The surface culture component of the Iceberg View of Culture addressed in this memoir is: Drama, because throughout the memoir Jonathan Miller struggled to coexist with others, because of his terrible attitude, which included mouthing off teachers, causing trouble, and even getting into a fight which had fatal consequences.
The turning point of the memoir is after Josh dies, and Miller finally begins to take responsibility for his actions, even if it is too late, which can be shown through Millers interactions in prison, and how even though he did not intend to kill Josh, he knows he deserves to be punished, but also seeks to improve, and hasn't given up hope.
"The Terrible Boy" was written in a third person point of view, from someone who was not involved in Jonathan's drama, providing a neutral and alternative perspective on Jonathan's actions, and whether he truly is the monster that people believe him to be.
Tom Junod uses dialogue to show how Jonathan speaks informally, and that of someone who is uneducated, or "grew up in the wrong part of town", which can be seen through his use of double negatives, and other grammatical errors. This parallels his good intentions, because similar to how he did not intend to kill Josh, he wants to show that he is sorry for his actions, but instead comes off as a bully.
Memoir Topic
Topic - Becoming a CT at King's Island
Surface Culture - Games
Deep Culture - Rules of Conduct
Becoming a Certified Trainer at King's Island puts a lot of responsibility in your hands -- you have to be able to train new workers to operate rides flawlessly, or else someone can get hurt or even killed.
Turning Point - Someone almost got hurt because I cut the corners of smaller rules, giving me the realization that I was given a second chance and that I cannot ignore rules; they are there for a reason.
Change after turning point - I have become more meticulous about rules, and have stopped being submissive to parents who try and bully me into allowing them to break rules.
