Dialectical Journal #40: Something, Maybe

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “’Sorry about the interruption,’ Jackson says. ‘I’ll take care of the travel arrangements, all right? And Hannah-I can’t wait to see the city with you again.’ ·         I don’t say anything, knowing he’ll keep going.  And sure enough, he does. ·         ‘I love you too,’ Jackson says, as smoothly as if I’d actually said it to him first, or at all. ‘I’d tell you how to find me when the limo brings you in from the airport and drops you at the hotel, but then I’ll be easy to spot-just look for all the beautiful women and I’ll be there!’ ·         Then he hangs up. Just like that, like the five years of silence means nothing-and it does, it means nothing to him and I hate that- but I force myself to make a wry fact at Mom and hand the phone back to her. ‘Show crap.’” ·	52	·         (R) So not only is this girl the daughter of an internet stripper (I’m not exactly sure if those exist but I will call her that anyway) but she’s also the daughter of this Hugh Hefner like character. Her father (James Jackson) has his own T.V show, which stars many young beautiful women while showing the life of a 72 year old bachelor. I must say, Hannah is one strong girl. If I was her I would cry myself a river and then attempt to drown in it. Having one of those parents is hard enough but having both is just too much.

Dialectical Journal # 39: Something, Maybe

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “’I don’t understand,’ she says. ‘I got so much e-mail from my fans after the interview, and they all said they’d write to the magazine and ask for more.  Do you think I wasn’t memorable enough?’ ·         I look at her, dressed in a tight, bright pink T-shirt with CANDYMADISON.NET in sequins across the front, and a white skirt that barely skims the top of her thighs. Her shoes have heels that could probably be used to pierce some things.”	3	·         (R) Ok, it’s not even cute for girls my age to wear stuff like that, but for a mom to be wearing it? That just makes it all the more gross and shameful. If I was “Candy’s” daughter, I would refuse to leave the house until she put on something decent or at least dressed like other people in her age group. It must be traumatizing to have to live through that.

Dialectical Journal #38: Mockingjay

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
“Gale makes a noise of exasperation. Nonetheless after we’ve dropped off the birds and volunteered to go back to the woods to gather kindling for the evening fire, I find myself wrapped in his arms. His lips brushing the faded bruises on my neck, working their way to my mouth. Despite what I feel for Peeta, this is when I accept deep down that he’ll never come back to me. Or that I’ll never go back to him. I’ll stay in [District] 2 until it falls, go to the Capitol and kill Snow, and then die for my trouble. And he’ll die insane and hating me. So in the fading light I shut my eyes and kiss Gale to make up for all the kisses I’ve withheld, and because it doesn’t matter anymore, and because I’m so desperately lonely I can’t stand it.”	197-198	(R) This girl is completely out of her mind. She’s so crazy that I kind of have to put down the book and take a couple deep breaths before I can continue reading. First, can I just say that Katniss is so sickeningly selfish? Does she not care about Gale’s feelings? Does she not care that while for her this might act as a anti-depressant or something, for Gale it might mean so much more? She doesn’t plan to commit or anything she just wants to feel better now. And the next day, when Gale’s being more friendly than necessary she’ll act as if she has no idea why. She’s crazy.           Secondly, why does this girl never give anything time?! Peeta got tortured to the brink of insanity and she writes him off that quick? She still has some mental trauma from her time in the Games, how can she expect Peeta to get over his so fast? She has no idea what they were doing to him, and she isn't a doctor; how does she know how long it should take someone with his amount of  traumatization to recover? What is wrong with her?! Why does Peeta have such bad taste in women?!

Dialectical Journal #37: Mockingjay

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “Several sets of arms would embrace me. But in the end the only person I truly want to comfort me is Haymitch because he loves Peeta too. I reach out for him and say something like his name and he’s there, holding me and patting me on the back. ‘It’s okay. It’ll be okay, sweetheart.’ He sits me on a length of broken marble and keeps an arm around me while I sob. ·         ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ I say. ·         ‘I know,’ he says. ·         ‘All I can think of is -what he’s going to do to Peeta- because I’m the Mockingjay!’ I get out. ·         ‘I know.’ Haymitch’s arm tightens around me. ·         ‘Did you see him? How weird he acted? What are they-doing to him?’ I’m gasping for air between sobs but manage to one last phrase. ‘It’s my fault!’”…	163	·         (R) It’s about time that chick took responsibility for her actions! Even though, it’s very hard to stay angry with her when she’s bawling her eyes out. It must be hard though. If she doesn’t help the rebels, the resistance might flicker out and all of the citizens of Panem will go back to doing the wretched things they were doing before. If she does go along with the rebels a plan (which is what she’s doing) anyone with any connection to her will be punished severely. They bombed her whole district. They punish the man she “loves” and then force him to do talk shows just to rattle her. Though I don’t like Katniss very much most of the time, I have to admit that she is in a really horrible situation, even if she isn’t getting tortured by the Capitol like my Peeta.

Dialectical journal #36: Mockingjay

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
“Peeta’s physical transformation shocks me. The healthy, clear-eyed boy I saw a few days ago has lost at least fifteen pounds and developed a nervous tremor in his hands. They've still got him groomed. But underneath the paint that cannot cover the bags under his eyes, and the fine clothes that cannot conceal the pain he feels when he moves, is a person badly damaged.            My mind reels, trying to make sense of it. I just saw him! Four-no, five- I think it was five days ago. How could he have deteriorated so rapidly? What could they possibly have done to him in such a short time? Then it hits me. I replay in my mind as much as I can of his first interview with Caesar, searching for anything that would place it in time. There is nothing. They could have taped that interview a day or two after I blew up the arena, then done whatever they wanted to do to him ever since. “Oh, Peeta…” I whisper.	112	(R) I am done with you, Suzanne Collins. I am just done. Why would you create such a fantastic character just to have all these horrible things happen to him? Do you enjoy the pain it must be causing your readers? Are you some kind of sadist? I just want to let you know that you are sick! I will continue reading this book because it is very interesting and I kind of love this series. But I do not like you! Katniss (that horrible girl) gets tossed around here and there, suffers from a few injuries, then she’s back in the game, while Peeta (that wonderful boy) is being tortured by the Capitol!!! It’s just not right.

Dialectical Journal #35: Mockingjay

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “I’m hustled back to my place, and the smoke machine kicks in. Someone calls for quiet, the cameras start rolling, and I hear ‘Action!’ So I hold my bow over my head and yell with all the anger I can muster, ‘People of Panem, we fight, we dare, we end our hunger for justice!’ ·         There’s dead silence on the set. It goes on. And on. ·         Finally, the intercom crackles and Haymitch’s acerbic laugh fills the studio. He contains himself just long enough to say, ‘And that, my friends, is how a revolution dies.’”	72	·         (R) Haymitch is back! I’ve never held him in high esteem but since this woman ( Suzanne Collins) has decided to practically remove Peeta from the story by having him being held by the Capitol and permanently removed Cinna from the story( he gets killed during interrogation), I guess I’ll have to take what characters I can get. I miss the aforementioned characters with a passion (especially Cinna, he was one of my favorites!) so I’m glad that Haymitch has reentered the story - hopefully he can bring in some spice or something! Even he has been feeling some of Collins wrath! The reason he was out of the story for this long was because there is no alcohol consumption in 13, so Haymitch was forced to go cold turkey. Then again, Haymitch has never really had that great of a story line to begin with anyway.

Dialectical Journal #34: Mockingjay ( Hunger Games Book 3)

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old.  My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me. Peeta was taken prisoner. He is thought to be dead. Most likely he is dead. It is probably best if he is dead…”	4	·         (R) I’m so angry at Suzanne Collins!!! Why does Peeta always get the short end of the sick? He is nothing but kind, helpful, loyal while Katniss is selfish and stupid and mean but does anything bad happen to her? No, she gets to be saved and shipped to District 13. Peeta, the good one, the one who is genuinely good, is left in the hands of the Capitol, having Lord knows what done to him. I don’t understand it. I just want to throw my book and have it somehow travel to wherever Collins is and hit her upside the head.

Dialectical Journal #33: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “’She was really cut up when you ended it-’ ·          ‘So was I. You know why I stopped it, and it wasn’t because I wanted to.’ ·         ‘Yeah, but you go snogging her now and she’s going to get her hopes up again-‘ ·         ‘She’s not an idiot, she knows it can’t happen, she’s not expecting us to – to end up married, or - ’ ·         As he said it, a vivid picture of Ginny in a white dress, marrying a tall, faceless, and unpleasant stranger. ·         In one spiraling moment it seemed to hit him: Her future was free and unencumbered, whereas his… he could see nothing but Voldemort ahead.”	118	·         (R) I must say- it must be very awkard for all involved when the friends date their friends’ siblings. If I was Ron I would probably not be able to stand the sight of Harry, especially if I actually witnessed him putting his hands all over my sister.  Ron handles this situation with a whole lot more finesse than I would be able to. That being said, I feel so sad for Harry. There is so much weight on his shoulders. He can’t even get a moment of bliss without someone ruining it (though I definitely cannot blame Ron for his ruining).

Dialectical Journal #32: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “Richard’s friends are even older than Richard, and the woman looked older than the man… Her husband sat silently while she talks, his hands fisted together, his half-smile set in concrete; he looked wisely down at the tablecloth. So this is marriage, I thought: this shared tedium, this twitchiness, and those little powdery runnels forming to the sides of the nose. ·         ‘Richard didn’t warn us you’d be this young,’ said the woman. ·         Her husband said, ‘It will wear off,’ and his wife laughed. ·         I considered the word warn: was I really that dangerous? Only in the way sheep are, I now suppose. So dumb they jeopardize themselves, and get stuck on cliffs or cornered and some custodian has to risk his neck to get them out of trouble.”	243	·         (R) I am stunned. I know in those times, marriages were more about money than love, but how could Iris’ father ask her to marry Richard? He’s so old compared to her and they barely even talk to each other. Iris did not even have a chance; her Father backed her into a corner, making her seem like Chase families’ only salvation - which I guess she was… but still! I don’t like Richard; he’s so strange and seems to need his sister to help him make every little decision. I can’t believe her Father had the audacity to give her away to a man like that- he barely knows Iris. Yet she’s had to carry so much on her shoulders on his behalf.

Dialectical Journal #31: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “’All right,’ I said to Laura, once they were gone. ‘I know you’ve got him in this house. You’d better tell me where.’ ·         ‘I put him in the cold cellar,’ said Laura, her bottom lip trembling. ·         ‘The cold cellar!’ I said, ‘What a stupid place! Why there?’ ·         ‘So he would have enough to eat, in an emergency,’ said Laura, and burst into tears. I wrapped my arms around her, and she snuffled against my shoulder… ·         ‘We’ve got to get him out of there. What if Reenie goes down for a jar of jam or something and comes across him by mistake? She’d have a heart attack.’… ·         Then I said the attic would be better, because nobody ever went up there. I would arrange it all, I said… ·         Was it my belief that I was doing this only to spare her- to help her, take care of her, as I had always done? ·         Yes. That is what I did believe."	211	(R) I was happy about Laura finding a man to love her but now i'm a bit leery about the whole thing. First of all, the guy is at least six years older than her and she is currently 14 or 15. That is not OK Margret Atwood! Secondly , this dude allowed a young girl to stow him away in her house. That guy is either very desperate or very crazy. Most likely both  considering the way he's portrayed in 'The Blind Assassin' book that Laura wrote. I'm very curious as to how this whole thing will play out though. When Alex was over for dinner, Iris was acting kind of jealous!

Dialectical Journal # 30: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
“’It must be terrible’ I said, ‘not to know who you really are.’            ‘I used to think that’ said Alex, “But then it came to me that who I really am is a person who doesn't need to know who he really is, in the usual sense. What does it mean, anyway- family background and so forth? People use it mostly as an excuse for their own snobbery, or else their failings. I’m free of that temptation, that’s all. I’m free of the strings. Nothing ties me down.’ …           Was that the beginning, that evening- on the dock at Avilion, with the fireworks dazzling the sky? It’s hard to know. Beginnings are sudden, but also insidious. They creep up on you sideways, they keep to the shadows, they lurk unrecognized. Then, later, they spring.”	190	(R) Is Alex the mystery man? I think he is! I would be happy about this, except that he is about 22 and Laura is 14. So now I’m mostly creeped out by this whole situation.            I’m very curious as to what “beginning” Iris is talking about that would make her be all gloomy like that. It’s strange how people usually portray beginnings as things that are happy and should be looked upon with joy and what-not, yet here it’s being described as something almost dangerous, like a mugger.

Dialectical Journal # 29: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “’ Don’t annoy him,’ I said to Laura. ·         ‘it doesn't matter whether I annoy him or not,’ said Laura. ‘Anyway, he’s not annoyed. He only wants to put his hand up my blouse.’ ·         ‘I’ve never seen him do that,’ I said. ‘Why would he?’ ·         ‘He does it when you’re not looking,’ said Laura. ‘Or under my skirt. What he likes is panties.’ She said it so calmly I thought she must have made it up, or misunderstood. Misunderstood Mr. Erskine’s hands, their intentions. What she described was so implausible. It didn’t seem to me like the sort of thing a grown-up man would do, or be interested in doing at all, because wasn’t Laura only a little girl? ·         ‘Should we tell Reenie?’ I asked tentatively. ·         ‘She might not believe me,’ said Laura. ‘You don’t.’”	165	·         (R) I feel bad for Iris and Laura! I know that when someone makes an accusation like that, that person should be believed! But Laura is just so.. absent-minded and weird that I can understand why Iris would hesitate to believe her. But that's her sister!!! When it comes to a situation like this, Iris should believe her until Laura is proven wrong.

Dialectical Journal #28: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “What if someone sees me? she says. It’s broad daylight. ·         It’s all right. They won’t know you. They’ll just see a woman in a slip, it’s not an uncommon sight around here; they’ll just think you’re a… ·         A woman of easy virtue? She says lightly. Is that what you think too? ·         A ruined maiden. Not the same thing. ·         That’s very gallant of you. ·         Sometimes I’m my own worst enemy. ·          If it weren't for you I’d be a lot more ruined, she says.”	120	·         (R) What is up with Laura! She’s having a secret affair with some man who is a bit too commanding for my taste, but he’s not my secret lover! I can’t wait for this mystery man to be introduced in the story. I can’t imagine a man with Laura because she is just so strange. I’m kind of scared that he’ll be a horrible person or something, and then I’ll have a hard time reading her portion of the novel because I don’t want to read about her running around all over town just to sex some mean guy!

Dialectical Journal #27: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “’ We’ll go to Betty’s,’ said my father. ‘I’ll buy you a soda.’ Neither of these things had ever happened to me before. Betty’s Luncheonette was for the townspeople, not for Laura and me, said Reenie. It wouldn't do to lower our standards. Also, sodas were a ruinous indulgence and would rot your teeth. That two such forbidden things should be offered at once, and so casually, made me feel almost panicky."	100	·         (R) This makes me feel sympathetic towards Iris and her sister. I can’t imagine what it’s like to not really know your father, and not have him know you. The thing that makes this whole situation worse is the fact that Iris lives with her dad. They have been in the same house, yet he doesn't know that his daughters have had the idea that that restaurant and soda are bad pounded into their head since they were how old? That’s unacceptable. The sad thing is that though this story is fiction, this kind of father-child relationship is some people’s reality.

Dialectical Journal #26:The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
“She did understand, or at least understood that she was supposed to understand. She understood, and said nothing about it, and prayed for the power to forgive and did forgive. But he can’t have found living with her forgiveness all that easy. Breakfast in a haze of forgiveness: coffee with forgiveness, porridge with forgiveness, forgiveness on the buttered toast. He would have been helpless against it, for how can you repudiate against something that is never spoken... She wished him to owe his recovery to her alone- to her care, to her tireless devotion. That’s the other side of selflessness: its tyranny.”	77	(R) It’s amazing how Atwood can make something such as forgiveness, something that’s usually viewed as an admirable virtue, into a jail. Though, people always seem to want what they can’t have. If the man had been greeted with anger he would think ‘You don’t understand.” Yet, when shown understanding, however fake it may be, and given a heaping plate of forgiveness, it seems wrong.              I thought the last line was interesting though. (“That’s the…tyranny.”) Could that be true? Caring nothing about yourself, caring everything about other people… wouldn't the person who’s being cared about so wholly start feeling as if they owe you something? If you deny that person anything, you would seem heartless. Biting the hand that works so hard to keep you happy.  I kind of feel suffocated just imagining it.

Dialectical Journal #25: The Blind Assassin

Passages From The Text	Pg #	Comments & Questions
·         “My bones have been aching again, as they often do in humid weather. They ache like history: things long done with, that still reverberate as pain. When the ache is bad enough it keeps me from sleeping. Every night I yearn for sleep, I strive for it, yet it flutters on ahead of me like a sooty curtain.”	56	·         (R) I first have to say that I love the way that Atwood writes. The line about how the characters’, Iris, bones “ache like history” , which is beautifully written, reminds me of that saying ‘Time heals all wounds.” I've never thought that that was necessarily true and I guess Iris agrees with me! I think it’s interesting that I feel that Iris is such an engaging character and she is over four times my age. Also, I’m a little ashamed to admit, I wouldn't expect the little old lady strolling around in Wal-mart to be as funny and quick-witted as Iris.  I think I may have an ageist mind-set.