Gutterson's No Place Like Home

1.When Gutterson writes, "Green Valley is as much a verb as it is a noun", he means that Green valley is growing and moving just as much as it is a place. Gutterson says," Everywhere on the fringes of its 8,400 acres one finds homes going up, developments going in, the desert in the throes of being transformed in accordance with the master plan of Green Valley's Designer and builder, the American Nevada Corporation (183). This just means that the goal of the American Nevada Corporation is to grow larger and larger, making this word a verb. However, residents have many rules to what they can and cannot do. For example, residents are not allowed to have exterior speakers, whistles, noises, or anything out of the ordinary (187).

2.Gutterson's tone is very casual. He states facts about the community in descriptive language and calm diction. We also see that he has done his research about this place. He has spoken with the mayor, families in the community and even a 9 year old. This fact accounts for his tone because he is confident that what he is saying is correct, so he states it casually. Gutterson states,"Green Valley beckons the American middle class like the fabulous and eternal dream". This is an example of his casual and descriptive tone.

3.Although the suburbs may appear safe on the outside, Gutterson states some astonishing facts about the Green Valley Community. "A November 1991 heist in which two armed robbers took a handcuffed hostage and more than $100,000 from a Green Valley Bank" (188) was just one of the acts of violence Green valley has encountered, along with fires, child molesters and rapings. This supports the fact that although these suburbs may seem safer, crime is everywhere. I believe this is true because in such seemingly safe suburbs like Farragut, TN, where I am from, we still see the occasional bank robbery or even murder such as the one last month at the Days Inn Hotel, just across from where I grew up.