Templex+DB

__Reflection by Brittany Douthwright on //Templex// by McPhee__

This article for me was truly entertaining, because it evoked many of my emotions. It was also very interesting that it was a profile versus a regular story. It gave me a sense of the different skills McPhee uses depending on the type of story he tells.

The profile is about a man named Temple Fielding, who wrote travel guides when he travelled Europe. These guides, I assume, were written for the typical American Tourist, who did not know Europe very well. He would tell the tales of the different hotels he stayed at, the different people who served him best, which restaurants served the best food, and provided the best hospitality. But what people like most about him (I think) was his honesty. Even if he was best friends with the man or woman who owned a hotel or restaurant, he would be honest about his experience. If he did not like the food or service, he would let his readers know, and to him, his honesty to his readers was more important then friendship.

In the beginning of the profile, McPhee describes Fielding to a T. He even goes as far as describing (in detail) every single thing he packs in his briefcase when he travels. When they say you can tell a lot about a man or a woman by what is packed in their briefcase, they are certainly telling the truth.

Extra reading glasses Plastic Fork and spoon Stud Box Dwarf American cigars Standard toothbrush Collapsile toothbrush Rubber bands Paper clips Eraser Credit Cards Peanuts

Right from the beginning we know this man is extremely prepared for wherever he may go, and we also know he is very organised if he can reach under his (without looking), reach into his briefcase and grab what he needs. Not to mention the thirty-five hankerchiefs he so neatly packs in his suitcases.

What I mean when I say this guy meets the typical rich American man stereotype, I mean he drives cadillac convertibles with flags attached for representation. He eats at the most famous, elegant restaurants in Europe, that one only dreams about going. He stays in the best hotel suites anyone can buy, and he is extremely critical about the way these places are run by the employees.

For example, he will eat a plate of food, just to see if it meets his perfection, and he will check every noock and crany for dust, or dirt. He will go to a hotel and ask the clerk to check out a certain number of rooms, and he will go in and lay down in each bed to check is they are plush to his standards. After all of this, he will write about his experiences in his travel guides.

In the beginning I was not very fond of this type of man. He seemed to be a rich snob in my eyes. But as McPhee goes deeper into his past and how he became who he is today, my opinions became to change.

This man has worked for the military and the CIA and has almost lost his life countless of times. He has lived through the depression, experiencing terrible poverty, and has been taught to make the most of life, regardless of money. I get the feeling even if this guy was poor, he would still figure a way to do what he does, because he is extremely determined.

"Fielding has not once missed a plane or a train. He will probably preserve this record for the rest of his days, because he arrives consistently at terminals at least an hour ahead of his departure time." (33)

"He buys Planters salted peanuts. Then he dumps them into a sink and runs water over them. Then he scrubs them. Then he dries them and sends them out to be re-roasted. Then he seals them tightly in a double-walled plastic bag, which, when full, contains a ball of peanuts inches thick-or two months' supply." (34)

As you can clearly see this man is very rich, and very picky, but like I said before the more you get to know this man, the more you understand why he is the way he is. Going from extreme poverty to richness, has given him the capability to be picky. He gets to enjoy the finer things in life, and does he not deserve it, after all he has been through? Its not like he hoards his money and does not share the luxuries. For his guest who stay the night, he provides a breakfast menu with the following choices:

"The menu offers three kinds of fruit juice, eight kinds of cereal (including Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Shredded Wheat, and Grape Nuts), eggs in eleven styles, ham, bacon, sausages, dried beef, butifarra, creamed chicken on toast, liver and bacon, kidney and bacon, four kinds of fish, pancakes with Vermnot maple syrup, eighteen kinds of of baked goods..."

And the list goes on. This man is extremely hospitable, and expects everyone to be treated with the greatest kindness and respect. What is so wrong with this? Once the story is over, we get a sense that Fielding is a very good person, even though he is rich.

McPhee really allows his readers to get close to Fielding, without even knowing him or meeting him. McPhee's writing has the ability to make the reader forget about whos writing the peice, and go deep into what is being written. McPhee completely removes himself from the story, and makes the character the center, which is truly amazing. But what I liked most about this story, was that he took an ordinary man like Fielding, and made him special, a sort of hero in his own way.

Brittany Douthwright