Ross Gay Reading Questions
1.) Respond, in your own words, and referencing your own experiences, to the validity of Gay’s question: “What if joy and pain are fundamentally tangled up with one another?”
Gay references this particular quote to display how certain content moments might also harbor a sense of sorrow. To illustrate, if an individual is transitioning from high school to college, there could be joy in that instance of fostering one’s own self-actualization and self-sufficiency in college, but there could also be sorrow in leaving their home world behind. There can be a sense of familiarity and belonging in one’s home world, which is why it may be anxiety-provoking to abandon everything and leave it all in the rearview.
2.) Gay advocates that we “lay down our swords and invite sorrow in.” What does he mean? Do you agree? Why or why not?
I believe the essence of this quote is to convey that it is valid and completely human for one to display their raw emotions, and there should be no shame in showing those feelings.
3.) What, very specifically, incites joy in your life? Make a specific/descriptive list of at least ten things: the moment just before my favorite band walks on stage; walking through crunchy leaves; the feeling after a difficult but fruitful conversation, etc. Be as specific as possible.
1.) Family – Surround myself with the best energy
2.) Friends – Surround myself with the best energy
3.) Competitive swimming – Always pushes me to grow, set attainable goals, and forget about all the other troubles I hold in life
4.) Going to the gym – Always feels energizing and it is restorative for the heart, soul, and body
5.) Outdoor activities – Connect with nature
6.) Doing my nails – Makes me feel put together
7.) Taking a nap – Makes me feel refreshed
8.) Buying flowers – Self care
9.) Lighting a candle – Makes me feel comfortable within the space I’m in
10.) Having a clean/organized room (my space) – A decluttered space = a decluttered mind
4.) What do you notice about your list? What does the list reveal about you and the ways in which you engage with the world?
After performing a thorough examination of my list, I recognized that the I am always attempting to engage with the world by in ways which I am bettering myself.
5.) In what specific ways does Ross Gay’s essay interact with Zadie Smith’s? What’s the value of Gay’s essay, through the lens of a college student?
Ross Gay’s essay interacts with Zadie Smith’s in the sense that they both discuss the particular concepts of how they associate with and depend upon joy.
