TOW #1 - The Way They Were

The article that I decided to read for this week is titled The Way They Were that was posted on The New York Times website. The author, Gabrielle Selz, tells the story of her mother passing away and her father preparing for his literal grave. Selz explains that her "parents each took an approach to the end of life that was indicative of the way they lived their lives." Her mother, being a shy and rather reserved woman, passed away gracefully after a long battle with amnesia. Her father, being "vibrant and ambitious," led an enthusiastic life and continued to do so as he coped with the idea of death. Something that is important to note is that Selz's thoughtful and calm tone remains constant throughout the entire article. At one point, she mentions that her "father [had] been obsessively preparing for his demise for the last 25 years" which is almost kind of joke that she thought that her father was going a little bit over-board. In contrast to this, she mentions that her father was "a force of nature continually hurtling forward" and that he "needed to control and plan even for the time when he would no longer be among [them]." By saying this, I interpreted this as saying that Selz is thankful for his dedication this "end of his life" project. She may have almost made fun of him for being obsessed with it, but deep down, I believe that this really helped her cope with her father's death. Keeping her tone constant while changing what she is saying is what makes Selz a talented author. She can make a serious article more of a joy to read without taking away from its meaning. Her purpose could have been to tell anyone about her story of her parents passing away, but I believe that she directed this toward people who are facing a situation where someone that they care about is soon to pass away. This sheds light on the her opinion that death does not necessarily have to be a bad thing and that preparing for the actual death is not something to be scared about. It is a sad time in a person's life to see someone die; however, Selz effectively explains that it is all up to how the person who is dying is handling it. 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/the-way-they-were/?_r=0