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In the story "Something that needs nothing" by Miranda July, the passage that sticks out to me is in the last page. "It was the final eight. If no customers came in, I would yell the word "quit." As in no more, enough, I'm going home. I stared at the door. It threatened to open with each breath I took, with each passing minute. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight." (page 470) In this passage, she has just had enough. This is not the life that she had hoped for when she moved away. At this point she has lost everything. Her girl, her self respect, and her family. She does not want to do this anymore but she doesn't know what else to do to make money. This passage shows her weakness. It shows that she is actually a person who has feelings. I think this passage is very well writen.

The passage "We were anxious to begin our life as people who had no people" (p.450). In the story the two characters were really just two people who had no one else. They left everything behind just to be together or just good friends together because neither saw each other as anything else but friends. I chose this because it shows that they were definitely planning this out maybe not very thoroughly but they had some ideas about what to do and possibly how to achieve the goal that they wanted to reach. For an instance i thought about their decision to leave each other their respective house holds, but then in this world.... that would be insane because you would not survive without some sort of good plan. Just shows how the two characters thought of everything on the fly without a single thought to consequences this can be seen later on in the story as well.

The longest paragraph written on page 453 corresponds with its meaning perfectly. In that paragraph, the couple has just headed home after their sexual encountment with Leanne for money. The narrator talks about long their ride was, mentioning that they were "kites flying in opposite directions attached to strings held by one hand". July creates a long paragraph to show the awkwardness that existed between each other after finishing their "new job". The long paragraphs also act as the physical distance that existed between the two mentally. Also, when Pip left the narrator, she mentioned that "I waited an unreasonably long time, long enough to realize that she wouldn't be back tonight" and talks about how she would often hide from Pip hoping to be found. Everytime she hid from Pip, she wondered if Pip would "understand that time had stopped while she was gone". Once again, the long paragraph plays a key role with the meaning of the paragraph. July uses the paragraph to represent time. The long paragraph corresponds to the long wait the narrator went through before Pip returned. Also, by enlongating the paragraph, July "freezes time" to symbolize the emotions the narrator felt whenever Pip left her: time had stopped.

?Each morning Pip made a list of what we needed to do that day. At the top of the list was usually go to bank, where they had free coffee. The next items were often vague ? find about food stamps, library card? - but the list gave me a cozy feeling. I like to watch her write it, knowing that someone was steering the day.? This passage describes how strong the narrator's feeling is for Pip, the narrator's girlfriend. She liked the fact that Pip took charge of the day. Even though what was on the list was something about nothing, the reader can tell the narrator didn't mind doing these things for her lover.

In the Short story " Something that needs nothing " The passage where I find the medium and the mesage work well is at the end of page 453 and beginnig of page 454. I closed my eyes...they ran." In this particular passage July is letting us figure out what the main character is describing. She is using some specifc structure of words to reinforce her idea. Instead of using the word sex, she said when we did it right... and futher down she said Just before I got there, I noticed a clicking noise in the air... I am trying to guess that she is mastubarting and is describing how she feels when she reaches the point of having an orgasm. This story is very similar the the Dybeck one , We Din't where both authors are letting the readers discover the message of the stories on their own by doing some deep ananlysis on the choice of the words and the stucture.

In the story, Something That Needs Nothing, the moment where the medium and the message work well together is on pg. 455. On most of this page, the narrator is describing her relationship with her lover, Pip. The narrator states ?But I wasn?t okay. In the last ten years, we had only touched three times.? This sentence shows the narrators frustration towards Pip because of how she is not very affectionate. Then the following three numbered paragraphs show the narrators few intimate moments with her love. We get insight as to how she was feeling during these moments. For example in the second numbered paragraph the narrator states ? we got drunk? everything seemed normal and we kissed? in the following days I waited for more kissing, perhaps even some exchange of rings or lockets.? In most relationships, either one or both people with become attached and want more than they either expect or receive. In the moment we see how the narrator expresses her emotions towards Pip. We see how quickly she falls in love with Pip, while Pip does not show the same feelings, because they are not intimate often.

I agree with Mary on both quotes as examples. These are perfect examples of where the medium and the message work together. The first quote she mentions specifically shows the agitation and longing felt for Pip because of there distance between each other. The second quote Mary mentions is also a good example of their strange relationship. It was unexpected to receive a kiss from her and that is a good example of when the medium and the message work well together. Where Pip is not affectionate with the narrator it provides resentment towards Pip which is also seen in both of the quotes.

The passage that really stood out to me where the message and medium work together is when the narrator is listing the 3 times that her and Pip touched. It shows small insignificant moments in their relationship where the narrator showed much emotion and Pip showed very little to none. It starts off with "when she was eleven her uncle tried to molest her" (455). Right there we get the impression that she will not become a very intimate girl. That is proved in the story.

A moment where the medium and message worked well together in the story "Something that needs nothing" by Miranda July was on page 453. It said "I register only fifteen minutes out of the hour. I see she is standing before us in a slip and it is not clean and i die. I see that Pip is talking off her shoes and i die. I see that I am squeezing a nipple and I die. July kept repeating "I die" and that compliments the message of how the character feels during her sexual experience with Leanne. The narrator did not want to have sex with Leanne but she had to do it for the money, so she says "I die" to show how much see dislikes her actions.

"I knew it the moment before I saw it. I knew I would find them together on the bed like this, I knew I would be stunned, I knew they would spring apart and wipe their mouths." (457) This point in the story is very important and it shows that the relationship between her and Pip is not were she would like it to be. She wants to be with and be able to touch Pip so badly that her heart just dropped when she saw this. The way that she feels about pip does not compare to the way that Pip feels about her and we learn a lot from this quote.

In the story Something that needs nothing by Miranda July. The part on 460 where pip leaves her for that girl Katie. Where she says ? I lay there. This was my last hope that pip would take pity on me? ( p.460). This where she is laying on the side walk hopping that pip would get out of the car and help her but she never does. I think this works with the meaning of the story because it shows how much this girls love pip. It also shows how pip controls her. This also show this girl becomes independent and doesn?t seem to need pip anymore. After pip leaves she still gets up and tries to live her own live. I think this is the turning point were this girl can get up and move on. Sit around and wait for a girl who probably never will love her.

I found the most interesting passage to be on page 461 when Pip has just left and she decides she needs to stop morning and go get a job. She cuts her shorts so that they are itty-bitty and cuts her shirt so it barely covers her breasts. This is a very liberating time for her, as she is now no longer scared or intimidated. The author shows us this with her use of ?hey.? ?HONK barely covering my small breasts, but hey. Hey, I was leaving the apartment? And hey, I was starving? (461). The use of the word hey shows the lackadaisical attitude she now has. Before she was scared and intimated but now she is almost fearless. She is completely care free and isn?t embarrassed about her body anymore and uses this newfound confidence to go get the job.

I agree with Christina in that the passage at the very end of the story in which the narrator is watching the clock at the end of her shift provides a good example of medium and message working together. The way July names each passing minute, drawing them out as long as possible by placing a period between each one, makes the reader appreciate how long each minute must have felt for the girl. It also builds a feeling of nervous anticipation, as each period leaves a pause in which the door could open and a customer could enter, forcing the girl to keep her job for another day. Even the simple, three word sentence, "Allen, I quit", is broken up with a small paragraph between each word, again drawing out the conclusion of the story and leaving room for someone to interrupt and ruin the girl's plan. Structuring this passage this way allows the reader to feel the same buildup of suspense that the character must have been feeling.

The passage where the medium and the message worked the best for me was "We were kites flying in opposite directions attached to strings held by one hand (pg 453). This passage explains how disgusted and unhappy both Pip and Gwen about the Leanne situation. They probably just felted like they needed some time away from each other and clear their heads. They felted like they got cheated out of the deal, that they under charged Leanne. Both Gwen and Pip only did it for the rent for their apartment.

The moment in July's story when Pip leaves with Kate is a good example of the effectiveness of pairing the medium with the message. The paragraph beginning "I could not let her leave the building..." gives a very vivid description of how things went down, but also carries some of the anxiety and pain within its form. Most of the sentences are short and exasperated, complimenting Gwen's desperation as she chases Pip down the stairs of their apartment building. The author also toggles between the action of this scene and the inner thoughts and fears of Gwen, giving a sort of panicky, frantic flow to the passage. The structure of this paragraph lends well to the mood that is created by its prose.

The very first paragraph of the story " In an ideal world, we would have been orphans. We felt like orphans and we felt deserving of the pity that orphans get,..." This opener sets the tone for the story. Here we understand that these two characters have a family but they feel abandoned or lost so they seek each others friendship and head out on a journey to hopefully find happiness with very little money.

in the story "Something that needs nothing" by Miranda July, There is an important passage and quote that sticks out to me. "she was just some girl that tied me to her leg to help her sink when she jumped off the bridge. Then i blinked and was in love with her again".(p.452). This quote shows the passion and love for this women. The main character basically says that she uses him and knows that he will do anything for her. He is willing to do what ever she wants and knows he wont get anywhere. Even knowing that he has no chance. He still realizes that he is instantly in love with her.

I agree with Christina, the ending paragraph also had that same effect on me. To end the story on that note I believe was to drive the meaning Christina alluded to home. That what our narrator hoped for by moving away is not what she is living. July has a neat style of making the reader feel the anticipation with her counting methods. "Two.Three.Four.Five" ect.. We the readers are left with the impression that at the end of this particular work day, our narrator has given up on hoping for a better tomorrow.

This first paragraph is done in short concise sentences that just state random facts, which is what her life is like, pieced together in an imperfect world. The story is later turned into a long paragraphs and sentences found on page 453. This indicates the lengthy time like previously stated but also can be related to the first sentence on page 451. She felt like an orphan indicated on page one and on the very next page she is talking about the awkwardness she was feeling and the lengthy time which most orphans feel. They wait for time to pass till they come of an age they can be on there own and have a family and experience life.

In my opinion, the basis of Miranda's story, is built in the second paragraph on page 450, "We were anxious to begin our life as people who had no people. And it was easy to find an apartment because we had no standards....This was tremendously thrilling for one of us. One of us had always been inlove with the other. One of us lived in a perpetual state of longing. But we'd met when we were children and seemed destined to sleep like children, or like an old couple who had met before the sexual revolution and were too shy to learn the new way" (450) From this passage the narrator gives us the root of their relationship. It is here that the reader actually gets a hint of how the two characters might be involved with each other sexually. although she keeps repeating that 'one of us ' had a greater desire for what their relationship had to offer, the reader is able to derive from the words used such as " who had met before the sexual revolution and were too shy to learn the new way"( 450), that both characters might actually have the same feelings towards each other, the only difference being that one has been given the chance to express herself and not the other. The detail given about the two having met during their childhood, is also an important part of the story because then we could argue that their relationship was merely built from childlike curiosity rather than some kind of realization that they were lesbians at such an early age. Maybe their lack of exposure and interaction with the opposite sex especially the narrator whose mother would never let go, had more to do with their sexual interaction. It seems rather premature in my opinion, to conclude that at such a tender age, these two characters had figured out thei sexual identity.

I agree with the passage Matthew posted since the word choice gave hints of how the narrator would have a low level of intimacy towards others which i believe was due to what was stated in the beginning of the passage "when she was eleven her uncle tried to molest her" (455).its a strong passage and through the rest of the story it is just proved that she did have a problem with intimacy.

The passage "We were anxious to begin our life as people who had no people," stood out to me the most. The two characters were people who were leaving there lives behind. They left everything they once knew and owned and walked away from it. Although they had some understanding of what they wanted to do, it showed that these two characters are see things through tunnel vision, they are just thinking straight ahead and dont have any pheriphal vision because they left without really thinking about the consequences of what can happen, and not knowing if they could survive or would have to come back to their homes that they just walked away from.

The story "something that needs nothing" by Miranda July, seems to deal a lot with immaturity. the narrator, Gwen is very insecure and at times does not seem to be mature enough to go out in the world. the passage that captures this the best is on page 463 in which Gwen just spews every bad word she can think of in one sentence. this is a point in this story where we see her childishness come out. If she had just said that to each man who came to the phone she would be out of a job quickly.