag and threatens to do the same.  Heisenberg submits and pays him.

            Heisenberg is not a violent person; he neither enjoys violence or uses it as a first resort like Tuco.  Heisenberg is clinical, in that he treats situations objectively and emotionally detached.    When dealing with Krazy-8, he rationalizes letting him go up until he realizes that Krazy-8 has a shard of a broken plate, and is planning on killing him. Heisenberg only resorts to killing Krazy-8 after learning that Krazy-8 is planning to kill him once freed.  When disposing of Emilio and Krazy-8, he nonchalantly tells Jesse to buy plastic bins for the acid.  Heisenberg didn't reassure him about dissolving human bodies, but gave him simple direct instructions.

            These two personalities are most often at odds with each other; while Walter is content with being humiliated; Heisenberg, on the other hand, will attack a display case saying, “Fuck you and your eyebrows, wipe down this,” while grabbing his genitals.  But there are times when they both work for a common goal.  The first time we see this is when jocks are tormenting Walt Jr. about his disability; viewers see both Walter's fatherly care in defending his son, and Heisenberg's dominance in assaulting and taunting the jock until they backed down.  A similar event happens after Jesse is beaten by Tuco, while Walter feels sad and guilty for sending him to Tuco and wants to fix his mistake, Heisenberg walks into Tuco's office and ensures that neither himself or Jesse will be harmed in the future.

            How does a man deal with the fate of death? That is what Breaking Bad attempts to show.  In Walter White's case, he lives.  He spends the little time he has free to be both of himself: the man who will do and put up with anything for his family, and the man who demands respect and receives it.  Both men make Walter White whole and compelling because both by themselves would be just another one dimensional character, but together they showcase a man's struggle with himself and the world around him.

************

AKA Heisenberg

A pushover, a coward, a shell of a man, extremely passive. These characteristics all describe Walter White, the main character in Breaking Bad, before his cancer diagnosis.Walt is not oblivious to these failings, and they become even more distinct when he learns he is dying. In episode 1, Jesse asks Walt if he is crazy, and Walt’s response is, “I’m awake.” The cancer diagnosis wakes him up. Walt goes through a transformation. This diagnosis becomes a monkey off Walt’s back. No longer is he confined to the psychological comfort zone he has set for himself; he is now free to do what he wants, take risks, and pursue his passions, without the fear of consequences. No longer must he do things the way others want them done, for he is no longer the ‘yes man’ he once was; he is Hiesenberg, the man he wants to be, and perhaps always has been inside his soul. Yet with this new found inner power, there comes a time limit. Walt knows he must accomplish his goals in a timely manner, and that the clock is ticking, so his options for success are cut drastically. This ticking clock represents Walt’s motivation, it pushes him to make quick, life changing decisions, and through these decisions we see just how deeply layered, and undeniably human, Walter White, AKA Hiesenberg, really is.

When Walt receives the cancer diagnosis it devastates him. Walt recollects his life, what he has accomplished, and gets lost in a swirl of emotions. He feels anger, bitterness, and regret. Walt is a simple man, a straight shooter who goes with the flow; he has never smoked a cigarette in his life, yet he has caught lung cancer. Something in him begins to change; he feels a sense of blandness and lack of excitement in his life, questioning, is this really it? Walt sees Ken, asshole lawyer, and something snaps. He realizes it is time to take control, to extinguish himself of the passive spirit that allows atrocities to manifest in his life, to take action. He then proceeds to blow up the lawyer’s car, and it feels good. This sense of control, with a hint of chaos, is something his life has been lacking. He has been walked over by his boss, his students, his brother in law, and his wife; now it is his turn to do the walking.

Walt’s first substantial decision post diagnosis is, how will my family make it once I am gone? Walt is a man who cares deeply for his family. The thought of leaving them is devastating enough, but the thought of leaving them helpless and financially unstable is gut-wrenching. Walt has a lot of pride, when he thinks about his family needing to rely on others for support because he is not able to carry on his fatherly duties (since he will soon be dead) it sickens him. Taking hand-outs is not an option; being a charity case does not sit well with Walter; it must be him and only him who provides a financially stable future for his family. As he sits by the pool, contemplating his situation, a chemical reaction occurs in his brain spontaneously with the spark of the match, chemistry.

Chemistry is Walt’s first love; it is absolute, it is numbers and certainty, it is everything. There is no guessing with chemistry. For years Walt did not utilize his knowledge of chemistry to his full potential, and the match sparking wakes him up to this. Now, instead of teaching, he will utilize. Walt’s cancer diagnosis causes him to lose his sense of fear, as well as some morals; therefore, something as dangerous and ethically questionable as cooking meth becomes a legitimate option. Desperate times call for desperate measures; how else might he earn large amounts of money in a short amount of time? It is the ethics and not the danger that causes Walt to think twice, for he is a man of virtue, and wishes no harm on anyone. Because of the time constraint, he must act quickly, and so the decision is made to move forward.

Before Walt progresses to full blown cook, there are a series of smaller decisions he must make, that give insight into the depths of his character. Walt is the type of person who pays extreme attention to detail. Rather than using the internet, or some other means of research, Walt chooses to go on a ride-along with Hank. This gives him an opportunity to see the meth business, first hand, from the opposing forces’ point of view. Know thy enemy. Walt also chooses to enlist Jesse, as a sidekick, to handle the distribution aspects of the business. By having Jesse between him and the customers, he provides a cushion, not only from the dangers of distributing, but so that he may not witness the devastation his product creates. This is an example of how his morals play a part in Walt’s decision making. He knows what he is doing is morally wrong, so in order to feel comfortable continuing, he must avoid circumstances which remind him of his wrong doing. By only being the cook, he feels less responsible for the plight of his product.

Because of the time limitations posed by the cancer, Walt does not always think through his decisions, leading to many unintended consequences. When Walt steals the chemistry equipment from his school, an innocent man is blamed. This situation hurts Walt, especially since he was fond of the janitor. Other, harsher circumstances occur as well. When Walt sends Jesse to talk to Krazy 8, he is not expecting Jesse to return with the clientele. When he is holding the door to the RV shut, while Krazy 8 and his cousin are dying, Walt is almost crying. Walt does not want to kill anybody, yet through quick decision making, it seems to be a recurring event. It is either them or him; he makes sure it is most definitely them. Walt knows that if he dies before accomplishing his goals, he fails his family, and to fail his family is to fail himself. Failure is not an option.

Walt’s dedication to his family is clear throughout his decisions, but to say he does not make decisions for himself, as well, would be inaccurate. Walt chooses to mislead his wife, but he does so with good intentions. Walt knows that his wife does not understand his pride. When his former colleague, Elliott, offers to pay for his treatments, Walt declines. To accept their offer is to give up on himself. As much as Walt needs to have his family financially stable after his death, he needs to be the one who provides the stability. The reason Walt stashes the money in his daughter’s room is to convince himself that he is breaking bad strictly for his family; he does not want to believe he is doing it for himself.

Walt’s use of chemistry, as a means to progress, is not limited to cooking meth. Similar to the hammer of Thor, chemistry becomes Walt’s secret weapon (Thor). The use of chemistry gives Walt a sense of power, something he has lacked thus far in his life. Walt begins to utilize chemistry to overcome obstacles, and for each time the use of chemistry is a success, his confidence in chemistry is elevated. This is where Walt truly begins to manifest his Hiesenberg character.

As Walt’s choices lead him down a path full of destruction and chaos, he must create a distinct separation between himself and his actions. Hiesenberg is that separation. By putting on the hat and glasses, Walt is able to let go of any inhibitions and calmly execute his mission. Hiesenberg is the polar opposite of Walter White; where Walter is soft and timid, Hiesenberg is firm and direct. There are repercussions to using Hiesenberg though, as Hiesenberg follows a different moral code than Walt. Where Walt is in it for his family and pride, Hiesenberg wallows in money, power, and respect. Using Hiesenberg gives Walt a rush, so much so that it becomes like an addiction, similar to the rush Spider Man gets when he dons his black suit (Spider Man 3). As Hiesenberg, Walt begins to make choices he normally would not make. Money and power begin to be Walt’s objective, almost on the same level as providing a financial future for his family.

In episode 5, when it is Walt’s turn with the pillow, he says, “All I have left is how I choose to approach this.” Walter’s story seems original, yet it fits the basic structure of the classic hero’s journey (Campbell). Walt is a simple man, who is served a cancer diagnosis, which sends him on his journey. He is given a weapon, chemistry, to protect himself. He has Jesse, a partner with hindsight, to help him on his way. He travels into the belly of the beast, Tuco’s hideout, and emerges stronger -- a changed man. Walt, having to make decisions and live with the consequences, is what makes him such a relatable character; he makes mistakes; he has emotional highs and lows; he has psychological issues, and he is trying to be successful against all odds. Walt is neither good nor evil. He is both; he is human.

English 20--Spring 2015--Sacramento State University

Friday, May 8, 2015

Saturday, May 8th--10:40 pm

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Wednesday, April 29th--5:30 pm

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Thursday, April 23, 2015--8:50 pm

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Please read ASAP==Wednesday, April 22nd--7 am

Monday, April 20, 2015

Monday, April 20, 2015--9:10 pm

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Saturday, April 18th, 2015--7:30 pm

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

please read before class tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15th