8 Principles of Stoicism

The Stoics were a group of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers who followed a realistic but morally idealistic way of living. The philosophy of life was developed by Hellenistic Greeks about 300 BCE and was eagerly embraced by the Romans. The Stoic philosophy also had a strong appeal to Christian theologians of the early 20th century, and it has been applied to spiritual strategies for overcoming addictions. As Australian classicist Gilbert Murray (1866–1957) said: I believe that [Stoicism] represents a way of looking at the world and the practical problems of life which possesses still a permanent interest for the human race, and a permanent power of inspiration. I shall approach it, therefore, rather as a psychologist than as a philosopher or historian.... I shall merely try as best I can to make intelligible its great central principles and the almost irresistible appeal which they made to so many of the best minds of antiquity. quoted in Knapp 1926 Stoics: From Greek to Roman Philosophy The Stoics are one of five major philosophical schools in classical Greece and Rome: Platonist, Aristotelian, Stoic, Epicurean, and Skeptic. The philosophers who followed Aristotle (384–322 BCE) were also known as the Peripatetics, named for their habit of walking around the colonnades of the Athenian Lyceum. The Stoic philosophers, on the other hand, were named for the Athenian Stoa Poikile or painted porch, the roofed colonnade in Athens where the founder of the Stoic philosophy, Zeno of Citium (344–262 BC), held his classes. The Greeks likely developed the philosophy of Stoicism from earlier philosophies, and philosophy is often divided into three parts: Logic: a way to determine if your perceptions of the world are correct;Physics (meaning natural science): a structure to understand the natural world as both active (figured out by reason) and passive (existing and immutable substance); andEthics: the study of how to live ones life. Although little of the Stoics original writings exist, many Romans adopted the philosophy as a way of life or art of living (tà ©chnà ª peri tà ³n bion in the ancient Greek)—as it was intended by the Greeks—and it is from the complete documents of imperial period Romans, especially the writings of Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE), Epictetus (c. 55–135 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE) that we gain most of our information about the ethical system of the original Stoics. Stoic Principles Today, Stoic principles have found their way into accepted popular wisdom, as goals to which we should aspire—as in the Serenity Prayer of Twelve Step addiction programs. Below are eight of the main ethical notions held by the Stoic philosophers. Nature: Nature is rational.Law of Reason: The universe is governed by the law of reason. Humans cant actually escape its inexorable force, but they can, uniquely, follow the law deliberately.Virtue: A life led according to rational nature is virtuous.Wisdom: Wisdom is the the root virtue. From it spring the cardinal virtues: insight, bravery, self-control, and justice.Apathea: Since passion is irrational, life should be waged as a battle against it. Intense feeling should be avoided.Pleasure: Pleasure is neither good nor bad. It is only acceptable if it doesnt interfere with the quest for virtue.Evil: Poverty, illness, and death are not evil.Duty: Virtue should be sought, not for the sake of pleasure, but for duty. As modern-day stoic philosopher Massimo Pigliucci (b. 1959) describes the stoic philosophy: Briefly, their notion of morality is stern, involving a life in accordance with nature and controlled by virtue. It is an ascetic system, teaching perfect indifference (apathea) to everything external, for nothing external could be either good or evil. Hence to the Stoics both pain and pleasure, poverty and riches, sickness and health, were supposed to be equally unimportant. Serenity Prayer and Stoic Philosophy The Serenity Prayer, attributed to the Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), and published by Alcoholics Anonymous in several similar forms, could have come straight from the principles of Stoicism, as this side-by-side comparison of the Serenity Prayer and the Stoic Agenda shows: Serenity Prayer Stoic Agenda God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. (Alcoholics Anonymous)God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. (Reinhold Niebuhr) To avoid unhappiness, frustration, and disappointment, we, therefore, need to do two things: control those things that are within our power (namely our beliefs, judgments, desires, and attitudes) and be indifferent or apathetic to those things which are not in our power (namely, things external to us). (William R. Connolly) It has been suggested that the main difference between the two passages is that the Niebuhrs version includes a bit about knowing the difference between the two. While that may be, the Stoic version states those which are within our power—the personal things like our own beliefs, our judgments, and our desires. Those are the things, say Stoics ancient and modern, we should have the power to change. Updated by K. Kris Hirst Sources Annas, Julia. Ethics in Stoic Philosophy. Phronesis 52.1 (2007): 58–87.Knapp, Charles. Professor Gilbert Murray on the Stoic Philosophy (Religion). The Classical Weekly 19.13 (1926): 99–100.McAfee Brown, R. (ed) 1986. The Essential Reinhold Niebuhr: Selected Essays and Addresses. New Haven: Yale University Press.Pigliucci, Massimo. How to be a Stoic:Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life. New York: Basic Books, 2017.---. Stoicism. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  Remple, Morgan. Stoic Philosophy and AA: The Enduring Wisdom of the Serenity Prayer. Sobering Wisdom: Philosophical Explorations of Twelve Step Spirituality. Eds. Miller, Jerome A. and Nicholas Plants: University of Virginia Press, 2014. 205–17.Sellars, John. Stoic Practical Philosophy in the Imperial Period. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. Supplement.94 (2007): 115–40.

Essay about Oedipus the King - 1164 Words

According to Websters Dictionary, fate is defined as A power that supposedly predetermines what is to happen (257). In the play Oedipus Rex each character is touched by fate directly or indirectly. The author of the play Sophocles pens the story of a man who was destine from birth to be both martyr and hero, he could never be one without the other. Another view of Oedipus Rex is that some critics view him as a tyrant and not a hero because he did not come into power by natural succession, but through more sinister means, which are revealed later in the play. Also renowned authors such as Sigmund Freud in his paper On Dreams believe that Sophocles meant to portray Oedipus as a tyrant .... Oedipus frequent outburst of†¦show more content†¦He is uncomfortable with the idea to the point of rage and paranoia, that he himself might be the cause of all that befalls the city, because in years past he had been its savior. An example of this is when the blind soothsayer Teiresias tells him that he is the reason for the misfortune brought upon the country and that he is also the murderer he seeks for the death of King Laios. I say that you are the murderer whom you seek(Sophocles The Oedipus Cycle, Translated by D. Fitts and R. Fitzgerald). Oedipus instantly becomes enraged at the accusation even though he forced the information from the reluctant soothsayer in his pursuit for justice. Now twice you have spat out infamy. Youll pay for it!(D. Fitts and R. Fitzgerald 20). The reaction to the soothsayers news would support the earlier theory that perhaps Oedipus was more tyrant than hero. After the truth is revealed to him he denies it believing that Creon is most trusted friend and bother-in-law is plotting with the soothsayer to gain control of the kingdom. His own pride and arrogance blinds him to things and events that have been in evidence for many years, these like the nature of his birth and the prophecy of him murdering his father and sleeping with his mother. It is later revealed that all his life in some form or fashion Oedipus as beenShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King Of Oedipus868 Words   |  4 Pageschallenge that waits upon one. Confidence overpowers cockiness. The cocky trait is heavily represented in the story â€Å"Oedipus the King† (c. 430 B.C.) by Sophocles. In the story, Oedipus the king of Thebes has the cocky trait and it results in torture for life. Oedipus’s arrogant personality shows throughout the story as he tri es to find the killer of the former king of Thebes, his father. Oedipus tends to deem himself as a god throughout the story which plays a big role in interaction with people around himRead MoreOedipus The King : Oedipus1328 Words   |  6 PagesOedipus the King Oedipus had a lot of different character traits both good and bad. He had a good conscience; he cared deeply for the people in his life and protected them. He was very empathetic, smart and a dependable man who lived his life with great integrity. He was an honest man with strong moral principles and lived a righteous life. He found it difficult to live anything less than a righteous life; when he realized what had become of his life, his guilty conscience consumed him. He was filledRead MoreOedipus The King Of Oedipus1019 Words   |  5 Pageswhat makes Oedipus actions in his quarrel with Teiresias and also throughout the play so dramatically compelling, is the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story. We know Oedipus fate even before he does, and there is no suspense about the outcome itself, instead, the audience anxiously awaits Oedipus to reveal his fate unto himself in his desperate quest to rid his city of the terrible plague, or maybe even more so, to simply d iscover his own unfortunate tale. Oedipus is relentlessRead MoreOedipus the King1125 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus the King by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, #8220;Oedipus the King#8221; contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers#8217; downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape. Pride like that of Oedipus hadRead MoreOedipus the King1065 Words   |  5 PagesSophocles’ use of irony is amongst the greatest of all time, as demonstrated masterfully in Oedipus the King. He displays both ambition and understated humour by using irony in diverse ways, both cosmic and dramatic, as well as verbal irony to add a greater level of wit. Every word spoken holds great symbolic weight and those words contribute to a narrative that reflects the gods plans. Adversely the work of Johnathan Swift takes the form of a social satire, combining economic arguments with a sociopoliticalRead MoreOedipus the King1164 Words   |  5 Pagesmen of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus.† This attitude, commonly found in men of high station is not specifically identified as pride in the case of Oedipus and, indeed, different readings can place Oedipus’ great flaw in a number of areas. It seems as if Sophocles intended to emphasize the more common interpr etation of Oedipus’ flaw being excessive pride, but other interpretations, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1967 film Oedipus Rex, present other possibilities as the main characterRead MoreOedipus the King773 Words   |  4 PagesThe Greek drama Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, is regarded as one of the most perfect tragedies ever written. The tragedy Oedipus the King is highly esteemed partly due to its use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony means that facts or events, which are not known to the characters on stage or in a fictional work, are known to the audience or reader. Sophocles uses dramatic irony to demonstrate how little the protagonist really knows. The main dramatic irony in Oedipus the King contrasts Oedipus’sRead MoreOedipus The King, Or Oedipus Rex1249 Words   |  5 Pagesmost famous probably being Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex. For a play to be considered a tragedy, it must have a tragic hero. According to Aristotleâ €™s definition of a tragic hero, they must be a decent moral person, of high social standing who eventually meets with a tragic downfall, of their own doing, suffering more than deserved, and realizing their error too late. In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the epitome of a tragic hero. Oedipus Rex was generally a â€Å"good† person; heRead MoreOedipus The King And Oedipus At Colonus1567 Words   |  7 Pagesworks of Sophocles and particularly evident in Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, not only exalts the Greek nationalism present at the date of composition but dictates the course of the story, evolving as its tragic hero works through his fated anguish. Hubris, defined as exaggerated pride or self-confidence, is the earmark character trait of Oedipus and perhaps Creon. However, it is the abandonment of his sanctimonious nature that distinguishes Oedipus as a true hero. The theme of the evolutionRead MoreOedipus The King, And Oedipus At Colonus1343 Words   |  6 Pages Oedipus, a play written by Sophocles, has become a staple in the study of a Tragic hero in classic literature. When this was written in the fifth century, theatre was more than a means of entertainment but almost a religious event. Robert Fagles goes even further by saying tha t†theatre was not only a religious festival; it was also an aspect of the city’s political life.† (Fagles) . Greek dramas were presented only twice a year during religious festivals that honored Dionysus, the god of wines

Bloodsucking Fiends A Love Story Chapter 7 Free Essays

Chapter 7 Suitors After enduring a reasonable amount of bitterness from the crew over using his position to make a move on the girl in the parking lot, Tommy was able to persuade them to get back to work. Simon, Drew, and Jeff performed some mechanical magic on the meat case with a hammer, some jumper cables, and a can of Bondo, and by morning everything was running as if greased by the gods. Tommy met the manager at the front door with a smile and a report that his first night had gone great. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 7 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The best crew he had ever seen, he said. He rode to Chinatown with Troy Lee. They found a parking place a few blocks from Tommy’s room and walked the rest of the way. The sun was up only an hour, but already the merchants were open and the sidewalks crowded. Delivery trucks blocked the streets as they dropped off their loads of fresh fish, meat, and vegetables. Walking through Chinatown with Troy Lee at his side, Tommy felt as if he were carrying a secret weapon. â€Å"What’s that stuff?† Tommy asked, pointing to a stack of celerylike stuff on a produce table. â€Å"Bok choy – Chinese cabbage.† â€Å"And that?† â€Å"Ginseng root. They say it’s good for the wood.† Tommy stopped and pointed in the window of a herbalist. â€Å"That looks like hunks of deer antler.† â€Å"It is,† Troy said. â€Å"It’s used to make medicine.† As they passed the fish market Tommy pointed to the huge spiny turtles trying to escape their milk crates. â€Å"Do people eat those?† â€Å"Sure, people who can afford them.† â€Å"This is like a foreign country.† â€Å"It is,† Troy said. â€Å"Chinatown is a very closed community. I can’t believe you live here. I’m Chinese and I’ve never even lived here.† â€Å"This is it,† Tommy said, stopping at the door. â€Å"So you want me to ask them about the flowers, and what else?† â€Å"Well, about vampires.† â€Å"Give me a break.† â€Å"No, this guy I met, the Emperor, he said it could be vampires.† Tommy led the way up the steps. â€Å"He’s bullshitting you, Tommy.† â€Å"He was the one that told me about the job at your store, and that turned out to be true.† Tommy opened the door and the five Wongs looked up from their bunks. â€Å"Bye-bye,† they said. â€Å"Bye-bye,† Tommy said. â€Å"Nice place,† Troy said. â€Å"I’ll bet the rent is a killer.† â€Å"Fifty bucks a week,† Tommy said. â€Å"Fifty bucks,† the five Wongs said. Troy motioned Tommy out of the room. â€Å"Give me a minute here.† Troy closed the door. Tommy waited in the hall, listening to the nasal, banjo sounds of the conversation between Troy and the five Wongs. After a few minutes Troy emerged from the room and motioned for Tommy to follow him back down to the street. â€Å"What goes?† Tommy asked when they reached the sidewalk. Troy turned to him; he seemed as if he was trying to keep from laughing. â€Å"These guys are just off the boat, man. It was kind of hard to understand them, they speak some regional dialect.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, they’re here illegally, smuggled over by pirates. They owe the pirates like thirty grand for the trip, and if they get caught and sent back to China, they still owe the money. That’s like twenty years’ wages in the provinces.† â€Å"So?† Tommy asked. â€Å"What’s that got to do with the flowers?† Troy snickered. â€Å"I’m getting to that. You see, they want to be citizens. If they become citizens, they can get better jobs and pay off the pirates faster. And they can’t be sent back.† â€Å"And the flowers?† â€Å"The Wongs are leaving the flowers. They’re courting you.† â€Å"What!† â€Å"They heard somewhere that in San Francisco men marry men. They figure that if they can get you to marry them, then they can be citizens and stay here. You’ve got secret admirers, dude.† Tommy was indignant. â€Å"They think I’m gay?† â€Å"They don’t know. I really don’t think they care. They asked me to ask you for your hand in marriage.† Troy finally lost control and started laughing. â€Å"What did you tell them?† â€Å"I told them I’d ask.† â€Å"You fucker.† â€Å"Well, I didn’t want to tell them no without asking you. They said that they’d take good care of you.† â€Å"Go tell them I said no.† â€Å"You got something against Asians? Too good for us?† â€Å"No, it’s not that. I – â€Å" â€Å"I’ll tell them that you’ll think about it. Look, I’ve got to get home and get some sleep. I’ll see you at work tonight.† Troy walked away. â€Å"You’re cleaning garbage cans tonight, Troy. I’m in charge, you know? You better not tell Simon and the guys.† â€Å"Whatever you say, Fearless Leader,† Troy called over his shoulder. Tommy stood on the sidewalk trying to think of a better threat. A half block away Troy turned and yelled, â€Å"Hey, Tommy!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"You’ll make a lovely bride.† Tommy, murder in his eyes, broke into a run after Troy Lee. Sunset. Consciousness hit Jody like a bucket of cold water. She thought, I miss waking up groggy and waiting for the coffee to brew. Waking up with your worries already in full stride just sucks. What was I thinking? Giving myself only a half hour to get ready for a date? I have nothing to wear. I can’t show up in a sweatshirt and jeans and ask this guy to move in with me. I don’t even know anything about him. What if he’s a drunk, or a woman beater, or a psycho killer? Don’t those guys always work nights in grocery stores? The neighbors always say that: â€Å"He worked nights and kept to himself. Who would have thought that he stir-fried the paperboy?† He did say I was beautiful, though, and everybody has their faults. Who am I to judge? I’m a†¦ She didn’t want to think about what she was. Jody had thrown on her jeans and was furiously trying to put on what little make-up she had with her. She thought, I can read small print in the dark, I can see heat coming off a hiding rat from a hundred yards, and I still can’t put on mascara without poking myself in the eye. She stepped back from the mirror and tried to fight the self-criticism – tried to look at herself objectively. I look like a late-night TV plea for the fashion-impaired, she thought. This won’t work. She broke away from the mirror, then took one last look and primped her hair, then started out the door, then took one last look, then started out the door, then paused for a last look†¦ â€Å"No!† she said aloud. She ran out the door, down the steps, and to the bus stop on the corner, where she bounced from foot to foot as if waiting for the bathroom at a beer-drinking contest. Tommy had spent the day trying to avoid the five Wongs. He watched the room until he was sure they had all left, then he sneaked in and grabbed some clean clothes, showered, dressed, and sneaked out. He took a bus to Levis Plaza, where he napped on a park bench while pigeons and seagulls scavenged around him. Late afternoon brought a cold wind off the bay that chilled him awake. He walked up Sansome toward North Beach, trying to rub the crease out of the back of his head left by the bench slats. As he passed a group of teenagers who were posturing and panhandling at the curb, one pudgy boy shouted, â€Å"Sir, can you spare a quarter for some eyeliner?† Tommy dug in the pocket of his jeans and handed the kid all of his change. No one had ever called him ;sir; before. â€Å"Oh, thank you, sir!† the kid gushed in a high feminine voice. He held the fistful of change up to the others as if he had just been handed the cure for cancer. Tommy smiled and walked on. He figured that panhandlers had cost him about ten dollars a day since he had come to the City – ten dollars that he really couldn’t afford. He didn’t seem to be able to look away and walk on like everyone else. Maybe it was something you developed after a while. Maybe the constant assault of despair callused your compassion. A plea for money for food always made his stomach growl, and a quarter was a small price to pay to quiet it. The plea for eyeliner appealed to the writer part of him, the part that believed that creative thought was worth something. Yesterday he had heard a tourist tell a homeless man to get a job. â€Å"Pushing a shopping cart up and down these hills is a fucking job,† the homeless guy had said. Tommy gave him a buck. It was still light when Tommy reached Enrico’s on Broadway. He paused momentarily and looked over the few customers who were eating on the patio by the street. Jody wasn’t there. He stopped at the host’s station and reserved a table outside for a half hour later. â€Å"Is there a bookstore around here?† he asked. The host, a thin, bearded man in his forties, with perfect anchorman-gray hair, raised an eyebrow, and with that small gesture made Tommy feel like scum. â€Å"City Lights is one block up on the corner of Columbus,† the host said. â€Å"Oh, that’s right,† Tommy said, batting himself on the forehead as if he’d just remembered. â€Å"I’ll be back.† â€Å"We are giddy with anticipation,† the host said. He spun curtly on one heel and walked away. Tommy turned and started up Broadway until he was accosted by a barker outside a strip joint, a man in a red tailcoat with a top hat. â€Å"Tits, slits, and clits. Come on in, sir. The show starts in five minutes.† â€Å"No, thanks. I have a dinner date in a few minutes.† â€Å"Bring the little lady back with you. This show can turn a maybe into a sure thing, son. We’ll have her sitting in a puddle before you leave.† Tommy squirmed. â€Å"Maybe,† he said. He hurried along until the barker two doors up, this one a buxom woman wearing leather and a ring in her nose, stopped him. â€Å"The most beautiful girls in town, sir. All nude. All hot. Come on in.† â€Å"No, thanks. I have a dinner date in a few minutes.† â€Å"Bring her – â€Å" â€Å"Maybe,† Tommy said, walking on. He was stopped three more times before he reached the end of the block, and each time he declined politely. He noticed that he was the only one who stopped. The other pedestrians just walked on, ignoring the barkers. Back home, he thought, it’s impolite to ignore someone who is speaking to you, especially if they call you â€Å"sir.† I guess I’m going to have to learn City manners. She had fifteen minutes before she was supposed to meet Tommy at Enrico’s. Allowing for another bus ride and a short walk, she had about seven minutes to find an outfit. She walked into the Gap on the corner of Van Ness and Vallejo with a stack of hundred-dollar bills in her hand and announced, â€Å"I need help. Now!† Ten salespeople, all young, all dressed in generic cotton casual, looked up from their conversations, spotted the money in her hand, and simultaneously stopped breathing – their brains shutting down bodily functions and rerouting the needed energy to calculate the projected commissions contained in Jody’s cash. One by one they resumed breathing and marched toward her, a look of dazed hunger in their eyes: a pack of zombies from the perky, youthful version of The Night of the Living Dead. â€Å"I wear a size four and I’ve got a date in fifteen minutes,† Jody said. â€Å"Dress me.† They descended on her like an evil khaki wave. Tommy sat at a patio table with only a low brick planter box between him and the sidewalk. To avoid the titty bar barkers, he had crossed the street eight times in the half block from City Lights Bookstore to Enrico’s and he was a little jangled from dodging traffic. He ordered a cappuccino from a waiter who fawned over him like a mother hen, then stared in amazement when the waiter returned with a cup the size of a large soup bowl and a plate of brown crystalline cubes. â€Å"These are raw sugar cubes, honey. So much better for you than that white poison.† Tommy picked up the soup spoon and reached for a sugar cube. â€Å"No, no, no,† the waiter scolded. â€Å"We use our demitasse spoon for our cappuccino.† He pointed to a tiny spoon that rested in the saucer. â€Å"Demitasse,† Tommy repeated, feeling reckless. In Indiana the use of the word ;demitasse; was tantamount to leaping out of the closet in scandalous flames. San Francisco was a great city! A great place to be a writer! And gay guys seemed like pretty nice people, once you got past their seeming obsession with Barbra Streisand music. Tommy smiled at the waiter. â€Å"Thanks, I may need a little help with the forks.† â€Å"Is she special?† the waiter asked. â€Å"I think she’s going to break my heart.† â€Å"How exciting!† the waiter gushed. â€Å"Then we’ll make you look marvelous. Just remember, use from the outside first on the forks. The big spoon is for winding pasta. Is this your first date?† Tommy nodded. â€Å"Then order the raviolis – bite-size – no muss, no fuss. You’ll look good eating them. And order for her, the rosemary chicken with roasted bell peppers and wild mushrooms in cream sauce – a beautiful dish. Tastes horrid, but on a first date she won’t eat it anyway. You don’t have time to run home and change, do you?† The waiter looked at Tommy’s flannel shirt as if it were a foul, dead animal. â€Å"No, this is all I have clean.† â€Å"Oh well, it does have a certain Mr. Green Jeans charm, I guess.† Tommy caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye and looked up to see Jody walking into the cafe. The waiter followed his gaze. â€Å"Is that her?† â€Å"Yes,† Tommy said, waving to catch her attention. She spotted him, smiled, and approached the table. Jody was dressed in a khaki skirt, a light-blue chambray blouse, light-blue leggings, and tan suede flats. She wore a woven leather belt, a green tartan scarf tied around her shoulders, silver earrings, bracelet, and necklace, and carried a suede backpack in place of her airline flight bag. The waiter, keeping his gaze fixed on Jody, bent and whispered in Tommy’s ear, â€Å"The flannel is fine, honey. I haven’t seen anyone that over-accessorized since Batman.† He stood and pulled the chair out for Jody. â€Å"Hi, we’ve been waiting for you.† Jody sat. â€Å"My name is Frederick,† the waiter said with a slight bow. â€Å"I’ll be serving you this evening.† He pinched the fabric of Jody’s scarf. â€Å"Lovely tartan, dear. Sets off your eyes. I’ll be back with some menus.† â€Å"Hi,† Jody said to Tommy. â€Å"Have you been waiting long?† â€Å"A little while, I wasn’t sure of the time. I brought you something.† He reached under the table and pulled a book out of a City Lights bag. â€Å"It’s an almanac. You said you needed one.† â€Å"That’s very sweet.† Tommy looked down and mimed an â€Å"Aw, shucks, it was nothing.† â€Å"So, do you live around here?† Jody asked. â€Å"I’m sort of looking for a place.† â€Å"Really? Have you been in town long?† â€Å"Less than a week. I came here to write. The grocery store is just a†¦ just a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Job,† Jody finished for him. â€Å"Right, just a job. What do you do?† â€Å"I used to be a claims clerk at Transamerica. I’m looking for something else, now.† Frederick appeared at the table and opened two menus in front of them. â€Å"If you don’t mind me saying,† he said, â€Å"you two are just darling together. There’s a Raggedy-Ann-and-Andy energy going between you two that is simply electric.† Frederick walked away. Jody eyed Tommy over the menu. â€Å"Have we just been insulted?† â€Å"I hear the rosemary chicken breast is wonderful,† Tommy said. How to cite Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 7, Essay examples