TOW #20 - "The Fine Art Of Quitting"

This relatively new essay written by an man named Poe Ballantine was quite an interesting read. At first the title does not seem to fit the piece, but becomes the most perfect title once the essay is finished. This essay describes the life of the author while he is living in a dinky studio apartment on the San Diego beach. While many folks who come and go saying how beautiful the city is, the author knows whats really going on as he watches the biggest cockroaches he has ever seen "carrying off whole hams". While the beginning of the essay seems more like a real estate review rather than a message about the fine art of quitting, it takes a turn towards Ballantine's career as a writer and why he chose (or was given) that path. His most fond high school memory was his teacher saying "she was so impressed [by his ending of the unfinished Twain novel Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians] that she thought I should make an appearance on television and claim to be Twain's ghost." Because the author is such a gifted writer, it seems odd that he would title an essay about his career "The Fine Art of Quitting", since he tells everyone that he is one day going to win the Nobel prize for literature. However, the title could not be more fitting once the reader realizes that the author has not done his 'destined job' in a quite a while and does not plan to get back into the swing of things until he becomes the 'prime author age' between 32 and 36 and claims he just simply needs to find "something to write about" first. It was funny to read his descent into the satirical and metaphorical resignation from his 'job'. While the essay was filled with plot twists and witty remarks, it still kept a tone of sophistication--a prime example of his old high school teacher's words. This combination of slight vulgarity and formal tone ties back to why "The Fine Art Of Quitting" is so perfect for this essay's title. It mirrors not only the author's current point of view regarding his authordom, but also his unique style.