Comments on: GRANDFATHER’S SMOKE • by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

By: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:26:57 +0000

Thanks to everyone who commented – good and bad. Just to clarify, the story was never meant to glorify smoking, not at all.

We can’t edit every harmful habit or bad thing out of our writing or what we would have left? G-rated Disney caliber work, maybe!

By: Oonah V Joslin

Oonah V Joslin — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:40:37 +0000

We can’t exponge smoking from history and it would be wrong to do so. ‘Why ask for the moon when we can have the stars’ wouldn’t be the same without two cigarettes. Literature should not censor itself to politcal correctness. People risk death to go pot-holing, climb mountains, yet these are laudible persuits?

I liked it.

By: DJ Barber

DJ Barber — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:37:08 +0000

Good story of fond memories. And we all need that.

By: GMoney

GMoney — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:45:41 +0000

Shame to see more discussion on the smoking than the story. Plenty of films and TV show characters smoking in a cool way, and anyway most of the story is set in the past when it was much more acceptable.

You set the scene with the grandfather well with some good descriptions, and show a good contrast with her life in the present. I liked the story.

By: Camille Gooderham Campbell

Camille Gooderham Campbell — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:54:30 +0000

While I felt that the protagonist recognized the dangers of smoking and thus did not glorify the habit, your comment raises an interesting question.

Should we, then, reject well-crafted and gripping stories because we don’t agree with the points of view they represent? At what point does the morality of the majority become censorship?

By: Martin

Martin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:32:00 +0000

The smoking bit is plausible, and more interesting because it is controversial. Nice story, Lee Ann.

By: Kevin Shamel

Kevin Shamel — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:42:25 +0000

Sorry, I meant– Lee Ann.

By: Kevin Shamel

Kevin Shamel — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Nice story, Lee. Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em. You know what they say about smell and memory…

As far as showing smoking in a positive light: 1. I don’t think you did that. 2. Big deal if you did–I’m fairly sure the readers here aren’t going to start smoking because your grandfather did. 3. Geez.

By: Jim Hartley

Jim Hartley — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:59:08 +0000

Although the story, per se, is well written, I think it is a poor editorial choice to publish something like this that glorifies tobacco and smoking. These should never be shown in a positive light as this story did.