Hello Gem,
Gem said:
How was your bike journey to the library today? I hope you're not too tired.
At least I've built up some really good leg muscle.
Is that you being sarcastic?
What have you decided subject/career wise?
I really don't know yet. My parents are pushing me towards medicine
rolleyes: of course) since engineering and business are out of the question (ick to math and econ). But I'm more of the history/government type (my best subject), so I've been considering occupations such as lawyer or professor. Several of people have told me that I should be a politician...but no--apparently I'm too academic for the average American nincumpoop's mind. I suppose being a doctor wouldn't be so bad; I'm good at bio and chem (phys could use some work). At this point, I am open to anything outside of the realm of yucky Trig and Calc. Journalism also sounds interesting, but unfortunately I have been barred from the school newspaper since I am a lowly freshman.
Reading is the prize.
I was referring to moolah.
Sometimes they give us gift certificates to book stores, Amazon.com, etc. This year they have plastic reptilians and old Halloween candy
. Oh well, right now I have just cracked the spine of a giant volume of fairytales which I will proceed to read to seniors at a retirement home as part of my volunteer job. Interestingly, a friend of mine will be borrowing the same book to read to children at a day care center.
You'll appreciate it later in life. People with good maths skills find it that much easier to take on most other subjects.
I know, I know. To tell the truth, <<whisper>> I actually love some aspects of math, i.e. conic sections, functions, and factoring--I even factor problems in my head for fun, I am that much of a nerd <<end whisper>> but the way my parents, especially my mom, push me into it frustrates me and causes me to resent the subject in general. They don't care about my history grades. They don't care about my Spanish grades. Well, they do expect A's. But all they look at is math and science. And my school requires four credits of math to graduate (only three for social studies, science, English, and none for foreign language) which means I'll be forced to take AP Calc I & II and AP Prob & Stat to graduate, because I was put into an accelerated/gifted program! GAH!
(See even I can sound mature every now and then
)
Well, we all learn something new every day
Nothing like a bit of Bollywood to completely render the mind unuseable. Great fun though.
Mostly I poke fun at how ridiculous they are. Every time someone seems about to do something remotely 'dirty' they burst in a chorus with miraculously synchronized dancing and bright costumes. Also, coincidentally, all of the backup dancers just happen to be wearing the exact same outfits. Bollywood films are best watched after unscrewing your head and removing your brain. The funny thing is, when my classmates tease me about Indian culture (worshipping cows, etc.) I always defend it. When my parents complain about America and how stupid the people are, I always defend it. I truly love both cultures, for the most part. Did you see the Time magazine article from last week on India?
I'm relieved, you had me worried there for a while.
My favorite show is
Forensic Files on Court TV. I take notes, just in case I ever want to be a forensic investigator. Or a murderer. Joking, joking. No need to worry.
Vardaman. There are only two things that I remember Vardaman contributing to the story. The infamous 'My Mother is A fish' chapter and the whole drilling holes into the coffin scene. I haven't yet given any time to understanding/interpreting these two things[...]
I can't think of anything else at the moment so I'll stop here for now and let you defend him.
Okay, if you insist. What you say makes sense. A lot of my classmates found Vardaman to be a completely useless, unreliable character. Of course, you have conceded that he has some purpose, as do all of the characters. The reason I decided that Vardaman had moderate importance was because of his role in the identity/existence theme. He and Darl both played important roles in this as they pondered Addie's death. Darl's conclusion was that as Addie was dead, she no longer existed. Vardy's conclusion was that as Addie was dead, her existence had been transferred. I'll attempt to go into deeper meaning in the next post...although I'm not 100 percent sure I'm correct in my assumptions. Another important thing about Vardy was that he provided a more innocent, child-like view of Addie's death. Clearly, he did not understand she was dead as in no longer alive, hence the drilling of the holes. He had been told that when animals on the farm died such as rabbits and possums, they went off to some far of place to live happily. Vardaman wondered if Addie had gone there as well. Theories such as this have always led me to believe that 'Heaven' is a made up place to convince people that their lost loved ones are happy, and that they will someday be reunited in death...but I won't get into a religious discussion here. This entire interpretation can also be attributed to Anse and Addie's unfortunate parenting skills. No one ever took Vardy aside and asked him how he was coping w/ the illness/death. No one explained properly what had happened to Addie and that she was gone forever.
Of course, choosing something like the most or least important character is entirely subjective. Certain characters strike certain chords with certain people. Different people like and understand different characters are opposed to others. Your argument for Dewey Dell's importance makes sense. Her position was probably more enlightening/interesting/important to you than it was to me.
Another question:
Why do you think the family reacted so violently to Addie's death, but didn't bat an eye at Darl's arrest?
The internet guy should be here tomorrow to fix the computer, so hopefully it'll be working again within the next couple of day and I won't have to work my butt off bicycling to the library all the time.
Veggiedog
