Radiolab podcast on laughter

Radiolab did a podcast episode last year on laughter (that builds on a lot of the ideas in the article you read). If you're looking for an interesting podcast, give it a listen.

Indian and Drug connection between Lone Ranger and Cuckoo

Okay, so I was just writing about Chief Bromdens perspective for the homework and I made this random connection between Indians and drugs between The Lone Ranger and Cuckoos Nest.

In Cuckoos Nest, Bromden, who is half Indian, is forcibly drugged in order to "heal" him and make him sane. However, these drugs make him feel more crazy because they make him hallucinate. For example, he hallucinates about the fog when he is being shaved.

Whereas in Lone Ranger, Indians such as Victor, Junior, and Thomas all do drugs as a way of avoiding reality. They think that drugs will help them cope with reality, but is actually just postponing the time when they will come to terms with their life as a reservation Indian. It does not actually heal them.

Escaping the reservation without actually leaving

In Sherman Alexie's story, "Somebody Kept Saying Powwow," Norma shows us that she does not need to leave the reservation to find happiness. In some of Alexie's other stories, his characters talk about trying to get off the reservation as a means of escaping their Indian life, but Norma is able to escape the "Reservation of her mind" without physically leaving it.

The ways in which Norma mentally frees herself from the reservation is by connecting with others and nurturing relationships through dancing, sleeping with people, and telling stories.

Norma dances all night long, with lots of people at the powwows on the Reservation. She has the heart of a dancer, and by dancing with people she is having fun while physically bonding with others.

Just like Alexie did, Norma wrote for the local newspaper, which is how he started his writing career and is also a form of connecting with others through words. Norma tells stories with Junior which is another form creating solid relationships that can help her happiness.

The last way that Norma nurtures relationships is by taking guys into her tepee some nights and sleeping with them, Norma is physically connecting with others and is, what junior calls, "Body Medicine," (Alexie 203). This is also a way that she mentally frees herself from the reservation, by having sex with different men because she is not confined to the reservation and can do what she pleases.

By challenging the conventions of the stereo typical Indian lifestyle of alcohol and hopelessness, Norma discovers how to stay a reservation Indian, but live the content and exciting life of a white person that lives outside the reservation. She has a different, more positive outlook on life on the reservation and believes that she can find happiness in what she already has.

She teaches the reader that in the end, it is not about whether you live on the reservation or not, as long as one find happiness wherever they live, they will be free.

Just Some Alexie Ideas

So, for my essay I'm not really focusing on religion in "Jesus Christ's...", but rather the idea of faith and imagination. However, I do find it very interesting in the way that religion (Christianity) is used many times to portrait James as sort of a savior to the narrator of the story.   There are many instances of James's actions mirroring those of biblical accounts and I would have to say the best one is when it says, "He'll make gold out of commodity cheese." (p.120) This line is the best because as some of you may know the story of Jesus making wine out of water to give to his followers and this is the same action almost.  James is characterized to be someone who will rise above the reservation and everyone on it as something much bigger or better than everyone else.  The narrator seems better off at the end of the story from believing in James and putting his faith in him, which leads me to my question if anyone actually happens to read this.  What is more important for living on the reservation, faith or imagination?

This is actually a comment, again.

I continue to have issues with this blog thing. This is actually a comment on Evan's blog post.

Many characters in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," including Thomas Builds-the-Fire, Samuel Builds-the-Fire, and Junior (The one in "A Good Story") are all storytellers. While some of these characters, such as Junior, create happy stories, other characters do worse when they tell stories. Samuel stops telling stories and eventually gets drunk and either commits suicide or is just to drunk to keep from dying. Thomas stops telling stories for a while, but when he resumes talking, he is sent to prison as a result. Do these characters partially reflect how Alexie views himself?

Imagination as a means of survival

Imagination is commonly considered a useless thing for little children. For example, small children with imaginary friends are cute. Older children and adults with imaginary friends are insane. However, in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in heaven," many characters use imagination as a way to survive with all of the suffering they endure on the reservation.

In "Imagining the Reservation," the narrator says, "Listen, when I was young, living on the reservation, eating potatoes every day of my life, I imagined the potatoes grew larger, filled my stomach, reversed the emptiness," (Alexie 151) "Imagine a loaf of bread could feed the entire tribe," (Alexie 149) and "Imagination is the only weapon on the reservation." (Alexie 150) In "The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire," Thomas uses his imagination to tell stories at his trial. These stories lead to other Native Americans relating to Thomas and trying to support him. In "A Good Story," Junior and his mother take comfort in Junior's story.

In "Imagining the Reservation," "The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire," "A Good Story," and other stories in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," Alexie creates characters who use their imaginations and/or the imaginations of others to help them get by in a world of poverty and suffering. Through these stories and characters, Alexie challenges the traditional notion that imagination is not valuable and is mostly something for children. 

Different Ways of Coping

Throughout The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, pain is a constant. Whether it is the painful history of the Native American people or the painful reality of being a modern day Native American on a reservation, the characters in Alexie’s stories seem to be struggling with pain at all times. As I read, I noticed that there seems to be two different methods for coping, and that for the most part every single character can be placed into one of the two categories. First, there are those that deal with their pain by avoiding it. This includes all the characters who turn to alcohol as a means of numbing themselves, and also those that run away from the reservation and/or their families, such as Victor’s father. The second method is to embrace the pain and make the most of things. This is the more constructive method, and it includes people like Samuel from “A Train” and Norma from “Powwow”, who find happiness in life despite their poorness, and Junior in “A Good Story”, who chooses to count his blessings instead of obsessing over what’s wrong with his life. Thomas-Builds-the-Fire also employs the second method, by using his storytelling as a sort of therapy for understanding and coming to terms with the past.

Alexie Sherman Post

The topic that I am going to be talking here is related to the topic of my Long Ranger and Tonto essay.

As we read the stories, I marked places where "quilts" are brought up and if we think about a quilt as a combination of different patterns that have been sewn together, this can be symbolic of the collection of stories that Native Americans have about their past. Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in heaven is an example of one of these collections. Sherman Alexie used these short stories to help this  new generation of Native Americans survive on the reservation and the young characters are using the stories in this way. There is this sort of collection of stories within the Sherman Alexie's collection.

Basketball

I know we briefly talked about basketball, but I think there is more we can discuss about it as there are unanswered questions about its significance and its purpose.

It seems that basketball is a central motif that appears in many of the stories that we have read, including The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The most obvious story that basketball appears in is "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore" in which Victor and Adrian talk about how Indians on the reservation spend a lot of time involved with basketball. Just about everyone plays it and watches it. It seems as if it is a form of escape for them, even a form of hope. Indians look at the basketball stars as almost saviors--people who will go very far in life. However, basketball is not strong enough to ward off the alcohol and hopelessness that is plentiful on the reservation. When these basketball heroes succumb to alcohol and their basketball futures go down the tube, fellow Indians go into a state of mourning. Basketball is an integral part of Native American life, but is it just a fun pastime activity?

Do you think Alexie uses basketball as a form of entertainment? Do you think basketball has a more symbolic meaning? Or do you think it just happened to be the most popular pastime when Alexie was growing up on the reservation?

If anyone has any ideas on this I would appreciate an answer, because this has been bugging me for a long time. Thanks.

Memory

Memory seems like such a big part of a lot of Alexie's stories in several different ways.  It seems that the longer it has been since something has happened, the more fondly it is remembered. This idea is mentioned in "Because my Father Always said he was the only Indian who saw Jimi Hendrix play 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock" when Victor's parents discuss how much they love each other after splitting up. Victor mentions that "[his] father's memories of [his] mother grew more beautiful as their relationship became more hostile". This also appears to apply to stories. In "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation doesn't Flash Red Anymore", Victor says that reservation heroes' "status grows over the years as the stories are told and retold". I think it may be a problem that memories and stories improve over time because this could potentially be part of the reason why tradition is so strong and so many of the Indians on the reservation succumb to drink. Even though they remember how badly it has affected others, maybe they take it up as well because it doesn't seem as bad as more time goes by.

On Stories....

One thing i was considering while reading TLRATFFIH, and especially in The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire, was if a story is only really a story if there is someone there to listen to it. This brought up another question i have been thinking about, and that is, what is the difference between hearing and listening? In the aforementioned story, a woman cries from the jury, "We are all listening, Thomas" and then later, "We all hear you". Is listening passive, and hearing active? Can you listen without hearing? Is a story only a story if someone truly hears and understands what you are talking about? Just some food for thought. Happy Thanksgiving.

In a New York Times article, written by Jess Row, he talks about Sherman Alexie and, " To understand Sherman Alexie as he often presents himself- as a clown, a cynic, a glib comedian, a blasphemer- is to miss the undercurrent of deep longing for the gravitas,, the wisdom, of the storyteller." (The full article is at the bottom). And this statement is very true, because underneath the sarcastic jokes about alchol and death, there is a sad truth to it. Not just the death of Native  Americans because of Alchol, but the death of their tradition. The article goes on to further say that Alexie was raised without certain Indian traditions and never taught his tribal language. This statement also is true, however it is Alexies stories that keep his heritage alive. Not speaking the langauge may not be keeping his culture, but he compensates by writing sotires about people who are dead set in keeping their tradition and Sherman Alexie spreads his culture, not by passing it down from generation to generation but instead sharing it with the literary world and it is in this way that he keeps his culture alive and keeps it alive past the land of the reservation but shares his story and the story of those around him and his ancestors with the world through his novels and stories. He makes light of the current situations through jokes such as, "“When a reservation-raised Native American dies of alcoholism it should be considered death by natural causes.”" (From the Article) But, it is clear that his works, although stories from his memory, are his way of sharing his perspective of native americans, those who are poor at adapting, and stuck in a medium, not quite in the modern world but not as their ancestors were. Due to the unatural change that was forced upon the native americans, they were pushed out of their traditions but never quite developed like the rest of America and so Alexie sees Native Americans as a people who are stuck in a sea of Alchol and drugs, drowning everytime they try to make a change. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/books/review/blasphemy-by-sherman-alexie.html?ref=shermanalexie

Superheroes are applicable to everything

Thomas is a bit like Iron Fist/ Danny Rand in my opinion.

For starters, Danny's daddy was kicked out of this fabled city and exiled, much like native americans were kicked out of their own lands and exiled on reservations. Much like Native Americans as well, Daniel is betrayed/ stabbed in the back by those who are supposed to help him. For example: Meachum, his fathers business partner, kills daddy rand in order to get his position in the company. Yu-ti, danny's uncle, plotted his own brothers death and his sister in law's death (Heather, his mother, is killed in front of him by a pack of wolves while trying to escape to safety). 

Both Thomas and Danny love telling stories!!!! Thomas tells stories to give wisdom, advice, and keep traditions alive. Danny tells stories to teach morals, teachings he learned, and historical stories A LOT like Thomas. 

Thomas's "powers" are his stories, which he seemingly draws on from his ancestors. Danny draws his power from this ancient evil fire breathing serpent that doesnt ever die, but danny killed him anyways. Danny can also MIND MELD (share emotions/ memories) just like Thomas does in his trial, and during the drug shroom story. Danny also has the ability to heighten his awareness of everything around him by tapping into the dead serpents power; thomas is pretty observant as well, for he manages to predict that Victor's dad would eventually leave them (its a bit far fetched but whatever). Danny can help heal others, and Thomas helps heal Victor by helping him let go of his dad. Danny adapts to his environment to survive; native americans were forced to adapt, and the motif of survival comes up quite a bit in TLRATFFIH. Speaking of which, numbness comes up a lot too; well guess what? DANNY can control what he feels!!! Now that I've already gone off on a motif tangent, its probably best to just continue so here are even MORE motifs/random thoughts (some not so great):

Danny is a warrior, Thomas considers him a warrior

Both are very attached to their cultures/traditions/history

Both are dual citizens  (thomas is Native American and american, danny is american and K'un-Lun

In case i didn't mention, both are obsessed with telling stories/ giving advice in monologues 

An excuse to make a blog post about zombies

So since I was on a huge role in class the other day, I though that there would be no better blog post topic for me than to compare Alexie's collection to my favorite TV show of all time, The Walking Dead. I will try and make this post as spoiler-free as possible, for I highly recommend the show to all of you.

The Walking Dead isn't just a show about zombies, a title which unfortunately most people write it off as. Instead, it takes an interesting path of storytelling by showing the audience what would actually happen in a zombie apocalypse, not just people being killed/eaten. Throughout the show you see people die and people come, but they are all struggling to simply exist. The basic morals that we as humans live by today change so drastically, it gets to a point where the humans are just as monstrous as the zombies are. So that's just a little background for you, if you have Netflix it's there so do yourselves a favor and go watch it (after homework of course).

So how can a show about survival in the zombie apocalypse relate to Sherman Alexie's stories about Native American lifestyle? Well in a lot of ways actually. Now I already talked about some of my ideas in class, but I figured that I could go a bit more into depth here along with introducing more ideas. P.S. most/all of these are connected to Distances. P.P.S. it's also important to know that there is also a comic series of TWD, so I will be referencing that as well.

So I already kind of spoiled this in class, but hopefully none of you remember what I said and aren't spoiled. But the first connection that led to all of these was that of the radio and the telephone. So in Distances, the narrator finds this radio. He looks at it and instantly realizes it's broken, for he sees the shorted wires, the dead batteries, and the bursted dams. But still, he wonders if it works and what he would hear out if it if it did. His curiosity shows his desire for it to work, he wants to hear something, anything out of this radio. In a time of crisis and destruction (the Native Americans slaughtering the whites), the narrator wants to hear something normal out of this radio. Something to snap him back to reality almost.

It was after noticing this that I drew my first connection, a telephone. So there's this pinnacle moment in season three where there's this massive outbreak. A lot of people die that episode, including one character who has a strong attachment to the main character. Obviously, the main character is distraught over this loss. He goes a bit insane, yelling at people, wandering around, even seeing visions of this deceased person. Until one episode he is walking through the prison (where the survival group is staying at the time) and hears a phone ringing. He rushes to the phone and picks it up, and begins talking to a woman. The woman tells him that her group is in a safe place where no one is in danger, and with plenty of food and supplies. Rick (The main character) automatically strives to know where they are, but the woman says she's out of time and will call him back the next day. The next day, he has another confusing phone call, this time with a man. The man gives no straight answers to Rick, and at the end when the man tells Rick has has to leave, he says something along the lines of, "Stay safe Rick." It is revealed in the next phone call that Rick has been talking to deceased members of his group, implying that this safe place they were talking about was being dead. In the comic Rick even unplugs the phone, and can still hear the voices.

Both Rick and the narrator have these two machines that they desperately want to hear something out of. Rick wanted to hear the voice of someone who could tell him where he could be safe, when he ultimately realizes that the only place he could ever be truly safe is death. The narrator never hears anything out of the radio, and at the end he turns up and down the volume, but only hears his own breath. The narrator comes to realize that he is hearing himself through the radio, and that he will never hear a message or a broadcast that will give him what he wants to hear. He will only hear himself, just like Rick, who will only hear what his brain tells him to hear, but never exactly what he wants.

Another perfect connection I made was that of a constant threat. In Distances, the epigraph talks about how the Native American's most important threat was the whites. Then one day, a massive flood came and killed every last white person. While it seems like the Native Americans should have began to live in peace from then on, they didn't. They began to fight amongst themselves, which eventually drove them to the point of splitting into two groups that would be eternal enemies. Due to implications, to assume that even if these two groups settles their differences, a new threat would arise, would be very likely.

This is a huge theme in TWD. While one who hasn't seen the show may think the main threat is the zombies, they are sadly mistaken. You see, the zombies are a threat... for a little. But quickly they group learns to deal with the zombies, and once they do the threat shifts to other human beings. You can't trust anybody but yourself in the apocalypse, for people will kill you just to get what you have. This threat against other humans remains at large throughout most of the show, with the zombies being there to mix with the human threat and create moments of utter chaos. But soon their main human threat is avoided (for the time being), and a new threat arises (won't say because spoilers). Then this new threat is dealt with, and another arises. In this world, they will never be safe. Things will never revert to the way they were. There will always be a threat at large.

Let's take a break from Distances, and talk about a comparison I found with A Drug Called Tradition. Specifically, Victor's drum given to him by Big Mom. Big Mom gives Victor this tiny drum, and tells him whenever he needs her, he can just give the drum a tap. But Victor himself says the he never tapped the drum, yet he keeps it with him all the time to make him feel safe. "I guess you could call it the only religion I have, one drum that can fit in my hand, but I think if I played it a little, it might fill up the whole world." (Alexie, 23). Victor acknowledges the drums tiny appearance physically, but it's large significance symbolically.

In TWD, there are two examples of this "reassurance item" we'll call it. The first is a comic only thing, and that's Rick and his phone. Yes, this is the same phone as the one I was talking about earlier, but unlike in the show, Rick actually takes the phone with him wherever he goes. At one point he is talking to a lady (who I'll call X for now because spoilers) who tells him about her "reassurance item", which I'll talk about in a moment. X tells Rick about her item, for he has noticed her using it before. When X finally opens up to someone about it, she is worried Rick will think she is a complete oddball, but he reveals his phone to her, telling her that while he knows what he hears from it is what's in his head, it still makes him feel safe. Sound familiar? Rick, just like Victor, acknowledges that it's physical value is nothing, since it doesn't work and he only hears what his brain tells him to hear, but it's symbolic value is huge, for it makes him feel safe.

X's item on the other hand isn't an item but a spirit. X's item is her dead boyfriend, and let me explain. No it's not a zombie, it's not anything physical at all for that matter. But X talks to her boyfriend as if he were alongside her all the time. She is often seen by others talking to herself, when in reality she is talking to her boyfriend. When talking to Rick, X tells him that she knows he is dead and not actually there, but she can still hear him and talk to him as if he were standing right beside her. Again, the acknowledgement of physical and symbolic values.

The last comparison I'll make in this post is with watches. Watches have importance in both A Drug Called Tradition and Distances. In A Drug Called Tradition, there's the story about Indian time, and how no Indians wear watches because their "skeletons" wear the watches for them. The most important lines from this part of the story are "See, it is always now. That's what Indian time is. The past, the future, all of it is wrapped up in the now. That's how it is. We are trapped in the now." In Distances, the narrator says he remembers watches. He recalls how precisely they measure time and how he measures time by his own breath, akin to how he only heard his breath through the radio.

In a recent episode of TWD, Rick and another character (call them Y), discover a house with two people living in it. These two people ask Rick if they can stay with his group, and he goes through his quiz that he gives to people that want to join. They pass, and since Rick and Y are looking for medicine, Y suggests that these two help look and cover more ground to prove their worth. Rick reluctantly agrees, and gives his watch to the boy, telling the boy to meet him and Y back at their current location in two hours. Two hours pass, Rick and Y see the girl of the group dead, and the boy has not returned to the house. Rick is now without his watch. At the end of the episode, Rick kicks Y out of the group and leaves her where they were searching for meds (She did bad things). Y gives Rick their watch before he leaves, and the episode ends with Rick driving back the the prison, looking at the watch.

In both instances, we are shown how little time means. In TWD, Rick tried to use the watch/time to get the boy to meet back up with him, which didn't happen. That's how we know that time is of little worth. But then Y gives Rick their watch, and Rick stares at it. Rick realizes that while it may not be important, it's still real. In a world gone to hell, something's will never change. This also applies to Alexie, how you don't have to keep a watch on you, for it's of no worth. The world/your skeleton will keep time for you, but it's still real. (Note: I don't exactly know where I was going with this point. It's been a long post, hopefully it makes sense)

I could probably make thousands of more connections but I'm pretty sure my brain just melted. That, and no one would read my post, since it's already long enough. So, quick notes:

1. Watch The Walking Dead, please, it's worth it
2. I think this is longer than Emma's *high-fives self*
3. Have a nice day

The Poem that Made Sherman Alexie Want to "Drop Everything and Become a Poet" (Weekend Homework)

Here's the article if you'd prefer to read it online. You can also listen to Alexie read his poem "Good Times"

The Colin McEnroe show on Macbeth

Here's a link to the podcast of the Colin McEnroe show (on NPR) that I was talking about a week or so ago. On it, Colin interviews the following guests: 

• David Scott Kastan is the George M. Bodman Professor of English at Yale
• Jennifer Roberts is the Director of Education at Hartford Stage
• Elizabeth Williamson is the Senior Dramaturg and Director of New Play Development at Hartford Stage (also dramaturg for both Macbeth & La Dispute, and translator for La Dispute)
• Darko Tresnjak is the Artistic Director of Hartford Stage

 It's a good podcast if you're looking for something to listen to during a commute or at home. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes

One way of challenging the conventions of the Scottish play...

I doubt we'll be able to organize a field trip to this "version" of Macbeth:

This is actually a comment.

I have been having difficulties with this blog and it won't let me post comments. It also deleted my comment after I wrote it. Technology angers me. Anyway, if you're reading this, pretend it is a comment on Evan's post.

The witches never actually say that Banquo's children will be kings. They say only that Banquo will "get kings." (1.3.70) Macbeth and Banquo immediately assume this means Banquo's children would be kings, but there is another interpretation. Maybe, since Banquo's death was a major factor in the people of Scotland rebelling and Macbeth being overthrown, Banquo is considered as being the creator of the situation in which Malcolm took power. Banquo would then "get kings," (1.3.70), both getting Macbeth by removing him from the throne, and getting Malcolm, who he places on the throne. The witches may have only shown Macbeth the vision of kings looking like Banquo because Malcolm and his heirs will be a line of kings created by Banquo in a sense, even though they are not Banquo's descendants.

Act 2 Scene 3

Does anyone remember the porter in act 2 scene 3?  Well my project is on that scene and I came across an idea that I thought was very important to one of the main themes in the whole play.  Macbeth struggled with "wearing the pants" in the relationship for the first half of the play (until he killed Duncan) because he was not mentally tough enough to control he and Lady Macbeth's marriage.  The porter talks to Macduff and Lennox about how alcohol stops one from being able to perform sexual tasks while Lady Macbeth kind of sexually taunts Macbeth, holding his "man card" over his head when he refuses to kill Duncan at first.  Alcohol does not make Macbeth refuse to killing Duncan, it is just his sober and straight thinking mind that deprives him of sex from his wife while he refuses to murder someone. I find it interesting that a drunk would subtly point out this detail while drawing attention to how he is no long speaking poetically when his lines come up.  Let me know what you think... 

Donalbain

In Macbeth, it is established that King Duncan has two sons. He has his older son, Malcolm, who he makes the Prince of Cumberland and his heir to the throne in act one, scene four, and he has his younger son, Donalbain. In later acts of the play, Malcolm plays a significant role. He decides to flee to England after Duncan dies in act two, scene three because he worries he might be blamed for killing Duncan. While in England, he persuades the King of England to provide him with 10,000 soldiers under the command of an experienced English general, Siward to remove Macbeth from the throne of Scotland. This army, when joined with rebelling Scottish troops, forms a force that is able to defeat Macbeth's troops and take Dunsinane in act five, allowing Macduff to kill Macbeth. Therefore, Malcolm is very important.

Donalbain, however, does next to nothing in the entire play. As Duncan's younger son, he is not Duncan's heir and so is already less important than Malcolm. In the entire play, he only speaks in act two, scene three, in which Duncan's corpse is discovered. He says, "To Ireland I. Our separated fortune shall keep us both the safer. Where we are, there's daggers in men's smiles. The near in blood, the nearer bloody," (2.3.163-166) to Malcolm after Malcolm has told Donalbain that he plans on going to England. Donalbain says that they should split up and flee to avoid getting killed. He then presumably flees to Ireland. However, he could also go to England, stay in Scotland, commit suicide, or practice breakdancing. There is no way of knowing what he actually does, because he simply disappears after act two, scene three. He never appears again in the play after this scene, and is rarely mentioned. Those few times when he is mentioned give no information as to what he is doing or where he is. Unlike Malcolm, he does not raise an army, overthrow Macbeth, become king, or do anything.

Why does Shakespeare include Donalbain? The play already has quite a few characters who actually do things, yet the few lines Donalbain has could be either cut or changed to Malcolm's lines. It seems that including Donalbain in the play serves no purpose other than giving readers/people watching the play another character to try to keep track of. Does Donalbain have some symbolic role in the play? If so, what? It seems it would be hard for a character to have any meaningful symbolic value when he has about three lines. Is his character relevant? Could he and should he have been cut from the play? I say he has no symbolic value and could and should have been cut.

Fleeing Fleance

   In Macbeth many conflicts are resolved, however there is one line of plot that is sort of discontinued. We never hear about what happened to Fleance Clearly he fled the scene after his fathers murder, yet we know he does not die in the wilderness because he eventually becomes king. However, if Malcolm is the current king, as of the end of Macbeth, and Fleance has no relation to Malcolm through blood, then how does Fleance, as the prophecy predicted, become king?
   If we look at the text closely we see really the only way Macbeth could have fulfilled the prophecy was through treachery as he too had no ties directly to the king. Now Fleance is in this similar situation. He too has a prophecy to fulfill that will get him power and money, yet the only real way to get it would be through treachery. However, this will only be the case if Banquo told Fleance about the prophecy, otherwise Fleance might not take the actions to fulfill it, or it will happen in a different way, like war or disease that will bring it to the throne. Macbeth see's eight kings that are descendants of Banquo so we know that his journey to the throne will be more successful.
   However, as Shakespeare leaves this part of the story, I think it is implied that Fleance might one day become the king to fulfill the second half of the prophecy.

A foil of Macbeth and Walter White (It had to be done)

Pre-Note: I haven't finished Breaking Bad, so if you are going to comment a spoiler *cough* Evan *cough* please don't.

So for those of you who haven't seen Breaking Bad, I know we watched the trailer in class but I'll expand a little bit more. Basically Breaking Bad is a TV show about a man named Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who finds out he has lung cancer. Even worse, the doctor told Walter that the cancer was practically incurable, and then he would only have a matter of months before his death. Walter realizes he needs to make a large amount of money and fast before he dies, to provide for his wife, disabled son, and on-the-way baby. Walter is conflicted about what he should do until he sees a news report about a meth lab bust, and how the police found thousands of dollars in this one meth lab. With this idea planted in his mind, Walter asks his DEA brother in law to go see a drug bust happen. It is at this drug bust that Walter sees an old student of his, Jesse Pinkman. Walter ultimately decides to go to Jesse and ask him to partner up and cook crystal meth. Jesse agrees, and thus begins one of the greatest shows on TV ever.


As we talked about before our reading of Macbeth, one of the main themes in Macbeth is how Macbeth crosses legal and moral boundaries in order to achieve the one goal he wanted to achieve before his death. He wanted that throne. He wanted it so badly he ended up seeking help from the most unlikely of people. He ended up committing murder, not only a legal crime but also incredibly taxing on his moral boundaries. He ended up putting the important people in his life in danger (or killing them... same thing) for what? To get the goal he so desperately needed to reach.

Now, let's compare the two.

Differences:
Macbeth wants to be king, Walter wants to make money for his family before his inevitable death. These two motivations are completely different, as Macbeth wants to be king because it's what he wants, whereas Walter wants to make money because he doesn't want his family to go poor after his death.



Similarities:
Macbeth turned to the unlikely and mysterious witches for help, Walter turned to drug addict, chemistry flunker Jesse Pinkman. This is a huge similarity between Macbeth and Walter, for they both go to people they otherwise would not have spoken to for help.

Macbeth murdered the important people in his life, Duncan, Banquo, and even put his wife in a position where she drives herself so crazy that she ultimately commits suicide. Walter, with getting involved in the drug world, puts his wife and entire family in trouble. There are many instances throughout the show where Walter meets some crazy drug dealer. Sure Walter operates under a fake name, but he is still putting his family in jeopardy, for resourceful drug dealers can track down anyone. The act of putting significant people in one's life in danger is someone both Macbeth and Walter do to ultimately achieve their goal.

Wow that was long, did I beat Emma? I'd be super proud. Anyway, if you have any TV shows or stories that have characters truly foilable to Macbeth, feel free to use a comment.

And also, please watch Breaking Bad. Finish all of your homework, and watch it. It's worth your time.

Foiling with my two favorite superheroes

Foiling:

Being a huge superman fan, i couldn't help but notice DC's brilliant foiling in their comic books. Much like how Macbeth and Macduff/ Lady macbeth and Lady macduff are juxtaposed, Superman and Batman are juxtaposed. For example (s)...

Batman catches bad guys at night, superman does in the day. Batman wears a mask to hide his and other's identity when fighting, Superman wears a "mask" when he doesn't fight. Batman is a preemptive super hero and catches people before they do bad stuff, Superman waits until after the bad guys do bad things. Bruce Wayne owns his company, whereas superman works as a reporter for one. Bruce Wayne is famous, Clark Kent is absolutely not. Bruce is a playboy, Clark pretends to be an awkward dude. Bruce is orphaned into billions of dollars, Clark is a poor farm boy from Kansas and his mother is still alive (his dad was too for a while but had a heart attack…). Batman is human, Superman is an alien. Batman has a son, and well… Superman doesn't settle down because he is immortal. Batman uses deductive reasoning, Superman uses his photographic memory. Batman uses gadgets he makes, but Superman doesn't need to because he is just so awesome already. Batman uses a natural made cave for his headquarters, and Superman made his with Kryptonian technology

However, both are male, refuse to kill, (originally) have blue uniforms, were made in the same year by the same author, use alter egos to hide their identity, are allied with the Justice League, and enjoy solitude.

The Power of Fate

One of the overarching themes in Macbeth is the power of fate. Fate is the concept that life is predetermined, that is, that one’s experiences are inevitable and will happen regardless of one’s actions. When the witches prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and king, Macbeth accepts this as his fate. To be fair, it does seem like the witches know what they’re talking about, since they have barely delivered the prophecy before Macbeth is being named Thane of Cawdor. And again, later in the play, when Macbeth does in fact become king, it’s tempting to think that these events really were predestined. But what if they weren’t? What if the power of fate only existed in Macbeth’s mind, and he ended up where he did as a result of his own free will? Certainly his actions were heavily influenced by fate either way; but in one scenario, he killed Duncan because this was the inescapable destiny set for him by some higher power, and in the other, whether he killed Duncan or not was completely up to him—but he chose to because he was convinced that it was unavoidable. Of course, only Shakespeare will ever know the answer. Either way, it’s interesting to consider whether Macbeth was in control of himself or not, and if he was, to think about how his belief that he wasn’t impacted his actions.

Birds, Birds, Birds

I noticed in Act 4 Scene 2 that birds are mentioned several times. This is the scene in which Ross talks to Lady Macduff about her husband fleeing and leaving his family behind defenseless. It is first mentioned when Lady Macduff says, "for the poor wren/(The most diminutive of birds) will fight,/Her young ones in her nest, against the owl" (4.2.11-13). She is saying that even the smallest and weakest of birds is willing to hold its own against a bigger and stronger bird if it is to protect its family. The motif is then continued when Lady Macduff explains to her son that Macduff is dead. He says that he will live like birds do. Lady Macduff says to her son, "Poor bird, thou'dst never fear the net nor lime,/The pitfall nor the gin" (4.2.40-41). She is upset that Macduff left them alone and she believes that her son is helpless and in danger. Her son replies, "Why should I, mother? Poor birds they are not set/for" (4.2.42-43). He believes that the murderers would not want to kill him because he is small and insignificant. When the murderer arrives, he says to Macduff's son, "What, you egg?/Young fry of treachery! (4.2.94-95). He says that he will kill the boy because he is the son (or the egg) of the traitorous Macduff. I believe Shakespeare uses so many bird metaphors here because this is the scene in which Macduff has "taken flight" and abandoned his family at the defenseless nest. Lady Macduff is wondering whether she should do the same.

Macbeth Post

Although I mentioned this topic in class today, I figured that I would attempt to go into more depth with it. As we were having the good v evil discussion, I came across the idea that Shakespeare wrote this story from the aspect of the villain/traitor. (Macbeth) Most times, when we see movies or read books, the author gives us the perspective of the "good guy." Some great examples of this are all of the superhero stories that we have known since we were little. We get the perspective of Superman, Batman and Spiderman (who are known to be the good guys), instead of the perspective of Bizzaro, The Joker, and the Green Goblin. Where we see the motives for the superheroes (most of the time its justice), we never see what motivates the villains...we just assume it is a bad thing and we accept these superheroes as good guys because thats the way that the author wanted us to see it as. This same idea can be related to Macbeth. Some readers may get caught in the idea that Macbeth is the hero because we see his motives and they may seem reasonable to some people, but in realty HE is the villain whereas Malcolm and Macduff are the superheroes, who are fighting for justice.

Prophecy

It is interesting that at the beginning of the play, Macbeth tries to speed up his fate by killing Duncan. But by the end of the play, Macbeth is trying to stop his fate by challenging his enemies because he is confident that he is unstoppable. The second apparition says to Macbeth that, "The pow'r of man, for none of woman born/ shall harm Macbeth" (4, 1, 80-81). Because of this, Macbeth thinks that he is indestructible. The third apparition says to Macbeth that he "shall never vanquish be until/ great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/ Shall come against him." (4, 1, 92-94). Macduff was able to make the prophecy come true because he was technically not born from his mother since his mother had a c-section.

Foiling Around with Lady Macbeth and Banquo

We talked in class about how Lady Macduff acted as a foil for Lady Macbeth and how Lady Macduff had a maternal instinct which contrasted Lady Macbeth's lack of maternal instinct from the spell in the beginning of the play. Another interesting comparison would be Lady Macbeth and Banquo because Banquo is very similar to Lady Macduff in some ways. He has a paternal instinct where he wants to protect his son, Fleance. This is especially apparent when he dies and says "Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!" as opposed to something along the lines of "please don't kill me".  It's also interesting that Banquo and Lady Macduff are the only two characters to have this direct contact with their child.  With Lady Macduff this is regarded as maternal instinct, so it's as if Banquo is taking the role of mother. Lady Macbeth also switches her role by acting as the "man" of the marriage and questioning Macbeth's manliness.

Some thoughts on Macbeth

So I was noticing some motifs in Macbeth that I thought were interesting and I figured it would be best to get my blog post over with now. I promise there will be no spoilers. Wow sorry this all ended up a lot longer than I thought it would, but I hope people read it regardless and I think it gives a lot of opportunities for responses. Enjoy!

Motif #1: Faces

I noticed, as I'm sure many of you did as well, that there is some irony in the beginning of the play regarding comments characters make about faces. For instance, in act 1 scene 4 Duncan and Malcom are speaking of the original traitorous Thane of Cawdor, and Malcom says something about how he never would have guessed him to be a traitor. Duncan responds, "There's no art to find the minds construction in the face / he was a gentleman on whom I built and absolute trust" (1. 4. lines 11-14). He is pretty much saying that sometimes one is unable to tell someone's true intentions by the pieces of themselves that they reveal to the public. Later, Lady Macbeth tells her husband, "Your face, my Thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters"(1. 5. lines 61-62). I find it ironic that she tells her husband that his intentions are blatantly obvious, and that he must learn to mask himself. And of course, Duncan builds an absolute trust on him as well, and Macbeth, as well as the previous Thane of Cawdor, becomes a traitor against Duncan. oh and also Macbeth says, at the end of act one, "false face must hide what the false heart doth know." Crazy, right?

Motif #2: Clothing

In act 1 scene 3, Ross and Angus come to tell Macbeth that he is to be crowned Thane of Cawdor. As soon as Ross tells him this title belongs to him, Macbeth exclaims, "the Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in borrowed robes?"(1. 3. lines 108-109). He compares the title to a piece of clothing he is being given that clearly belongs to someone else. Later in the scene, Banquo comments to the Lords, "New honours come upon him, like our strange garments, cleave not to the mould but with the aid of use" (1. 3. lines 144-146). Banquo once again compares power and titles to garments, which he states are strange when new, but gradually broken in as they are used. Finally, fast forwarding a bit in the play, in act 5 scene 2 lines 20-22, Angus says of Macbeth, "now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant's robe upon a dwarfish thief." This is yet another example of the motif of clothing, which is actually sort of ironic. Banquo had said he would grow used to his power, but Angus makes it clear that Macbeth is quite incapable of holding his title as king of Scotland, these robes are much to big for him. I found this clothing thing interesting.

Motif #3: Messenger

Now I think I am biased to the Thane of Ross because of my playing him in a stage production of Macbeth, but I have analyzed his character and read his lines a hundred times over, and in my quest to find his motives throughout the play, I determined he was mainly a messenger, though the themes of his messages change almost as quickly as the play. In the beginning, he comes to Duncan to tell him that "to conclude, the victory fell on us!" in the battle, and also "nor would we deign him [Sweno, the King of Norway] burial of his men till he disbursed, at St. Colme's Inch, ten thousand dollars to our general use" (end of act 1 scene 2). He is delivering very good news about the war against Norway to the king himself. He also delivers good news to Macbeth in the next scene, act 1 scene 3, when he says, "The king hath happily received, Macbeth, the news of thy success...and everyone did bear thy praises in his kingdom's great defense and poured them down before him" and later, "And, for an earnest of greater honour, he bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor. In which addition, hail, most worthy thane, for it is thine" (act 1 scene 3 lines 89-107). This all happens when the play is still generally cheerful, and Ross is delivering happy news to Macbeth and Duncan. However, as the play begins to darken, Ross is used as a messenger for more unfortunate matters. For instance, in act two scene four, Ross says to the elder, "is it the night's predominance or the day's shame that darkness does the face of earth entomb when living light should kiss it?" (lines 9-10). The news he delivers in gradually darkening. Further along in the play, in act four scene two, he is speaking with Lady Macduff after her husband flees, and he says "cruel are the times when we are traitors and do not know ourselves, when we hold rumor from what we fear yet know not what we fear, but float upon a wild and violent sea, each way and more" (lines 18-22). He has prior knowledge of where Macduff is and what he is planning, and Ross tries desperately to impart wisdom of how to survive in these cruel times on Macduff's wife. I swear I only have two more examples. So speaking of his messages getting gradually darker, i think it climaxes when Ross arrives at the chapel and tells Macduff, "your castle is surprised, your wife and babes savagely slaughtered" (act 4 scene 3, lines 204-205). He even confirms his role as messenger by saying, "when i came hither to transport the tidings which i have so heavily born..." earlier in that scene. My final example of his critical role in the play is when he says, at the end of the play to Siward, "your son, my lord, has payed a soldier's debt......etc etc etc." no more spoilers. Anyway i think it is interesting how a seemingly insignificant character has such an affect on the others, and transports messages that darken and lighten with the mood of the play as a whole.

If you made it this far, congratulations. I am done. Thank you for reading. Some wonderings to leave you with:

did shakespeare naturally write in Iambic pentameter? did he feel the rhythm as he wrote? or did he have to work and re-work his sentences in order to make it sound poetic?

There are so many beautiful and complex characters in Shakespeare's works, but i find it so hard to believe all of them were created by just one man. He was brilliant. I was thinking about a comparison between Malvolio in "Twelfth Night" and Macbeth, and comparing their slow descent into madness, which is actually quite similar despite the fact that it is happening for radically different reasons.

FINALLY i leave you with this video. Granted we haven't read the scene yet, but i think we will read it over the weekend, and it's a really cool swordfight from the production i was in. Brown hair guy is macbeth, long blond hair guy with the scottish accent  is macduff. Enjoy.





The end. bye.
-Emma

Lionel Retrospective

Memory’s a funny thing. With time, memories are often lost. They fade from year to year, until eventually they are gray and foggy and exist only in the very back of your mind, and even then only if you concentrate very hard. But then, on the other hand, there are some memories that manage to resist the aging process. These are the ones that you can remember as easily as if it was yesterday that they happened, though most of the time, it’s been years and years. This is the case for me when it comes to a memory of my mother. It was a cool fall day in my childhood, and it was just the three of us out on the pier. Me, my mother, and the dinghy. I’d been hiding. Earlier that day, I’d overheard our maid, a large woman by the name of Sandra, say something rude about my father, and it was eating me up inside. At four, I looked at my father as if he were the sun and everything else in the world a lesser planet in his orbit, and so I just couldn’t understand why Sandra didn’t like him. It was a deeply disturbing concept to me, and because in my young brain I was merely an extension of my father, I felt personally slighted. My mother found me, as she often did. She had an uncanny ability for knowing exactly where I would run to. “Ahoy,” she said. I was feeling very sullen, so I turned my back and didn’t answer. My mother persisted. She asked me questions and tried to get in the dinghy with me, but I wouldn't budge. It’s funny: to this day, when I think of my mother I think of a pillar of stone—strong, sturdy, and utterly unbreakable—but in reality, she’s as slender as a toothpick. I suppose it’s her inner strength that makes me see her this way. Certainly, it was this inner strength that allowed her to remain perfectly calm when I finally came out with it minutes later: “Sandra—told Mrs. Smell—that Daddy’s a big—sloppy—kike.” “Do you know what a kike is, baby?” my mother asked me. Actually, I did, so I was very confused: a kike was the brightly colored piece of fabric you could fly in the sky on windy days, so why Sandra thought my father was one, and a big, sloppy one, too, was beyond me. I said as much to my mother. “Tell you what we’ll do,” she replied. “We’ll drive to town and get some pickles, and some bread, and we’ll eat the pickles in the car, and then we’ll go to the station and get Daddy. Okay?” This sounded like fun to me, especially the pickle part, so I allowed my mother to help me out of the dinghy. We raced to the house; my mother let me win. Later that afternoon, after a snack of pickles and bread, I laughed and played alongside my parents like any other little boy. The incident was soon erased from my mind, and I only ever thought of it once a short time later, when Sandra was inexplicably fired. I told my mother I was glad she was gone, and my mother smiled strangely at me and said that she was, too. It was only when I was older, a young adult in my twenties, that the memory unburied itself, and I was able to understand things in a way that my four-year-old self could not. To this day, when I see a kite floating on the breeze, I think of that old maid of ours. But even more so than that, I think of my mother. I think of the way she knelt by the dinghy and spoke softly to me until I was okay enough to come out, and I think of the dinghy itself, a tiny little thing, but at the time it seemed as grand as a pirate ship to me. I also think of my heritage; at times as a boy it made me miserable, but now, I am proud of who I am and where I come from. I think of these things and I smile.

Lionel Remembering

I ran away from home when I was four. Actually, I ran away from home a lot; my mom says I started at two and a half. One time I ran away because someone had said "You stink, kid," to me and my parents called the police to find out where I was. That was the farthest I ever went, but when I was four I stayed closer to home. I went to Daddy's boat.  We hadn't taken it out for a long time, but I had liked to pretend I was a pirate.

It wasn't hard for my mom to find me, and as soon as she did, she started playing along with my little pirate fantasy. She even claimed to be an admiral, which upset me. Daddy had told me that ladies weren't admirals, and my mom was a lady.  As if that wasn't bad enough, she had to say "he's probably the biggest landlubber I know." She went on to talk about how she was an admiral (and only a lady in port) but I knew she was lying. If she was telling the truth, then that meant Daddy had lied. I didn't like the idea. In fact, I would always get upset when someone said something bad about Daddy. That was the reason I ran away in the first place; Sandra had called Daddy a "big sloppy kike."

As soon as I mentioned this to my mom, she switched tactics. Suddenly she wasn't an admiral anymore (not that she had ever been one). She said we were going to get Daddy from the station and bring him home so he could take us for a ride in his boat. We had raced back to the house and I got there way before her. I sometimes wonder if my mom was really that excited to get Daddy; she had seemed more interested in getting me out of the boat now that I think about it.

Lionel Monologue

Ever since I was two, I had tried to run away. I had wanted to escape from my life, from the hate, from the people who were mean, like Sandra and Mrs. Snell. They did things like calling my dad a “kike.” I didn’t even know what that meant when I heard it first. I was four. How could I have known? But I knew it was a bad thing- that much was clear to me, even then. That was why I tried to run away again.

When my mother came to me in the boat, I didn’t want to talk to her. I said she was lying when she said she was an admiral, I throw the goggles in the lake, I threw her gift in the lake, I wouldn’t let her into my boat. I did these things because I wanted her to go away, because I didn’t think she could understand why I wanted to run, but when she talked to me, I couldn’t help opening up to her. When I told her what I had heard, that Sandra had called dad a kike, I felt better. When we raced to the house and I won- I realize now she let me- I realized that my life was good, that I could be happy. That was the last time I tried to run away.

It was years ago now that my mother died. I still miss her, but I remember what she showed me that night, and I know her strength is in me, and that, thanks to her, I will never run away again.

Boo Boo's Retrospective

            I remember the day clearly enough, considering it’s been a few years now. We always had problems with Lionel running away, but each and every time he would never truly tell me what was wrong. Until that day of course, that day we finally connected. We’ve always been somewhat distant since then, but I will never forget the day Lionel finally opened up to me.

At the beginning of the day I recall talking to Mrs. Snell and Sandra, though the details of our conversation are a bit fuzzy. I told them of the numerous times Lionel has run away and his refusal to give explanations as to why. Once they told me Lionel was down at the dinghy, I knew I had to try and reach out to him one more time.

As I walked towards the dinghy, a thought came to me to try a different approach than the previous, “Lionel, why are you running? Promise you won’t do it again? For mommy?” This time I thought that maybe I should attempt to talk to him on his terms, in this case maybe some ship speak. I approached him, telling him I was an admiral, and when he tried to deny that, I put my index finger and thumb together and made a sort of call, telling him that was a secret call only us admirals could hear. That got his attention.

Once he was slightly willing to talk, I went back to the old approach, but he kept trying to revert back to ship speak. Once I firmly asked him why he was running away, he threw his Uncle Webb’s goggles into the lake. Then I gave him the key chain, knowing he was going to throw it, but I figured it might help get his frustrations out. To my luck I was right, and he finally started to cry.

I immediately sat with him and comforted him; let him know everything was ok. That’s when he finally opened up and told me why he was so upset; something he had heard. He overheard Sandra call his father a kike. This absolutely astonished me; both that Sandra had said such things and Lionel understood what it meant enough to be upset. “Or maybe he didn’t”, I had thought to myself, which lead me to ask him what it meant. Lionel told me a kike was one of those toys attached to a string that you fly up in the sky. I felt relieved, and told Lionel that that wasn’t too much of a bad thing. Once he was feeling better, we raced back to the house, and I let him win, to make sure he felt that he was on top once again.

Boo Boo monologue

They say one who guards her tongue in youth, has few regrets in old age. Truthfully, theres more to it than that; most times, it is actions that should be treated with the most caution. That day on the boat was one of the hardest moments for a parent. I watched my son mature far beyond his years in a few minutes, as he realized that his father wasn't coming back. He understood at age 4. I guess I am partly to blame for that; He was so much more intelligent than the kids his age, I forgot how truly young he was. Instead of shielding him, I showed him how cruel the world could really be. I was more of a friend than a mother. I was angry at his dad, and was too tough on him to grow up. Despite me, he somehow retained his innocence: he didn't know what a kike was, and I idolized that brief moment of innocence. In a moment of subconscious foolishness, I stuck my hand in his pants before I could realize what I had done. Thank god he didn't realize at the moment what had happened. I remember we raced back to the house after that, and he won. He was still young, free of all the vices of society.

Lionel Monologue

Although I remember that day quite clear, one significant detail stands out. I lied to my mother’s face for the first time in my entire life. To this day, she still believes the reason I ran away was because of the incident where my dad was called a kike. In all honesty, that was not the reason at all. How could it be if I didn’t even know what that was?

That morning my dad didn’t wake me up before he left for work. Every morning before that he would wake me up and I would eat breakfast with him. Not that day. Being one of the only dads I know who worked during the summer, he made sure he spent as much time as possible with me before he left. When I finally awoke at about 9 o’clock, I realized what disaster had just occurred. In my four-year-old mind, I made the worst situation possible in my head. I believed my dad had ran away himself and didn’t wake me up because he would think I would try to stop him, which I would have. Well anyway, I panicked and told myself I would run away myself because I couldn’t stand to be alone with mom forever. I also wanted to be just like my dad and if he ran away, I would too. So that’s exactly what I did.

When my mom came down to try to get me to come back, I told her about the first thing that came to my mind and that was that dad had been called a “kite.” I wondered if that was offensive or not to call someone. Anyway, the reason why I cried is because I realized that it doesn’t matter if dad runs away because I would always have mom to care for me, just like she did that day. It almost seems like dad did run away considering the amount of time I see him these days.

BooBoo restrospective

The day Lionel ran into the boat was a sad day for me. That was the day I realized I could not protect Lionel from the world. That was the day i knew he would have to go through life with a label on him. He was already so sensitive, so innocent, and for him to be only four when he heard that slur, regardless of what he thought it meant. He had already taken offence to that word and at that moment I wished we could have sailed off on that boat together. I didn't want him to know that people would hate him simply because he was different. I had known that eventually he would figure out what he really heard, but I wanted to keep that day as far away as possible. So i told him it wasn't a terrible word. I told him to protect him, to shelter him just a little longer, so that he would not have to grow up for a while, so he could stay a child a little longer, so i wouldn't lose him. I never talked to Sandra about that day, my husband did not care what she had said. He had grown up with it, but I just did not want Lionel to grow up with it. I'm sure she regretted ever saying it. Lionel has grown up now, hes become such a real man. Although his wife has convinced him to become a catholic, i still cannot help but feel that me saving him from that hate, if even for just one more day, has helped him keep his heritage, remain proud of it and made his difficult childhood a little better. That day we raced back to the house, Lionel won, I saw that determination in his eyes, and that's when i realized that although the future might be tough for Lionel, when he finally meets the tough real world, that he would be ready, and that he would meet it head on.

monologue

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was just a small boy, and very emotional. Small things would push me over the edge, and when it all became too much, I would leave. I started running away when I was two, and it was an escape for me. One day I heard Mrs. Snell and Sandra talking. They said my father was "a big, sloppy, kike" and while I was unsure exactly what it meant at the time, I knew it was bad and I knew they should not be saying such a thing about him. That's why I left. I ran off to the dinghy and decided that I would live there for ever and ever. I was just becoming comfortable with my resolution when my mother came along. She told me that everything was ok, and that I should come race her home. My mother did not often offer to run with me, and I knew she must be really desperate for me. Difficult as it was to break my resolution, and go back to the house where I knew Sandra and Mrs. Snell were still conversing, I ran back to the house for my mother's sake. And that is what happened the day I overheard a conversation from the kitchen.

Lionel Looking Back

I had heard Sandra call my father "a big sloppy kike" to Mrs. Snell. I was devastated. At the time, I thought a kike was one of those toys that is attached to a string that flies in the air on a windy day. However, it wasn't until two years later that I found out what it really was. I had been called one at school when I was being picked on by a group of boys, and my teacher explained to me that it was a bad word for Jews when I went to her in tears.

Anyway, as soon as I heard Sandra say this, I ran to the only place where I felt safe and at home: the boat. I liked being alone because I felt like no one understood me. I was really only comfortable when I was alone. I did not like opening up to anyone, not even to my mother. I stayed on the boat for several hours until I saw my mother walking slowly to the boat. I never felt like we saw eye to eye, and when she tried to make me open up, I refused (at first).

She tried everything. She tried making me talk, she tried playing along with the whole boat theme, and she even tried bribing me with gifts. I would not budge, and I only mumbled responses to her questions. When she tried climbing in the boat with me, I yelled at her and told her to get off. No one could invade my territory. I was a very stubborn child and was far from demonstrative unless I was pushed over the edge, and I needed to be alone. She wouldn't understand. Having my father called a "kite" was the worst thing I could've heard.

All the while, I felt my anger and sadness churning deep within. I had promised myself that I would not cry, but as my mother gave me a box (I can't remember exactly what was in it), I began to cry. My sadness had escaped and there was no stopping it. I confessed to my mother the horrible thing I had overheard earlier, and I was correct. She did not understand how traumatizing it was. Her response was "Well, that isn't too terrible." It was terrible to me, and now that I actually know what a kike is, that day seems even worse. My mother did cheer me up, though, and I believe she had a talk with Sandra later that night.

Ankles: Are they connected to war?

           While reading through the first three stories written by J.D. Salinger in his story collection, I couldn’t help but notice the constant mention of ankles. In Bananafish, Seymour is clearly obsessed with ankles, as he both grabs Sybil’s ankles a number of times, and also calls out the lady in the elevator for supposedly looking at his ankles. In Uncle Wiggily, the name itself refers to the ankle of Eloise when she fell and twisted her ankle. The name “Uncle Wiggily” was given to her ankle by Walt, her lover at the time. Lastly, in War with the Eskimos, while Ginnie is talking to Frederick, she notices him scratching multiple parts of his body. However, he specifically scratches his ankle multiple times, including when they were talking about Dick Heffner, the Lieutenant in the Navy that Ginnie’s sister was marrying.

            In fact, while writing this blog post, I’ve come to realize that all of these ankle situations tie back to the war as well. Seymour of course was in a war, therefore his connection with ankles. Walt, the lover of Eloise who gave the nickname “Uncle Wiggily” to her ankle ended up dying in the war. And Dick Heffner himself was a Lieutenant in the navy, and just as he is brought up, and ankle is too.