FATHERS SARAH VOWELL

1 FATHERSSARAHVOWELLSARAHVOWELL isbestknownforthesmart, ,Oklahoma,in1969, , slife:SheworkedasaDJforhercollegestation inMontana;shepublishedaday-by-daydiaryof oneyearspentlisteningtotheradio,RadioOn: AListener sDiary(1996); ,includingDavidLetterman sandJonStewart :StoriesfromtheNewWorld(2000).Hermostrec entbooksarePartlyCloudyPatriot(2002)andA ssassinationVacation(2005).Vowel1isalsoa regularcolumnistfortheonlinemagazineSalo n,andherwritinghasappearedinnumerousprin tperiodicals,includingTime,Esquire,GQ, ,BradManning s ArmWrestlingwithMyFather, VOWELL s ShootingDad spolitics,interests,andevenhiswork, ,inslightlydifferentform, ,youwouldn mnotsayingwhowastheDemocratorwhowastheRe publican myfatherorI butIwilltellyouthatIhaveneversubscribedt oGuns&Ammo,thatIdidnotplasterthefamilyve hiclewithNationalRifleAssociationsticker s,andthathunter ,though2I mpartialtotheFirstAmendment,whilehe house,locatedonaquietresidentialstreetin Bozeman,Montana.

2 Theso-calledprettyoneslikethecirca1850wa lnutmuzzleloaderhangingonthewall,Dad sclients fixer-uppersleaningintocorners, , propertythereincludedanorchard,ahorsepas ture, ,duringbreakfast, , , , Pat,youmightoughttocheck,butIdon tthinktheydothatuphere! Fromthelookonhisface, ,mumbling, Why,shootingcrowsisanationalpastime,like baseballandapplepie. Personally, ,I , , ,IgigglewhenDadcallsmeonElectionDaytoche erfullyinformmethathehasonceagaincancele doutmyvote, ,andwewereincapableofhavingaconversation thatdidn , sshopwasamessydisasterarea, d61 Abbreviationfordemilitarizedzone,anareao ff-limitstowarmaking.

3 , ,carpetedwithspikymetalshavings, , ,anobstaclecourseofmusicalinstruments piano,trumpet,baritonehorn,valvetrombone ,variouspercussiondoodads(bells!), ,onwhichIpenciledinthepompousorchestramu sicgiventitleslike PreludetotheGreenDoor ( ,notthewatershedpornflickBehindtheGreenD oor) ,skipstheteenDebussyanecdotesandstickwit hthealwaysattention-gettingline Mydadmakesguns. Thoughitwon tcausetheguytolikemeanybetter,itwillmake himhandletheinevitablebreakupwithdiploma cy , ,Amy,andIweresixyearsold six sactivities thecartriptoDodgeCity sBootHill, ,ontheotherhand,turnedintoRoosterCogbumJ r.

4 , ,shenamedherteddybearDuke,hungacolossalJ ohnWayneportraitnexttoherbed, ,toAmy sdelight,puttheguninherhand,shesaysshefe ltitmeantthatDaddytrustedusandthathethou ghtofusas biggirls. ,asifIhadnosayinthematter, , tknowifIdroppeditorjusthandeditbackovert omydad, ,becauseIbelievedinthedevil, , Satan,Irebukethee. VowelI/ShootingDad155It snotlikeI , [hatIdidn twantmyfather slittledeathstickstokickmetothegroundgai n, ,who;tartedcallingherself theloneliesttwininhistory , , reoldernow, ,themoreI , scannonisasmallerreplicaofacannoncalledt heBigHorn16 GuninfrontofBozeman shistoricalsource,amanknowntoscholarsasA GuyattheMuseum,thecannonwasbroughttoBoze manaround1870,andwasusedbylocalwhitemerc hantstofireattheSiouxandCheyenneIndiansw hoblockedtheirtradeaccesstotheEastin1874 .]

5 Bozemanwasfoundedongreed, ,17hecontinues, ,bolts, ,becauseacoupleofyearslater, Becausemyfather ssarcasticAmericanhistoryyarnsrarelygoon forislongbeforehetrotsoutsomenefariousan cestorofours 1comefromalonglineofmoonshiners,Confeder atesoldiers,murderers,evenDemocrats hecracksthatthemerchantshiredsome community-mindedSouthernsoldiersfromNort hTexas. Thesesoldiershad,likemygreat-great-grand fatherJohnVowell, ,Kansas,in1863flyingablackflagand156 Descriptioncommandinghismenpharaohliketo killeverymaleandburndowneveryhouse. JohnVowell, Dadsays, hadalittlerepforkillingpeople. Andsincehe19abandonedmygreat-grandfather Charles,whosemotherdiedgivingbirthtohimi n1870,andwasn tseenagainuntil1912,Daddoesn samapofallhisobsessions firearms,certainly,hutalsoAmericanhistor yandfamilyhistory,subjectshe ,afterinventingandbuildingariflebarrel20 boringmachine,aftersettingupthatcomplica tedshopfilledwithlathesandblueingtanksan doutmodedblacksmithingtools, , ,assuringmethat youcannotshootfireworks,butthisisconside redafirearm.

6 Itisasmallcannon, sheavy Cannonworks:Sothat ,pointsitatanembank-23mentjusttobesafe, , ,whichwarrantsBenDaydot2wordsalongthelin esofker-pow!There vegiventhisalotofthought sjustreally, , , ,usedincomicstointensifywordsforactionsa ndloudsounds. ,andI ,thedelicateneedleswhichkeeptrackoftheso undqualitylurchintothebad,redzonesofasta ndsohardI msurprisedtheydon ,Ihadtotouchmyheadtomake26suremyskullhad n rebothalittlehardofhearing mefromAerosmith, , Goodshot,Dad. JustasI mwonderingwhat scomingoverme, , , Soyouworkfortheradioandthat syourdad? , That squitethemachineyougotthere.

7 Butheisn stalkingaboutmytaperecorderandmymicropho ne ,thenIlookoveratmyfather scannon,thendownatmymicrophone,andIthink , , (Jhat sworse, sunwieldyandimpractical, ,you ,I ,thekindofrock n aprettydriven,idiosyncraticone, reallinit mymom,theloneliesttwininhistory, , sahint:Itrequiresacannon. Youguysaregoingtolovethis, hesmirks,eyeballingthecannon. YougettodragthisthingupontopoftheGravell iesonopeningdayofhunting293 33 German, totalworkofart, specificallyaworkthatseekstounifyallthea rts. , I lldoit, ,mysister, , ,sourcesonSarahVowel!,andannotatedlinkst ofurtherreadingsonfathersanddaughters, seccentric,evenobsessive,father?)

8 Doyoubasicallycometosympathizewithhimorn ot?Whoinyourlifehasquirkybehaviorthatyou findcharmingorannoyingoralittleofboth?Wr iteaparagraphortwoaboutthisperson,focusi ngonhisorherparticularhabitsorobsessions .(Totakeyourjournalwritingfurther,see FromJournaltoEssay onthefacingpage.) ,Vowelldescribesgrowingupin ahousedivided. Whatdoesshemean?Whereintheessaydoesshema kethedivisionsinherhouseholdexplicit? ,givenVowell sfather sloveofguns,wasit fine withhimthathisdaughterdecidedasayoungchi ldthatshewantednothingtodowithguns( )?Whatdoesthisattitudesuggestabouthischa racter? ,givenheraversiontoguns,doessheregardthi scannonpositively?

9 19,aboutherfather sfamilyhistory,contributetoVowell sportraitofhim? sPURPOSE inwritinghere?WhatDOMINANTIMPRESSION ofherfatherdoesshecreate? sfinalsentencemean?Doyoufinditasatisfyin gconclusiontoheressay?Why,orwhynot? ,VowellreliesonCOMPARISONANDCONTRAST toexpressherrelationshipwithherfather( 12). smainpointaboutherrelationshipwithherfat her? !showsherfather mumbling that shootingcrowsisanationalpastime,likebase ballandapplepie, whileshenotesthatsheherself preferredbaseballandapplepie. HowdoesthelanguagehereillustrateIRONY? , Mytwinsister,Amy,andIweresixyearsold six WhataretheEFFECTS oftherepetitionofthewordsixinthefirstsen tenceandofthethree-wordfinalsentence?

10 :muzzleloader( );revoked(4);bickering(5);partitioned,re spective,totalitarian,labyrinth,lathes,p ompous(7);colossaL(10);traumatized(12);p roLiferation,confiscated(13);cyanide(17) ;nefarious,moonshiners,guerrilla,pharaoh Like(18);ballistic(20);giddiness(24);adv ersary,accomplice(29);unwieldy(30);idios yncratic(31). , ,likeVowell,focusontheevolutionofyourrel ationshipwiththisperson whetherovermusic,clothing,hairstyles,fri ends,orlargerissuesofpolitics,values, ,striveforanobjectivepresentation,neithe rpronorcon.