The Fourth State of Matter

The deliberate marking of time recurs throughout this essay. How does Beard’s use of timestamps impact the essay’s movement through her processing of the shooting?

Beard describes herself as a bit of a fish out of water in her department at the University of Iowa, citing that her colleagues speak “in physics” (Paragraph 70) and that she seeks to put “a layperson’s spin” (Paragraph 31) on the department’s concepts and conversations. This tension between Beard and her colleagues carries over to Beard discussing her ailing collie, to which Goertz sensibly and rationally argues that Beard can decide how long she suffers. In response, Beard shudders and quickly changes the subject. How does the tension of emotion versus science/reason thread throughout this essay and impact one’s reading of the grief Beard describes and endures?

Nature, particularly outer space and the celestial, recurs as images and subjects throughout this essay. In addition to its connection to the department targeted by Gang Lu, what impact does the presence of outer space and the celestial have on this essay?

The opening image of this essay involves Beard’s collie invading her dreams and interrupting her sleep. Squirrels have invaded the spare bedroom of Beard’s home. Beard’s “vanished husband” infiltrates her work life with repeated phone calls and voicemails. Gang Lu invades and steals the lives of Beard’s colleagues. How do these images of invasion and violation intersect with one another to reinforce the ways in which Beard appears to be processing and interpreting Gang Lu’s violence in the course of this essay?

From dogs to squirrels to cats, animals recur throughout this essay. What role do animals play in Beard’s processing of the shooting?

What is the significance of the “X”s drawn on the chalkboard? Does this distance Beard’s character from her otherwise sensitive and caring personality?

The question of control recurs throughout the essay, from deciding when to put her collie down, ending her marriage, and extracting the squirrels from her home to the violent and unexpected deaths of her colleagues. What argument does the essay ultimately make about the reality of control?

How does this essay contrast life’s everyday rhythms, from cooking and laundry to sleeping and letting the dog in and out of the yard to going to work, with the unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime tragedy of the mass-shooting deaths of Beard’s colleagues?