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1. Explain the Guiding Principles according to Buckminster Fuller's philosophy of life.

Buckminster Fuller's Guiding Principles, a copy of which is tacked directly above Sebastian's bed, has four tenets. The first is to give oneself wholly to futurist thinking and to not engage in useless thinking about the past. The second involves learning and applying all of the organizing processes of the universe so that one can put them to use in one's own life. The third states that the entire mind should be used at all times, not just the regular brain lobes. the fourth involves forging one's own journey alone in order to avoid the phenomenon of a mob mentality or being influenced by others' notions without critical analysis.

2. How do Sebastian's train of simple postscripts in his emails to Jared intrigue and draw Jared in to a friendship?

Though much of the language within the bodies of Sebastian's emails to Jared use very technical language that the reader imagines as rankling Jared as he reads, Sebastian's postscripts are quirky, funny, and always refer to punk music and icons, thereby assuring Jared that Sebastian is building a passion for punk equal to his own. For example, one of his postscripts asks, "Why do all the kids want to sniff some glue?" (35), which is a reference to a song by The Ramones. Another postscript says, "Did Sid impale Nancy or not? Theories?" (95) to which Jared later replies with a postscript of his own, saying, "Sid was framed" (96).

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