1: Walking in on Mum and Dad

A quick, light read. Embarrassing stories of athletes, actors, journalists, politicians, and other celebrities. (In all fairness, I must admit that some of the allusions to pop culture and sports flew over my head, as Mr. King is a Brit. But I could still see humor in stories of cricket and rugby, so kudos to the author.) Stories are organized by theme--I particularly enjoyed the SEX chapter and the FAMILY & FRIENDS section. This was my read-in-bed-until-I-nod-off book...and I must say that I looked forward to bedtime during this time.

Starting Now

Librarything has motivated me to start my own 50-book challenge. We'll see how long it takes me to get to #50...then start all over again! :) I've definitely got enough books (over 300) to read that have not been touched since they were first put on the shelf. My eyes were definitely bigger than my voracious appetite for words...or perhaps I've just let inconsequential things trick me into thinking I was full. Then I'll make excuses like "I have too much homework/school/etc." Not cool, Ems! I will finish reading Walking in on Mom and Dad for #1 and then continue on to something else very soon. (Perhaps it will be a novel for my senior seminar, but it still counts.) Yay!

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: PRAYER

*Summary*
--------------
The author considers the multitudes and variety of prayers made by friends and family for his sake.

*Favorite Lines/Phrases*
--------------------------

"barrier of affection" - DO YOU BELIEVE AFFECTION BLOCKS WORDS? IS THIS SAME BARRIER PRESENT IN ENEMIES, OR IS IT A DIFFERENT BARRIER (CONSIDER THE "tourists")?

"chants fly heavenward"

"kingdom of slumber" - DREAMS HAVE BECOME HIS KINGDOM, THE ONLY REALM IN WHICH HE TRULY HAS CONTROL.

*To Discuss/Analyze*
--------------------------
JAPANESE INCENSE AMULETS FOR HIS LARYNX, A CAMEROON HOLY MAN FOR HIS RIGHT EYE, BORDEAUX MONKS FOR HIS HEARING...WHAT SPHERE OF BAUBY DOES HIS DAUGHTER CELESTE PRAY FOR?

THE AUTHOR SUGGESTS THAT THE MURDERS OF BORDEAUX MONKS BROUGHT EAR PAIN. WHAT CAN YOU DRAW FROM THIS COMMENT - DOES BAUBY TRULY BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER OR IS HE STRUGGLING TO CONVINCE HIMSELF TO HOLD OUT HOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT?

CONSIDER THIS QUOTE: "[A]ll these lofty protections are merely clay ramparts, walls of sand, Maginot lines, compared to the 'small prayer' of Celeste.' WHY IS HIS DAUGHTER'S PRAYER SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN THE OTHERS'?

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: THE WHEELCHAIR

*Summary*
--------------
The author faces the grim reality of his condition: he will never live outside of the wheelchair.

*Favorite Lines/Phrases*
--------------------------

"shores of awareness" SUGGESTS THAT AWARENESS IS LESS PROMINENT THAN CONFUSION, AS WATER (CONFUSION) COVERS THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE EARTH.

"I had GRADUATED from being a patient whose prognosis was uncertain to an OFFICIAL quadriplegic." (NOTE THE SARCASTIC TONE.)

image of African woman with neck rings

"In one flash, I saw the frightening truth. It was as blinding as an atomic explosion and keener than a guillotine blade." (NOTE THAT THE TRUTH SWOOPS IN FROM AFAR - IN JAPAN, WHERE THE ATOMIC BOMB WAS DROPPED - AND LANDS IN THE COUNTRY OF THE GUILLOTINE. WHAT A POIGNANT TURN OF TONGUE...ERM, EYELID.)

*To Analyze/Discuss*
--------------------------
THE AUTHOR COMPLAINS ABOUT HIS "uncooperative deadweight limbs." WHAT ARE YOUR "uncooperative deadweight limbs" IN LIFE (THINK METAPHORICALLY)? WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK FROM ACCOMPLISHING YOUR GOALS?

THE TERMS "graduation" AND "brutal downgrading" PRESENT AN INTERESTING CONTRAST. WHO IS CELEBRATING THE GRADUATION? LAMENTING THE DOWNGRADING? DO YOU FEEL THAT BOTH PARTIES COULD PARTICIPATE IN BOTH ACTIVITIES SIMULTANEOUSLY?

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE "unremitting drizzle" THAT STREAKS THE WINDOWS (LAST IMAGE OF THE CHAPTER)?

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: PROLOGUE

*Summary*
---------------
Author awaits arrival of the emissary from his publisher to record his words, dictated by blinking his left eye.

*Favorite Lines/Phrases*
--------------------------

confined "like a hermit crab dug into his rock"

"The diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly."

*To Analyze/Discuss*
-----------------------
HE FEELS PAIN (in his heels, hands, and limbs), BUT CANNOT MOVE OR DETERMINE THE REASON FOR HIS PAIN (HOT/COLD). DISCUSS TIMES WHEN YOU'VE FELT PAIN WITHOUT MOVING OR DOING ANYTHING TO PROVOKE IT. THINK OF PAIN AS A PREDATOR AND YOURSELF AS ITS PREY - DO YOU FEEL THAT BAUBY'S INABILITY TO RUN FROM PAIN MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO ESCAPE IT?

WHAT DOES THE DIVING BELL SIGNIFY? THE BUTTERFLY? TO WHAT IS THE BELL ATTACHED? - HIS BODY? HIS LIFE? HIS BUTTERFLY? CAN YOU DRAW ANY MEANING FROM THE FACT THAT HE HAS CHOSEN A MAN-MADE OBJECT AND A NATURAL CREATURE TO HELM HIS BOOK?

CONSIDER THIS QUOTE: "In the past you simply died. But improved resuscitation techniques have now prolonged and refined the agony." DO YOU FEEL THIS CONDITION WOULD WARRANT THE EXTREME MEASURES HERALDED BY DR. KEVORKIAN AND EUTHANASIA SUPPORTERS? DO YOU FEEL THAT BAUBY BELIEVES MODERN MEDICINE & TECHNOLOGY GOES AGAINST NATURE? WHAT DO YOU THINK ON THIS MATTER? WHAT DOES THE AUTHOR MEAN BY "REFINING" THE AGONY?

THE AUTHOR'S BUTTERFLY "WANDERS OFF IN SPACE [AND] IN TIME." ITS LANDING PADS ALTERNATE BETWEEN FANTASY AND REALITY, MEMORY AND IMAGINATION. WHAT DOES THIS ALTERNATING QUALITY SUGGEST ABOUT THE MIND THAT DIRECTS THIS BUTTERFLY?

BAUBY WATCHES A CARTOON OF THE "FASTEST FROG IN THE WEST." HE WONDERS, "WHAT IF I ASKED TO BE CHANGED INTO A FROG?" WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE THE FROG SYMBOLIZES IN THE AUTHOR'S MIND? WHY WOULD HE ENVY THE FROG?

Greater Understanding

In my Literacy Narrative so many weeks ago, I discussed all the stamps I had accumulated on my "literacy passport." Today, I hold this passport in my hands and am challenged to consider what stamps will grace this passport in the future and, furthermore, what my passport will enable me to do in the future.

A great man once sang, "Take a look; it's in a book." I have spent much of my life devouring many words and consuming many books. I have come across many truths that I feel I would never have encountered without the power of the written word. However, there is always the nagging feeling that I am missing something - that there is a book out there that is calling out to me in vain.

My experiences this semester have shown me that even those books I would not have picked up on my own hold great value. I find that, by stepping outside of my comfort zone and opening a book of poetry or an existentialist novel, I can widen my horizons and make myself receptive to truths I would not otherwise have accepted.

When I first entered this class, I had a strong desire to follow my passion for literature to a publishing house. While I still feel that publishing will be in my future, I am not confident that a publishing house will be my ultimate destination. I seem to be developing a case of uncertainty much like Binx Bolling. (Though it could be this head cold.) I feel like I need to slow down and analyze the world around me and inside of me before I can truly know where literature will lead me. And I feel that literature can give me the tools to analyze these distinct worlds.

Over the course of this semester, I have found myself making constant comparisons to my classmates. I find myself very rusty when it comes to analyzing literature, and I will admit that I often envy the skills and experiences of my classmates. I lack the perspective that gender studies offers. My comprehension of poetry is severely lacking. I am ignorant of many cultural and racial contexts that many of my peers know backwards and forwards.

If nothing else, this class has shown me my deficiencies and given me the inspiration to improve myself. But it has also shown me that I have an eye and ear for poetic constructions - I feed on metaphors and similes and cannot get enough of rhyme and meter. I get a special thrill when I happen upon a sly joke or allegory, and I live for the days when I will understand an allusion to an older literary work that others might not.

I must say that I enjoyed the opportunity to apply traditional literary analysis to non-traditional formats like graphic novel and film. These artistic forms are prevalent in today's world and I anxiously await using the tools from this class to dissect comic books I read outside of the school walls and even the summer movies. My interests outside of school no longer have to be kept separate - I have found that, in joining the two, I gain a greater understanding of every artistic input and reap a greater understanding of each.

Last to jump on the boat

I'm almost ashamed to say that I didn't even notice the lack of estrogen in this play. I guess it's a credit to the playwright that he could write such an impressive piece without a single woman.

"But what does it mean?" You ask. The lack of women seems to make the statement that femininity guides morality. The characters in the play are playing each other - for more money, for better leads, for a Cadillac. Levene wants another opportunity to prove his sales skills; Moss and Aaronow want a return to the good 'ol days and they want the respect their experience demands; Roma wants power and money and attention and he won't let anyone stand in his way. All of these characters want something and no one is willing to earn it honestly.

Mr. Lingk is impulsive without his wife. She balances him and sets off Roma's balance in the process (which causes a domino effect ending with Levene). The "ex" mentioned in the beginning of the play also provides a foil for the impatient, impulsive nature of a man. Levene's daughter plays an interesting role - rather than holding her father back from his rash nature, she seems to become the cause for his desperation. Then we have Harriet, who is the epitome of caution - in such a twisted way: she agrees to a deal with no real intention of fulfilling it. She doesn't even wade in the idea of purchasing land but instead jumps the whole puddle and then splashes herself with water to make it seem different.

I have some things to stew on here. I will return.