The English Dork Club: A real-time ongoing conversation for Readers, Writers, Thinkers, and Discussers in English 4
Monday, May 18, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Julia quote questions
Well that was a pretty crazy chapter...
Something i am confused on was when it says "he took her because he had no real right to touch her hand" (149)
This line answers some of my questions like why is he doing all this for her if he knows he has to get there alone and questions like that. It also brings up some new ones for me though.
What does he mean when he says he took her? Is that referring to her engagement before Tom? And my other question is if you guys think falling in love with Daisy changed how he felt when he was described in this quote?
Something i am confused on was when it says "he took her because he had no real right to touch her hand" (149)
This line answers some of my questions like why is he doing all this for her if he knows he has to get there alone and questions like that. It also brings up some new ones for me though.
What does he mean when he says he took her? Is that referring to her engagement before Tom? And my other question is if you guys think falling in love with Daisy changed how he felt when he was described in this quote?
Friday, May 15, 2015
Dilatory
Sorry for the lateness of this post. I wasn't able to post it on the Vap blog.
Dilatory- tending to delay or procrastinate, intending to cause delay.
The boy's dilatory studying cured him to fail his Latin test.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Julia blog chapter 6
After reading chapter six I think one of the questions was answered for me. The "what happens when there is nothing left to dream for?" question. I think by the end of this chapter we definitely see at least how Gatsby wants to approach the situation when he reaches this point.
"It is inevitably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment"(104)
"Can't repeat the past? he cried incredulously. Why of course you can" (110)
"I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before, he said, nodding determinedly. She'll see" (110)
"but if he could once return to a certain starting place..." (110)
Gatsby is initially sad at the fact that he has achieved his dream of reconnecting with Daisy and it is not exactly how he pictured it. He then realizes that even though that dream is over and there is no more to wish for about Daisy, the real problem is the past. So an easy fix is to repeat the past and fix everything. He just needs to find the place in the past where everything went wrong.
referring to the Langston Hughes poem, he finished the poem by saying "or does it explode". The world explode reminds me of a word that seemed to be mentioned a lot in the chapter. The word was Oblivion. When I think of oblivion, I think of nothing, literal nothingness because it has disappeared or maybe even exploded. Some of the examples are...
"Tom appeared from his oblivion" (105)
"I'd a little rather not be the polo player," said Tom pleasantly, "I'd rather look at all these famous people in--in oblivion."(105)
I think Langston Hues was implying that when a dream is deferred like Gatsby's, it was fade into oblivion and turn into nothing.
"It is inevitably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment"(104)
"Can't repeat the past? he cried incredulously. Why of course you can" (110)
"I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before, he said, nodding determinedly. She'll see" (110)
"but if he could once return to a certain starting place..." (110)
Gatsby is initially sad at the fact that he has achieved his dream of reconnecting with Daisy and it is not exactly how he pictured it. He then realizes that even though that dream is over and there is no more to wish for about Daisy, the real problem is the past. So an easy fix is to repeat the past and fix everything. He just needs to find the place in the past where everything went wrong.
referring to the Langston Hughes poem, he finished the poem by saying "or does it explode". The world explode reminds me of a word that seemed to be mentioned a lot in the chapter. The word was Oblivion. When I think of oblivion, I think of nothing, literal nothingness because it has disappeared or maybe even exploded. Some of the examples are...
"Tom appeared from his oblivion" (105)
"I'd a little rather not be the polo player," said Tom pleasantly, "I'd rather look at all these famous people in--in oblivion."(105)
I think Langston Hues was implying that when a dream is deferred like Gatsby's, it was fade into oblivion and turn into nothing.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Julia passage unpacking chapter 5
"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal variety of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart" (95-96)
That last line is probably my favorite line in the book that we have read so far. There is something about it that just seems so sum up Gatsby's life. He has constantly worked on making his house better and bigger all in hope that Daisy will one day wander into one of his parties and see everything he has accomplished. That line talks about how nothing can challenge the dreams Gatsby holds in his heart for him and Daisy to be together.
That last line is probably my favorite line in the book that we have read so far. There is something about it that just seems so sum up Gatsby's life. He has constantly worked on making his house better and bigger all in hope that Daisy will one day wander into one of his parties and see everything he has accomplished. That line talks about how nothing can challenge the dreams Gatsby holds in his heart for him and Daisy to be together.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Hi guys! So I figured I would passage unpack.
"I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual weather in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life" (35).
Nick is not in the right state of mind when he says this because this is only the second time he has ever gotten drunk. He looks out the window knowing that he should leave but the conversations and events happening inside keep him at the apartment with Tom, and his mistress and her friends. I think that in the last line Nick is talking about how he is witnessing things he has never seen before like all the different types of people and how they are disturbing yet fascinating to him because he is learning new things. The only part i do not understand is when he says "and I was him too, looking up and wondering" because i'm not sure who he is talking about here. Let me know if you guys have any ideas.
"I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual weather in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life" (35).
Nick is not in the right state of mind when he says this because this is only the second time he has ever gotten drunk. He looks out the window knowing that he should leave but the conversations and events happening inside keep him at the apartment with Tom, and his mistress and her friends. I think that in the last line Nick is talking about how he is witnessing things he has never seen before like all the different types of people and how they are disturbing yet fascinating to him because he is learning new things. The only part i do not understand is when he says "and I was him too, looking up and wondering" because i'm not sure who he is talking about here. Let me know if you guys have any ideas.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Great Gatsby - Day 1: 4/29/15
If anyone can't see or read what I have written down, just ask/comment and I'll tell you what I wrote.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Area of Interest
The area that I am going to explore is the idea something/nothing and how Stephen Hawking ties into Oskar's life.
Questions regarding POI:
Is nothing something? or is it something that makes it nothing?
Why are there nothing spaces in the grandma's home? What do they represent?
Does Oskar's loss make him nothing?
Why does Oskar feel such a connection to Stephen Hawking?
Why does Stephen Hawking matter even though he doesn't have a voice?
Is life itself nothing or something?
Passages to explore:
"Stephen Hawking's"letter to Oskar at the end
Grandma's story with the creation of nothing spaces
What Oskar writes to Stephen Hawking about
Questions regarding POI:
Is nothing something? or is it something that makes it nothing?
Why are there nothing spaces in the grandma's home? What do they represent?
Does Oskar's loss make him nothing?
Why does Oskar feel such a connection to Stephen Hawking?
Why does Stephen Hawking matter even though he doesn't have a voice?
Is life itself nothing or something?
Passages to explore:
"Stephen Hawking's"letter to Oskar at the end
Grandma's story with the creation of nothing spaces
What Oskar writes to Stephen Hawking about
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Essay Topic
Introduction sentence: In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer, Oskar's grandfather uses alternate forms of communication to reachout to the people he loves without speaking.
Questions that can be asked:
-What are the alternate forms of communication?
-To whom does he reach out to?
-Does this work effectively?
-Are words necessary to show pre-existing feelings
Quotes/ ideas that will be explored:
-The letters including "To my unborn child" and "To my child" (235).
-The note pad
-talking in the phone booth to grandma
-notes to the doorman
-throwing pebbles against the guest bedroom window
Introduction sentence: In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer, Oskar's grandfather uses alternate forms of communication to reachout to the people he loves without speaking.
Questions that can be asked:
-What are the alternate forms of communication?
-To whom does he reach out to?
-Does this work effectively?
-Are words necessary to show pre-existing feelings
Quotes/ ideas that will be explored:
-The letters including "To my unborn child" and "To my child" (235).
-The note pad
-talking in the phone booth to grandma
-notes to the doorman
-throwing pebbles against the guest bedroom window
Friday, February 27, 2015
Essay
Area of interest: the idea debating whether or not words are necessary or if it is the feelings that matter… not sure which side i am supporting
In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the grandpa and father portray the idea that words are necessary even if it is the feelings that matter.
Questions:
How does he portray this idea?
Why are words not necessary?
What kind of feelings?
Who does he communicate with?
How does he communicate his feelings without words?
Support:
"If I could tell you what happened that night I could leave it behind me" (208)
The letters were never sent by the grandfather so nobody ever knew what he was feeling.
"I knew that we were sharing something with our eyes, but I didn't know what, and I didn't know if it mattered" (147)
"She was silent, I had made a fool out of myself, there's nothing wrong with not understanding yourself and she started laughing, laughing harder than I'd ever felt anyone laugh, the laughter brought on tears, and the tears brought on more tears, and then I started laughing, out of the most deep and complete shame" (117)… No words makes people think the worst is happening
I wanted to call her name, but I didn't want her to hear my voice, all of my desire was based on that one brief exchange" (116)
"We talked about nothing in particular, but it felt like we were talking about the most important thing in the world" (113)
"The more we took each others assumptions for granted, the less we said, the more misunderstood, I'd often remembered having designated space as nothing when she was sure we had agreed that it was something" (111)
In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the grandpa and father portray the idea that words are necessary even if it is the feelings that matter.
Questions:
How does he portray this idea?
Why are words not necessary?
What kind of feelings?
Who does he communicate with?
How does he communicate his feelings without words?
Support:
"If I could tell you what happened that night I could leave it behind me" (208)
The letters were never sent by the grandfather so nobody ever knew what he was feeling.
"I knew that we were sharing something with our eyes, but I didn't know what, and I didn't know if it mattered" (147)
"She was silent, I had made a fool out of myself, there's nothing wrong with not understanding yourself and she started laughing, laughing harder than I'd ever felt anyone laugh, the laughter brought on tears, and the tears brought on more tears, and then I started laughing, out of the most deep and complete shame" (117)… No words makes people think the worst is happening
I wanted to call her name, but I didn't want her to hear my voice, all of my desire was based on that one brief exchange" (116)
"We talked about nothing in particular, but it felt like we were talking about the most important thing in the world" (113)
"The more we took each others assumptions for granted, the less we said, the more misunderstood, I'd often remembered having designated space as nothing when she was sure we had agreed that it was something" (111)
Matt's mind map
I created a mind map that helped my organize my ideas. It's a little confusing so if you have questions or suggestions let me know. Feel free to steal and adapt ideas from it.
Essay Areas of Interest
Area of Interest:
Characters communicating through loss and pain. I especially want to write about the Grandfather's decision to isolate himself from other and be alone to avoid experiencing pain and suffering. Although the result of him to isolate himself from
Opening Sentence:
In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran, the Grandfather isolates himself behind a barrier of pain and as a result communicates with loved ones through loss.
Questions:
Pg. 108- "Your mother and I never talk about the past, that's a rule."
Pg. 108- "It's a rule that we never listen to sad music, we made that rule early on, songs are sad as the listener, we hardly ever listen to music."
Pg. 109- "Maybe that was the story was telling myself when I met your mother, I thought we could run to each other, I thought e could have a beautiful reunion, although we had hardly known each other in Dresden."
Pg. 111- "There came point, a year or two ago, when our apartment was more Nothing than Something."
Pg. 111- "I gestured, "I thought this was Nothing,"
Questions:
- Why does he isolate himself?
- What Pain?
- How does he communicate?
- Who are his loved ones?
- What has he lost?
Pg. 108- "Your mother and I never talk about the past, that's a rule."
Pg. 108- "It's a rule that we never listen to sad music, we made that rule early on, songs are sad as the listener, we hardly ever listen to music."
Pg. 109- "Maybe that was the story was telling myself when I met your mother, I thought we could run to each other, I thought e could have a beautiful reunion, although we had hardly known each other in Dresden."
Pg. 111- "There came point, a year or two ago, when our apartment was more Nothing than Something."
Pg. 111- "I gestured, "I thought this was Nothing,"
Treys Area of Interest
For this paper my area of interest will be on how Oskar wanted meaning for his dads death and want connections in the search that he had started in the beginning of the book. I would also like to touch up on communication failures thought Oskar's life.
My first sentence will be:
In the Novel ELAIC by JSF Oskar is exhausted, pessimistic and frustrated at the end of his search because Oskar wants meaning and connections for his Fathers death despite his death had no special meaning.
Questions-
1. What did he find at the end of his search?
2. What meaning and connections had he found so far?
3. Why does this matter?
4. How will the end of his search affect his life?
Passages-
pg. 290- When the communication between Oskar and Abbey Black unintentionally make Oskar's each much harder. However did this help Oskar rebound by meeting many other blacks who helped him try and move on from his dad
pg 167-168 This scene shows a unexplained reaction to the reviving Mr. Blacks communications with the world.
pg 7- Proof of how much Oskar loves his dad
* Sorry I posted this today, i thought it was uploaded yesterday
My first sentence will be:
In the Novel ELAIC by JSF Oskar is exhausted, pessimistic and frustrated at the end of his search because Oskar wants meaning and connections for his Fathers death despite his death had no special meaning.
Questions-
1. What did he find at the end of his search?
2. What meaning and connections had he found so far?
3. Why does this matter?
4. How will the end of his search affect his life?
Passages-
pg. 290- When the communication between Oskar and Abbey Black unintentionally make Oskar's each much harder. However did this help Oskar rebound by meeting many other blacks who helped him try and move on from his dad
pg 167-168 This scene shows a unexplained reaction to the reviving Mr. Blacks communications with the world.
pg 7- Proof of how much Oskar loves his dad
* Sorry I posted this today, i thought it was uploaded yesterday
Matt's area of intrest
The topic i want to explore is how other peoples ways of dealing with problems affect Oskar. Some questions i have are, is Oskar a byproduct of other characters ways of solving problems? Do these ideas keep Oskar from being who he wants to be? i want to explore the passages when he was going around with the keys. I also will explore more about dresden.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Essay: Areas of interst
1. Area of interest I am going to explore:
-I am going to explore how Oskar, tries to understand how his father died and how to stop missing him so much so that he can stop mourning him. (In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Oskar tries to be able to understand how his father died and how to stop missing him so much so that he can stop mourning him.)
2. Questions that I will explore
-How does he try to find out how his father died?
-How does he try to stop missing him so much?
-Can these things be understood (why or why not?)
-What does he do with the realization of whether or not these things can be understood?
2.5. Other points
-When Oskar finds out what the key opens, it doesn't give him the answer to either of these things he is trying to understand
-Oskar has to accept the fact that he will not know the answer to either of these
-If he does not accept this, then he will live a life like grandpa
-Did grandma eventually accept the loss of loved ones? (yes)
-How?
-Is the way to accept the loss of loved ones to love those that you already love more than you had previously (to maintain the same amount of love that you gave previously)?
3. Key passages I will explore:
"It's better to lose than to never have had" (310) (Grandma)
-Meaning: Grandma believes that love is something that is very important to have. Even if you lose that person, you can still love them and miss them at the same time. Grandpa believes that it is better to not know anybody to a point where you love them, when he says "I'm sorry I know." (310) He is referring to his unborn child.
"I'm gonna bury my feelings deep inside me." (Oskar) "No matter how much I feel, I'm not going to let it out. If I have to bleed, I'll bruise. If my heart starts going crazy, I'm not gonna tell everyone in the world about it. It doesn't help anything. It just makes everyone's life worse." (Oskar) "But if you're burying your feelings deep inside you, you won't really be you, will you?" (Dr. Fein) (203)
-Meaning: Burying feelings is what Grandpa tried to do in order to deal with loss. He eventually buried himself, hence "you won't really be you, will you?" is the perfect way to put Grandpa's actions of burying his feelings into words. If Oskar decides to bury his feelings as well, then he will end up like Grandpa, who decides that is better to protect yourself from sadness by protecting yourself from love.
"He wrote, I do not know how to live. I do not know either, but I am trying. I do not know how to try. There were things I wanted to tell him. But I knew they would hurt him. So I buried them, and let them hurt me." (181)
"You cannot protect yourself from happiness without protecting yourself from sadness." (180)
(more quotes to come...)
-I am going to explore how Oskar, tries to understand how his father died and how to stop missing him so much so that he can stop mourning him. (In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Oskar tries to be able to understand how his father died and how to stop missing him so much so that he can stop mourning him.)
2. Questions that I will explore
-How does he try to find out how his father died?
-How does he try to stop missing him so much?
-Can these things be understood (why or why not?)
-What does he do with the realization of whether or not these things can be understood?
2.5. Other points
-When Oskar finds out what the key opens, it doesn't give him the answer to either of these things he is trying to understand
-Oskar has to accept the fact that he will not know the answer to either of these
-If he does not accept this, then he will live a life like grandpa
-Did grandma eventually accept the loss of loved ones? (yes)
-How?
-Is the way to accept the loss of loved ones to love those that you already love more than you had previously (to maintain the same amount of love that you gave previously)?
3. Key passages I will explore:
"It's better to lose than to never have had" (310) (Grandma)
-Meaning: Grandma believes that love is something that is very important to have. Even if you lose that person, you can still love them and miss them at the same time. Grandpa believes that it is better to not know anybody to a point where you love them, when he says "I'm sorry I know." (310) He is referring to his unborn child.
"I'm gonna bury my feelings deep inside me." (Oskar) "No matter how much I feel, I'm not going to let it out. If I have to bleed, I'll bruise. If my heart starts going crazy, I'm not gonna tell everyone in the world about it. It doesn't help anything. It just makes everyone's life worse." (Oskar) "But if you're burying your feelings deep inside you, you won't really be you, will you?" (Dr. Fein) (203)
-Meaning: Burying feelings is what Grandpa tried to do in order to deal with loss. He eventually buried himself, hence "you won't really be you, will you?" is the perfect way to put Grandpa's actions of burying his feelings into words. If Oskar decides to bury his feelings as well, then he will end up like Grandpa, who decides that is better to protect yourself from sadness by protecting yourself from love.
"He wrote, I do not know how to live. I do not know either, but I am trying. I do not know how to try. There were things I wanted to tell him. But I knew they would hurt him. So I buried them, and let them hurt me." (181)
"You cannot protect yourself from happiness without protecting yourself from sadness." (180)
(more quotes to come...)
Madi's Essay
The topic of my essay is:
Loss, and how people wonder if they matter in the world.
My first sentence is:
"In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Oskar wonders if he matters in the world, due to his feelings of extreme loneliness, caused by the devastating loss of his father."
Questions raised by this:
Why is Oskar alone?
Does he matter in the world?
Why does Oskar even wonder if he matters?
How does this loneliness affect Oskar?
How does this change him?
Evidence:
Page 37 - "But then I had the tips of my fingers on the vase, and the tragedies started to wobble, and the tuxedo was incredibly distracting, and the next thing was that everything was on the floor, including me, and including the vase, which had shattered. "I didn't do it!" I hollered, but they didn't even hear me, because they were playing music too loud and cracking up too much, I zipped myself into the sleeping bag of myself, not because I was hurt, and not because I had broken something, but because they were cracking up."
Page 145 - "I felt, that night, on that stage, under that skull, incredibly close to everything in the universe, but also extremely alone.
Page 201 - "I was wondering if perhaps some of what you've been experiencing is due to changes in your body. It isn't. It's because my dad died the most horrible death that anyone ever could invent."
Page 244-245 - "Which would I choose? Would I jump or would I burn? I guess I would jump, because then I wouldn't have to feel pain. On the other hand, maybe I would burn, because then I'd at least have a chance to somehow escape, and even if I couldn't, feeling pain is still better than not feeling, isn't it?"
Page 254 - "Listen. Oskar? That's my name don't wear it out. I think I'm finished. Finished with what? I hope you understand. He stuck out his hand for a shake."
Page 254 - "And then I came straight here, and now I don't know what to do."
Page 255 - "I've been searching for more than six months, and I didn't know a single thing that I didn't know six months ago...Also I've had to tell a googolplex lies, which doesn't make me feel good about myself, and I've bothered a lot of people who I've probably ruined my chances of ever being real friends with, and I miss my dad more than when I started, even though the whole point was to stop missing him. I told him, It's starting to hurt too much."
Page 286 - "I wish I had known that I wasn't going to see Mr. Black again when we shook hands that afternoon. I wouldn't have let go. Or I would have forced him to keep searching with me. Or I would have told him about how Dad called when I was home. But I didn't known, just like I didn't known it was the last time Dad would ever tuck me in, because you never know."
Page 287 - "When I got home that afternoon, after eight months of searching New York, I was exhausted and frustrated and pessimistic, even though what I wanted to be was happy."
Page 288 - "Why didn't she try to stop me, or at least keep me safe?"
Page 290 - "It was nice to think about, because what I wanted to be was empty."
Page 291 - "All of a sudden I understood why, when Mom asked where I was going, and I said "Out," she didn't ask any questions. She didn't have to, because she knew."
Page 292 - "My search was a play that Mom had written, and she knew the ending when I was at the beginning."
Page 295 - "If I'd been alone, I would have given myself the biggest bruise of my life. I would have turned myself into one big bruise."
Loss, and how people wonder if they matter in the world.
My first sentence is:
"In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Oskar wonders if he matters in the world, due to his feelings of extreme loneliness, caused by the devastating loss of his father."
Questions raised by this:
Why is Oskar alone?
Does he matter in the world?
Why does Oskar even wonder if he matters?
How does this loneliness affect Oskar?
How does this change him?
Evidence:
Page 37 - "But then I had the tips of my fingers on the vase, and the tragedies started to wobble, and the tuxedo was incredibly distracting, and the next thing was that everything was on the floor, including me, and including the vase, which had shattered. "I didn't do it!" I hollered, but they didn't even hear me, because they were playing music too loud and cracking up too much, I zipped myself into the sleeping bag of myself, not because I was hurt, and not because I had broken something, but because they were cracking up."
Page 145 - "I felt, that night, on that stage, under that skull, incredibly close to everything in the universe, but also extremely alone.
Page 201 - "I was wondering if perhaps some of what you've been experiencing is due to changes in your body. It isn't. It's because my dad died the most horrible death that anyone ever could invent."
Page 244-245 - "Which would I choose? Would I jump or would I burn? I guess I would jump, because then I wouldn't have to feel pain. On the other hand, maybe I would burn, because then I'd at least have a chance to somehow escape, and even if I couldn't, feeling pain is still better than not feeling, isn't it?"
Page 254 - "Listen. Oskar? That's my name don't wear it out. I think I'm finished. Finished with what? I hope you understand. He stuck out his hand for a shake."
Page 254 - "And then I came straight here, and now I don't know what to do."
Page 255 - "I've been searching for more than six months, and I didn't know a single thing that I didn't know six months ago...Also I've had to tell a googolplex lies, which doesn't make me feel good about myself, and I've bothered a lot of people who I've probably ruined my chances of ever being real friends with, and I miss my dad more than when I started, even though the whole point was to stop missing him. I told him, It's starting to hurt too much."
Page 286 - "I wish I had known that I wasn't going to see Mr. Black again when we shook hands that afternoon. I wouldn't have let go. Or I would have forced him to keep searching with me. Or I would have told him about how Dad called when I was home. But I didn't known, just like I didn't known it was the last time Dad would ever tuck me in, because you never know."
Page 287 - "When I got home that afternoon, after eight months of searching New York, I was exhausted and frustrated and pessimistic, even though what I wanted to be was happy."
Page 288 - "Why didn't she try to stop me, or at least keep me safe?"
Page 290 - "It was nice to think about, because what I wanted to be was empty."
Page 291 - "All of a sudden I understood why, when Mom asked where I was going, and I said "Out," she didn't ask any questions. She didn't have to, because she knew."
Page 292 - "My search was a play that Mom had written, and she knew the ending when I was at the beginning."
Page 295 - "If I'd been alone, I would have given myself the biggest bruise of my life. I would have turned myself into one big bruise."
Connection Essay
My area of interest is about connection.
In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the characters all need connection and without it they are nothing.
Questions:
pg 43 - without connection Oskar feels weird and unspecial because he is alone
pg 145- when there is no connection he feels sad, like when he was on stage under the skull extremely close to everything in the universe but also incredibly alone
pg 200- oskar liked to touch the key just to know it was there
pg 268- grandfather calls grandma even though he cant speak just because he wants to connect with her
pg 267- grandma still wants some connection with the grandfather but not a complete connection
pg 71- walkie talkie and pg 100 baths and yarn- different ways that grandma and oskar were connected
pg 36- being around dads things (a connection) makes his boots lighter
pg 79- grandma trying to make connections with her letters
pg 219- 6th borough a lost connection
pg 220- string that the two kids would talk through
pg 181- touching hands
In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the characters all need connection and without it they are nothing.
Questions:
- Why are they nothing?
- Do the characters have connections?
- How do you maintain a connection?
- Do they all want to have a connection or a complete connection?
- Do they try to make connections?
- What happens when you don't have a connection?
- What makes you have a connection?
pg 43 - without connection Oskar feels weird and unspecial because he is alone
pg 145- when there is no connection he feels sad, like when he was on stage under the skull extremely close to everything in the universe but also incredibly alone
pg 200- oskar liked to touch the key just to know it was there
pg 268- grandfather calls grandma even though he cant speak just because he wants to connect with her
pg 267- grandma still wants some connection with the grandfather but not a complete connection
pg 71- walkie talkie and pg 100 baths and yarn- different ways that grandma and oskar were connected
pg 36- being around dads things (a connection) makes his boots lighter
pg 79- grandma trying to make connections with her letters
pg 219- 6th borough a lost connection
pg 220- string that the two kids would talk through
pg 181- touching hands
Essay
My area of interest is loss
Opening sentence: In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the grandmas life is defined by the people she has lost.
Questions: What loss? How did she loss people? What people did she loss? How does this define her? How does this loss affect her? How does this change?
Passages: Bombing of Dresden section where she losses her whole family and home town. Page 226 right after she losses her son and her daughter in law says she loves her for the first time. Page 216 when she losses her husband
Opening sentence: In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the grandmas life is defined by the people she has lost.
Questions: What loss? How did she loss people? What people did she loss? How does this define her? How does this loss affect her? How does this change?
Passages: Bombing of Dresden section where she losses her whole family and home town. Page 226 right after she losses her son and her daughter in law says she loves her for the first time. Page 216 when she losses her husband
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Chapter 15
"I wish I had known that I wasn't going to see Mr. Black again when we shook hands that afternoon. I wouldn't have let go. Or I would have forced him to keep searching with me. Or I would have told him about how Dad called when I was home. But I didn't known, just like I didn't know it was the last time Dad would ever tuck me in, because you never know" (286).
This quote hit me incredibly hard, because I can really relate to that feeling of regret. It's kind of like in dramatic TV shows, where someone dies, and their husband or wife, or someone close to them is very upset because of the last conversation they did (or didn't have with that person). Like if you were fighting with your friend, then they died, and you regretted fighting with them, and just wished that the last words you had said to them were I love you, instead of something mean. I think that Oskar is very upset by this, because when Mr. Black asked him if he understood why he was done helping him, Oskar replied that he understood. But in reality, Oskar wishes that he fought for Mr. Black, and told him that he needed him, and that he couldn't leave Oskar alone.
"All of a sudden I understood why, when Mom asked where I was going, and I said "Out," she didn't ask any more questions. She didn't have to, because she knew" (291).
This quote was relieving and yet frustrating for me. On one hand, it made me feel a lot better that the mom knew the entire time where Oskar was going, and why she let him go, and that she wasn't just being a bad, careless parent. On the other hand, it's incredibly frustrating for me to think of how this entire time, Oskar worked so hard to keep this from his mom. This also brought up the question in my mind, why did Oskar feel the need to hide this from his mom the entire time? Now that we know the mother was aware the entire time, and she still let Oskar search for the key, and find closure for himself, I don't understand why Oskar thought his mom wouldn't understand.
At first, when I read page 300, and Oskar denied William Black's offer to go to the bank with him, to open the safety deposit box, I was incredibly confused. I thought, why wouldn't Oskar want closure, or to finally find out what he's been looking for a whole 8 months.
"I wish I hadn't found it." "It wasn't what you were looking for?" "That's not it." "Then what?" "I found it and now I can't look for it." I could tell he didn't understand me. "Looking for it let me stay close to him for a little while longer." "But won't you always be close to him?" I knew the truth. "No" (304).
After reading that, I completely understood why Oskar wouldn't have any interest in finding out what was in the safety deposit box.
chapter 15
On page 301, Oscar was telling William Black about the fifth message his father led ton the answering machine.
"He needed me, and I couldn't pick up. I just couldn't pick up. I just couldn't" (301).
Why didn't Oscar pick up?
If he didn't pick up because he was afraid of what he might hear, then what did he think he was going to hear?
If he thought he Dad was calling to say something bad, that Oscar wouldn't want to hear, wouldn't Oscar want to be able to say goodbye, or at least talk to him?
Did Oscar's father die right after the phone call?
Does Oscar regret not answering the phone?
Is that why he doesn't tell anybody, except for William, about the fifth message, because he feels guilty?
"He needed me, and I couldn't pick up. I just couldn't pick up. I just couldn't" (301).
Why didn't Oscar pick up?
If he didn't pick up because he was afraid of what he might hear, then what did he think he was going to hear?
If he thought he Dad was calling to say something bad, that Oscar wouldn't want to hear, wouldn't Oscar want to be able to say goodbye, or at least talk to him?
Did Oscar's father die right after the phone call?
Does Oscar regret not answering the phone?
Is that why he doesn't tell anybody, except for William, about the fifth message, because he feels guilty?
Chapter 15
While reading this chapter I had a bunch of questions:
On pages 286 and 287
On pages 286 and 287
- Where did Mr. Black go?
- Did he die?
- If he really did just decide to move why didn't he tell Oskar that he was leaving?
- Why were they getting rid of all of his things?
- Why would Peter Black ask if Oskar wants to hold his baby even though he has no idea who Oskar is?
- Is Abby Black's husband a murderer?
Chapter 15
"I wish I had known that I wasn't going to see Mr. Black again when we shook hands that afternoon. I wouldn't have let go. Or I would have forced him to keep searching with me. Or I would have told him how Dad called when I was home. But I didn't know, just like I didn't know it was the last time Dad would ever tuck me in, because you never know" (286).
When I read this quote, it immediately reminded me of a quote from the last chapter we read.
"That night was the first time your mother and I made love since I returned, and the last time we ever made love, it didn't feel like the last time, I'd kissed Anna for the last time, seen my parents for the last time, spoken for the last time, why didn't I learn to treat everything like it was the last time" (281).
Oskar and his grandfather struggle with loss. They are both trying to recover from the losses they have faced. Maybe this is why they have been spending a lot of time together each night under the street lamp, because they can relate to one another.
Writing letters has been a common theme among almost every character in the novel and especially with the ones trying to get over loss. Two more examples of this show up in this chapter. Oskar's many letters that he wrote to his hero, Stephen Hawking, finally get a genuine response. Also William Black's father, Edmund Black, writes letters to everyone he knew right before his death. But what I am wondering why is writing letters so important?
When I read this quote, it immediately reminded me of a quote from the last chapter we read.
"That night was the first time your mother and I made love since I returned, and the last time we ever made love, it didn't feel like the last time, I'd kissed Anna for the last time, seen my parents for the last time, spoken for the last time, why didn't I learn to treat everything like it was the last time" (281).
Oskar and his grandfather struggle with loss. They are both trying to recover from the losses they have faced. Maybe this is why they have been spending a lot of time together each night under the street lamp, because they can relate to one another.
Writing letters has been a common theme among almost every character in the novel and especially with the ones trying to get over loss. Two more examples of this show up in this chapter. Oskar's many letters that he wrote to his hero, Stephen Hawking, finally get a genuine response. Also William Black's father, Edmund Black, writes letters to everyone he knew right before his death. But what I am wondering why is writing letters so important?
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Chapter 14
On page 269, when Grandfather is writing in his letter about calling grandma, he says, "I told her everything: why I'd left , where I'd gone, how I'd found out about your death, why I'd come back, and what I needed to do with the time I had left. I told her because I wanted her to believe me and understand, and because I thought I owed it to her, and to myself, and to you, or was it just more selfishness?"
I was really confused about what was happening here.
How was he telling her everything if he can't speak?
She didn't know who it was on the phone, or at least that is what I took from the reading, so why did he keep calling?
What was he trying to say using the numbers that he typed? Is that what he wanted to tell her?
I was really confused about what was happening here.
How was he telling her everything if he can't speak?
She didn't know who it was on the phone, or at least that is what I took from the reading, so why did he keep calling?
What was he trying to say using the numbers that he typed? Is that what he wanted to tell her?
Chapter 14
"He came to my door, 'Grandma?' I didn't want to betray her, I turned off the lights, what was I so afraid of? 'Grandma?' He started crying, my grandson was crying. 'Please. I really need help. If you're in there, please come out.' I turned on the light, why wasn't I more afraid? 'Please.' I opened the door and we faced each other, I faced myself, 'Are you the renter?' I went back into the room and got this daybook from the closet, this book that is nearly out of pages, I brought it to him and wrote, 'I don't speak. I'm sorry.' I was so grateful to have him looking at me, he asked me who I was, I didn't know what to tell him, I invited him into the room, he asked me if I was a stranger, I didn't know what to tell him, he was still crying, I didn't know how to hold him, I'm running out of room" (280).
I thought this quote was really sad, because it really makes you see this situation from the Grandfather's perspective. We wondered why he had such a hard time just telling Oskar that he was his grandfather, but this quote makes it clear. He left the grandma for 40 years, and is trying to improve their newfound relationship, but realizes that if Oskar finds out, it might jeopardize this. I think the repetitiveness of the last line is really powerful, the way the grandpa keeps repeating that he doesn't know what to tell Oskar, or know what to do. I just really felt for the grandfather in this quote, especially when he says Oskar was crying.
I thought this quote was really sad, because it really makes you see this situation from the Grandfather's perspective. We wondered why he had such a hard time just telling Oskar that he was his grandfather, but this quote makes it clear. He left the grandma for 40 years, and is trying to improve their newfound relationship, but realizes that if Oskar finds out, it might jeopardize this. I think the repetitiveness of the last line is really powerful, the way the grandpa keeps repeating that he doesn't know what to tell Oskar, or know what to do. I just really felt for the grandfather in this quote, especially when he says Oskar was crying.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Chapter 14
"That night was the first time your mother and I made love since I returned, and the last time we ever made love, it didn't feel like the last time, I'd kissed Anna for the last time, seen my parents for the last time, spoken for the last time, why didn't I learn to treat everything like it was the last time, my greatest regret is how much I believed in the future" (281).
This quote really stood out to me for a few reasons and brought a few questions to mind. The grandfather has lived a very tough life and has lost almost everything that he has ever loved. But when it says he made love to "your mother," which he is referring to Oskar's grandmother, for the last time, it made me wonder what that meant. Does something happen to the grandmother? Or does she find out about the grandfather and Oskar talking and going to dig up his fathers coffin? Because she said, "If he ever sees you, you will have betrayed me" (276). That raises another question, if the grandfather knows that he is breaking the grandmothers trust by seeing Oskar then why does he open the guest room door and become face to face with his grandson? Why is he so willing to throw away his relationship with the grandmother that he has worked to rebuild, just to meet his grandson?
This quote really stood out to me for a few reasons and brought a few questions to mind. The grandfather has lived a very tough life and has lost almost everything that he has ever loved. But when it says he made love to "your mother," which he is referring to Oskar's grandmother, for the last time, it made me wonder what that meant. Does something happen to the grandmother? Or does she find out about the grandfather and Oskar talking and going to dig up his fathers coffin? Because she said, "If he ever sees you, you will have betrayed me" (276). That raises another question, if the grandfather knows that he is breaking the grandmothers trust by seeing Oskar then why does he open the guest room door and become face to face with his grandson? Why is he so willing to throw away his relationship with the grandmother that he has worked to rebuild, just to meet his grandson?
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Chapter 13
Jacob brought up some really good questions about chapter 13, and I was wondering some of the same things. Why did he not tell Oskar anything? (He wouldn't even let onto whether or not he had any brothers and sisters). Then Jacob asked why the grandpa doesn't want Oskar to tell the grandma that they met. I think he does not want the grandmother to know that Oskar met him, because both of them need the apartment to stay a nothing space. If the grandmother finds out that Oskar knows about the renter, then this nothing space will be ruined, and will be filled with something. One thing that I am now confused about is where the renter/grandpa has been this whole time. How has he managed to stay away from Oskar for 2 years, without being seen or head, especially if Oskar spends so much time in his grandmother's apartment?
One line from chapter 13 that I found really powerful was on page 238. "I asked the renter, "Can I tell you my story?"
He opened his left hand.
So I put my story into it" (238).
I thought this quote was really powerful because we see Oskar telling this whole heartbreaking story about the key, and his father's death to who he believes is a complete stranger. For some reason, I also found it really powerful how instead of Foer saying that the renter said yes, he simply says that he opened his left hand, which we know has YES tattooed on it.
"I couldn't tell what he was feeling, because I couldn't speak the language of his feelings" (239).
I also thought this quote connected really well to our discussion in class about the need to tell your feelings, and how Oskar planned to burry his feelings deep inside of him, because Fo Black is also unable to communicate his feelings due to the language barrier.
Throughout the book, it has become apparent that Oskar only trusts strangers. He didn't tell his mom, grandma, or friends about his dad's messages, his quest regarding his dad's key, etc. So I am just wondering how Oskar will feel once he finds out who the renter really is. Oskar put a lot of trust into the renter, even showing him his dad's messages, but Oskar only did that because he assumed the renter was a stranger. Will Oskar regret trusting the renter?
One line from chapter 13 that I found really powerful was on page 238. "I asked the renter, "Can I tell you my story?"
He opened his left hand.
So I put my story into it" (238).
I thought this quote was really powerful because we see Oskar telling this whole heartbreaking story about the key, and his father's death to who he believes is a complete stranger. For some reason, I also found it really powerful how instead of Foer saying that the renter said yes, he simply says that he opened his left hand, which we know has YES tattooed on it.
"I couldn't tell what he was feeling, because I couldn't speak the language of his feelings" (239).
I also thought this quote connected really well to our discussion in class about the need to tell your feelings, and how Oskar planned to burry his feelings deep inside of him, because Fo Black is also unable to communicate his feelings due to the language barrier.
Throughout the book, it has become apparent that Oskar only trusts strangers. He didn't tell his mom, grandma, or friends about his dad's messages, his quest regarding his dad's key, etc. So I am just wondering how Oskar will feel once he finds out who the renter really is. Oskar put a lot of trust into the renter, even showing him his dad's messages, but Oskar only did that because he assumed the renter was a stranger. Will Oskar regret trusting the renter?
Chapter 13
In this chapter we find out after all that the grandfather is the renter. But learning this raised a few questions. Much earlier in the book it says, "Mom told me not to ask questions about the renter, but a lot of the time I couldn't help it" (69). So I am wondering, does the mom knows about the renter and that it is Oskar's grandfather? Also while Oskar and the grandfather are talking, why doesn't the grandfather tell Oskar who he is? Instead he asks him a whole bunch of questions about what Oskar thinks of his grandfather. He is taking the cowardly way out once again just like he did when he left the grandmother. Lastly I am wondering why he runs out gets Oskar's attention to come back just to tell him "Please don't tell your grandmother that we met" (258). Why do they have to be so secretive about it and why couldn't Oskar know that his own grandfather is living in the house that he visits just about everyday?
One questions that is answered during this chapter is that back when Oskar was at the art supplies store and saw "Thomas Schell" written on everything. He was very confused because they manager told him that those papers haven't been out for 2 years which is when his father died. But we now know that it was the grandfather who wrote his name on all of them. This makes a lot of sense because he is a sculptor so of course he would be in an art store.
One questions that is answered during this chapter is that back when Oskar was at the art supplies store and saw "Thomas Schell" written on everything. He was very confused because they manager told him that those papers haven't been out for 2 years which is when his father died. But we now know that it was the grandfather who wrote his name on all of them. This makes a lot of sense because he is a sculptor so of course he would be in an art store.
Chapter 13
Okay, so I am a little confused with chapter 13 by the ending. So we know that Oksar invents things because of his confusion and his hope to find out what happened to his dad. I think the inventions will stop when/ if he finds out what happened to his dad. At the end of the chapter he says "And then a thought came into my brain that wasn't like the other thoughts. It was closer to me, and louder... I didn't know... if i loved it or hated it" (259). There was another example of opposites first of all but after it says how his idea is to go dig up his dad. I was a little confused by this because i'm not sure what he is hoping to get out of doing that because it wont help him figure out how his dad died.
Okay, so I am a little confused with chapter 13 by the ending. So we know that Oksar invents things because of his confusion and his hope to find out what happened to his dad. I think the inventions will stop when/ if he finds out what happened to his dad. At the end of the chapter he says "And then a thought came into my brain that wasn't like the other thoughts. It was closer to me, and louder... I didn't know... if i loved it or hated it" (259). There was another example of opposites first of all but after it says how his idea is to go dig up his dad. I was a little confused by this because i'm not sure what he is hoping to get out of doing that because it wont help him figure out how his dad died.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Chapter 11 & 12
"For those few moments that the jumper was in the air, every New Yorker felt capable of flight. "Or maybe 'suspension' is a better word. Because what was so inspiring about the leap was not how the jumper got from one borough to the other, but how he stayed between them for so long" (218).
I found this quote incredibly interesting, because it seemed eerily like the 9/11 bombing, and the 'falling men,' who decided to jump out the windows of the twin towers. It just seems really creepy the way Oskar and his dad are talking about this, especially before 9/11.
"Do you just want to wait here for Mom and Dad to come home?
I guess so.
Do you want me to wait here with you?
It's OK.
Are you sure?
Positive.
Can I please, Oskar?
OK" (228)
I found this quote really sad, because it just shows no matter how strong a person is, there is always a point of weakness when they need someone else to lean on, and I think this is the grandma's point of weakness. This also connects back to our class discussion, where we talked about how there is almost always a need to share your feelings. Although the grandma does not openly share her thoughts/feelings to Oskar, she definitely opens up to Oskar a little bit when she asks to stay with Oskar.
Chapter 12
"I told her I would go over and watch you. Don't let him see the news. OK. If he asks anything, just let him know that it will be OK. I told her, It will be OK. She said, The subways are a mess. I'm going to walk home. I should be there in an hour. She said, I love you. She had been married to your father for twelve years. I had known her for fifteen years. It was the first time she told me she loved me. That was when I knew she knew" (226).
A few things stood out to me in the passage. The first was that it took Oskar's mother 15 years of knowing each other, 12 years of being her step-daughter to finally say to Oskar's grandmother that she loves her. That shows us that the mother and grandmother clearly don't have a good relationship with each other. They see each other everyday, talk all the time but after reading this its clear that they only spend so much time together because they share only two things in common, they both love Oskar and they both love Thomas, Oskar's father. Another thing that stood out to me was the OK's in all caps. The emphasis on everything being OK shows that the two of them are worried and know everything isn't OK they just don't want to admit it. The last thing that stood out to me was the last line of the quote, "That was when I knew she knew" (226). The I love you that was said for the first time caught the grandmother off guard. She wasn't expecting her to say that especially since she had never said it before but because of this the grandmother knew that the mother knew everything wasn't going to be OK unlike the many OK's that had been said in the conversion prior to that. Deep down inside the grandmother knew she had lost her son and once she said this, it was clear to the grandmother that the mother knew she had lost her husband. But neither wanted to admit the truth.
A few things stood out to me in the passage. The first was that it took Oskar's mother 15 years of knowing each other, 12 years of being her step-daughter to finally say to Oskar's grandmother that she loves her. That shows us that the mother and grandmother clearly don't have a good relationship with each other. They see each other everyday, talk all the time but after reading this its clear that they only spend so much time together because they share only two things in common, they both love Oskar and they both love Thomas, Oskar's father. Another thing that stood out to me was the OK's in all caps. The emphasis on everything being OK shows that the two of them are worried and know everything isn't OK they just don't want to admit it. The last thing that stood out to me was the last line of the quote, "That was when I knew she knew" (226). The I love you that was said for the first time caught the grandmother off guard. She wasn't expecting her to say that especially since she had never said it before but because of this the grandmother knew that the mother knew everything wasn't going to be OK unlike the many OK's that had been said in the conversion prior to that. Deep down inside the grandmother knew she had lost her son and once she said this, it was clear to the grandmother that the mother knew she had lost her husband. But neither wanted to admit the truth.
Monday, February 16, 2015
4/12/78
"I saw a woman whose blond hair and green dress were on fire, running with a silent baby in her arms, I saw humans melted into thick pools of liquid, three or four feet deep in places, I saw bodies crackling like embers, laughing, and the remains of masses of people who had tried to escape the firestorm by jumping head first into the lakes and ponds, the parts of their bodies that were submerged in the water were still intact, while the parts that protruded above water were charred beyond recognition, the bombs kept falling, purple, orange, and white, I kept running, my hands kept bleeding, through the sounds of the collapsing buildings I heard the roar of that baby's silence" (212-213.)
The first thing that hit me in that passage was the line "running with a silent baby in her arms," then followed by "I heard the roar of that baby's silence." This just really hit me and made me feel the emotion that he is feeling while writing this letter and I thought it was really sad the way he heard the silent baby's roar.
Another thing that hit me in that passage was the incredible amount of detail. If I am not missing something, I think that these letters were written awhile after the actual bombing happened. If I'm right about this, then I find it really interesting how much detail he remembers about that day, remembering the woman's blond hair, the bodies in the water, and the colors of the bombs falling. I understand that an event that traumatic would be remembered, but it's still a lot of detail
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Chapter 10
When i first opened up this chapter and saw the red pen that circled errors in these letters it made me think that Thomas, Oskar's Dad read this letter. He used to always read through the New York Times magazines and circle mistakes he found in red pen. Also when Anna says, "I'm pregnant" (210), and then find out later in the chapter that Anna and the baby die in the bombing, I know understand why the grandfather made the rule of no having children. The rules they make were to help them not think about their troubled past and having a baby reminds Thomas, the grandfather of Anna and how she was pregnant and that was too much for him to handle and because of this he runs away.
Who are the letters really to?
While reading the chapter why I'm not where you are, I was having trouble figuring out who
the letters were really written too. Before reading this chapter I had thought
that Thomas was writing the letter to the other Thomas, his son, because he had
left him. Then during this chapter I began to question this assumption. On page
208, it said "sometimes my had starts to burn and I am convinced that we
are writing the same word at the same moment", this quote went along with
my theory that Thomas is writing this to the son that he abandoned, but then on
page 214 it said, “In the days and weeks that lead to my release, I looked for
my parents and for Anna and or you”. This quote made me believe that he was writing
the letters to Anna’s son now because just before that Thomas had learned that
she was pregnant. I continued to read and on page 215 it said “your aunt had told
me that she was pregnant, I was over joyed…”, this once again made me stop and
think that maybe it really is to his abandoned son and not Anna’s son.
So I guess I’m asking who you think that these letters are
written to? Am I missing something that tells us who the letters are really
for, or am I supposed to be unsure?
Sunday, February 8, 2015
why I'm not where you are
I noticed throughout this chapter that the idea of nothing and something was brought up a lot, not only throughout Grandpa and Grandma's apartment but when people were speaking and not speaking.
"We talked about nothing in particular, but it felt like we were talking about the most important things" (113).
"The more we took each other's assumptions for granted, the less was said, the more misunderstood…" (111).
"I wanted to call her name, but I didn't want her to hear my voice, all of my desire was based on that one brief exchange" (116).
"I told her how I felt, this is how I told her… I don't know what she thought, I don't know what she understood, or what she wouldn't allow herself to understand" (135).
Quote #1: talk about nothing, but it is something
Quote #2: say nothing, and is interpreted as something its not
Quote #3: say nothing, the possibility of never finding Anna or her understanding what he is saying in that brief exchange
Quote #4: say nothing, interpreted however the other person wants to
All of these quotes express a different type of communication and how they differ from one another. I just found it interesting how this connects slightly to our poetry unit when we had to give feedback. Not saying anything can mean something its not, but saying something that you may think of as nothing really means something to the person hearing it.
"We talked about nothing in particular, but it felt like we were talking about the most important things" (113).
"The more we took each other's assumptions for granted, the less was said, the more misunderstood…" (111).
"I wanted to call her name, but I didn't want her to hear my voice, all of my desire was based on that one brief exchange" (116).
"I told her how I felt, this is how I told her… I don't know what she thought, I don't know what she understood, or what she wouldn't allow herself to understand" (135).
Quote #1: talk about nothing, but it is something
Quote #2: say nothing, and is interpreted as something its not
Quote #3: say nothing, the possibility of never finding Anna or her understanding what he is saying in that brief exchange
Quote #4: say nothing, interpreted however the other person wants to
All of these quotes express a different type of communication and how they differ from one another. I just found it interesting how this connects slightly to our poetry unit when we had to give feedback. Not saying anything can mean something its not, but saying something that you may think of as nothing really means something to the person hearing it.
Chapter 6 Quote and Questions
"Im telling you all of this because I'll never be your father, and you will always be my child. I want you to know, at least, that it's not out of selfishness that I am leaving, how can explain that? I can't live, I've tried and i can't. If that sounds simple, it's simple like a mountain is simple. You mother suffered, too, but she chose to live, and lived be her son and her husband. I don't expect that you'll ever understand me, much less forgive me, you might not even read these words, if your mother gives them to you at all. It's time to go. I want you to be happy, I want that more than I want happiness for myself... I'll never write another word again, I am gone, I am no longer here. With love, Your father" (135).
These words came right at the end of the chapter and really stood out to me and I am sure to all of you too. Narrator #2 who we all weren't sure who it was is now made clear in this chapter. I imagine this is the last time we are going to hear from him as the narrator because of how this chapter ended. This chapter is all a letter to his unborn son. Him and his wife have a rule that they aren't aloud to have kids so he writes this letter expecting it to never get read by anyone. This raises a few questions:
Where did Oskar's father come from if he's grandma was never going to have any kids? Did Oskar's father ever read this letter? Or did he ever meet his mothers first husband who wrote this letter? Did Oskar's grandmother ever get remarried? What happens to Thomas the sculpture? What happens to Oskar's grandmother after she finds out he's not coming back? Does he come back? Do they ever see each other again?
These words came right at the end of the chapter and really stood out to me and I am sure to all of you too. Narrator #2 who we all weren't sure who it was is now made clear in this chapter. I imagine this is the last time we are going to hear from him as the narrator because of how this chapter ended. This chapter is all a letter to his unborn son. Him and his wife have a rule that they aren't aloud to have kids so he writes this letter expecting it to never get read by anyone. This raises a few questions:
Where did Oskar's father come from if he's grandma was never going to have any kids? Did Oskar's father ever read this letter? Or did he ever meet his mothers first husband who wrote this letter? Did Oskar's grandmother ever get remarried? What happens to Thomas the sculpture? What happens to Oskar's grandmother after she finds out he's not coming back? Does he come back? Do they ever see each other again?
Friday, February 6, 2015
Chapter 3
“Whenever people cried themselves to sleep, the tears would all go to the same place, and in the morning the weatherman could report if the water level of the Reservoir of Tears had gone up or down, and you could know if New York was in heavy boots.” This quote was so heartbreaking.
“I printed out some of the pictures I found—a shark attacking a girl getting a blowjob from her normal boyfriend, a soldier getting his head cut off in Iraq, the place on the wall where a famous stolen painting used hang—and I put them in Stuff That Happened to Me, my scrapbook of everything that happened to me.” All those pictures are vulnerable.
About chapter 2
In the second chapter, the narrator has the problem speaking.
“Does it break my heart, of course, every moment of every day, into more pieces than my heart was made of, I never thought f myself as quiet, much less silent, I never thought about things at all, everything wasn’t the world, it wasn’t the bombs and burning buildings, it was me, my thinking, the cancer of never letting go, is ignorance bliss, I don’t know, but it’s so painful to think, and tell me, what did thinking ever do for me, to what great place did thinking ever bring me? I think and think and think, I’ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”
This quote really hit me. Even he tattooed himself YES and NO on each hand, he couldn’t really express what he was thinking. He lost his connection with the other people. YES and NO could be the answers of people’s questions. However, it would not be enough to express what he wanted to say, it would not be enough to let people know him. It makes me think about how O craves for the answer. The answer is not enough to sacrifice people, probably the process is the thing that actually matters. And O might realize that on his journey of finding the lock. He starts to write things down on the paper to communicate with people. I wonder why he only writes one phrase on every paper. It makes him run out of paper easily. “if something made me want to laugh, I’d write ‘Ha ha ha!’” This quote is fairly gloomy to read. It shows how much he wants people to know how he feels.
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