In the book Black Flies, so far all the reader knows is that Ollie is a new paramedic struggling to deal with the gruesome and disgusting scenes he encounters in his job of being an EMT. At the beginning we don't know much about his life before his job of being an EMT but later on we get some more insight. Ollie went to college and didn't get in to medical school right away, so he decided to take a year off and become a medic and apply the nest year. Ollie is not only struggling with the horrific events, he is struggling with how his co workers deal with the situations. His partner Rutkovsky, isn't fazed with any of the tragedies he sees, and even has bars under his badge to prove it. Ollie asks Rutkovsky, "... he only displayed a single black bar over his badge...From when I was in the war. It's a kill bar. For a confirmed kill"(16 Burke). Ollie has a difficult time wrapping his brain around the idea that Rutkovsky had killed anyone, and isn't even fazed by it. Ollie continues to be ridiculed about him being new, but one day he gets his chance to prove his skills to his co workers. Burke writes, "I lines up behind the head, set the laryngoscope up, and went in with the scope, trying to find the vocal cords. I couldn't see them" and later Ollie received help from Rutkovsky "Now! Rutkobsky hissed. I stabbed inward with the tube... As the air went in the guys skin flushed and his heart rate went up into the sixties..."(12, 13 Burke). At first Ollie is scared and doesn't believe he can accomplish the job, so he receives some help from Rutkovsky and ends up completing the task and saving the man's life. Although Ollie saves this man's life all his coworkers still make fun of him because he wasn't confident and almost killed the man.
The gruesome details are still there but the story is getting much more interesting. The story is beginning to get some plot behind the basic idea and is really becoming interesting. I'm curious to see how Ollie deals with all the pressure that is put upon him, if he will crack or rise to the occasion. I also enjoy how Burke writes about how Ollie is trying to cope with this new job, but leaves out how others cope with all the blood and gore. I'm really interested to if the views of the other workers and even Ollie change later on.
Burke, Shannon. Black Flies. New York: Soft Skull P, 2008.*Black Flies should be underlined
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9 comments:
I am slightly confused on what the kill bar is. Did he kill someone on the job? It's good that there is more plot and I am sure this is an interesting plot to see how people who save lives everyday cope with their job.
I am also reading the book Black Flies and I find it very interesting but kind of scary at the same time. The things Ollie sees in an average day are pretty grotesque and not pleasant at all! I was nervous for Ollie when he was trying to get the breathing tubes down the asthmatic's throat. Ollie just seems like such a nice, delicate person who doesn't work well under extreme pressure. He did it, but with help, so he was teased by the other medics. I am hoping Ollie gets better at working under pressure so that he is able to save more people. I am very curious about Rutkovsky. He seems like a nice enough guy and helps out Ollie, but only wearing one bar for killing someone in war is a little odd. I would think he would wear all of the other bars for saving people's lives but he only wears one for killing someone. I think he will be a good influence on Ollie even though he is not necessarily the sweetest guy around.
I am also confused about what the black kill bar is. Was he in a war? Or did it happen at work? I wonder if this is the right career path for Ollie. He doesn't seem to be handling the basic elements of his job very well.
This book sounds really interesting, if a little disgusting. I don't know if I could put up with reading a book like this, but whatever floats your boat, I guess. I was also a little confused by the description of "kill bar" you need to be a little clearer. Other than that, good work!
Wow this sounds like a pretty intense book. It is hard being new anywhere and I'm sure it is amplified by the taunting. It would also be very difficult to be a doctor that could not cope with tragedy. Good Job!
the kill bar was recieved when he was in war. It didn't say which war or if he was there being a paramedic of a soldier. At this point it only says that he recieved it for killing people in war.
This sounds like a very interesting and intense book. I feel like there are a lot of internal (as in relationships) problems that could arise within a medical environment because of all of the stress that the job puts on the medics. I wonder if that will show and what Ollie will experience from the stress of the job, or will the stress just become less and less?
This sounds like a highly disturbing novel but it also sounds like it would be a very interesting read. I am also confused as Emily is as to what the Kill bar is but I lok forward to reading more about this novel. Reading Hannah's post also made things a little more clear to hear two inputs. VERY NICE.
I think it would be very hard to be an EMT. Knowing that someone's life is in your hands would make me so nervous. I don't understand how anyone could kill someone and not even be affected by it. Why is Rutkovsky not fazed by any of the tragedies he sees? I think this is probably a necesary skill to have if you are an EMT. This sounds like an interesting book.
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