American Man at Age 10 Response by Matthew Curtis

This piece was quite interesting to read. I like how the author started out describing what it would be like if she and Colin Duffy were to get married, and I think it shows how imaginative a 10 year old can be. They have their whole lives in front of them, and no dream is too big, including having Morgan Freeman come and visit, and that they will "...cure AIDS and the garbage problem and everything that hurts animals". I think one of the points of the piece is to show that at even such a young age, the social hierarchy is still very present. In describing the day at the pizza place next to their school, Colin and a friend are waiting to play a video game that is occupied at the time with "some teenage boys from a nearby middle school..and were standing in a tall, impenetrable thicket around the machine". I think this perfectly describes how a 10 year old may perceive people who, while still older than he is, are still considered kids by most people. They request to play next and ignored at first, then cursed at when they speak up again. When the author says "He and Colin went outside, where they felt bigger", I think it shows how bold all people, not just 10 year olds, can be when not in the presence of some intimidating force. Colin's fascination with money was intriguing to me, as I don't recall being too knowledgeable of money when I was that age, and the one 10 year old I know that I have regular contact with doesn't seem to be so pre-occupied with anything other than food and x-box. Different times, I suppose, but there are still many similarities with today's youth. The section of the piece when the author discusses advertising with Colin, seems to me to be about how it is today. Perhaps a little more intense today than it was back then, however, with the internet and more and more kids spending more and more time watching TV instead of playing outside. When the author describes Colin's backyard as "...big as Wyoming", which is a place that Colin would like to eventually move to. I like how the author writes, "One day, certainly, he will grow and it will shrink...and it won't be big enough for him anymore". This again shows how big the world can to a 10 year old, not only physically but imaginatively as well. As she follows Colin around, I think she gets a sense of how wonderfully naive a 10 year old can be. I don't mean it as a bad thing, I personally think this world would be a better place if some issues were settled through the eyes of a child, but as an easy existence, where even the most difficult questions can have the simplest answers.

I am curious about how the author found Colin and was able to secure permission from his parents to follow him around and write about his life. Was she a family friend, or just a stranger that might have posted an ad that Colin's parents responded to?

This piece fits perfectly with our goals for the semester, and being able to immerse ourselves in our chosen subjects I think will be necessary to accomplish our goals. In order to truly understand the people we have chosen to write about, we need to try become one of them for a time, to walk in their shoes, and see the world how they do. This will make writing our final papers much easier, and will also give us more credibility.