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East of Eden 

               By John Steinbeck 

 

     Wow, this book is pretty much beyond words, but I will do my best to explain it's magnificance. Before I go into that though, thank you Mr. Arthur for suggesting this book! 

     East of Eden is about a man named Adam Trask who moves to California from the East to farm and have a family. Cathy, his wife, gives birth to twins, Cal and Aron. This puts Cathy over the edge and drives her to insanity, leaving only Adam and his servant, Lee, to care for and raise the boys. One boy flourishes, loved by everyone around him; the other boy grows up lonely and engulfed by a mysterious darkness. Just a few quotes:

 

  • "I believe there are techniques of the human mind whereby, in its dark deep, problems are examined, rejected or accepted." 
    • I am not going to have any input on this. Take it how you would like to, or don't, it doesn't matter to me.
  • "But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thinking in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed--because 'Thou mayest'."
    • Lee and Adam were talking of a quote from the Bible in the book of Genesis. There were two versions that challenged the human soul. The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin. The King James translation makes it a promise, 'Thou shalt', meaning men will surely triumph over sin. But in Lee's findings, from the Hebrew translation, he came upon 'Thou mayest'. This simple statement gives man a choice. 'Thou mayest', but it is also true that 'Thou mayest not'.
  • "And as a few strokes on the nose will make a puppy head shy, so a few rebuffs will make a boy shy all over. But whereas a puppy will cringe away or roll on its back, grovelling, a little boy may cover his shyness with non-chalance, with bravado, or with secrecy. And once a boy has suffered rejection, he will find rejection even where it does not exist--or, worse, will draw it forth from people simply by expecting it." 
    • I love the analogy of the the head shy puppy to the rejection seeking child. I think it demonstrates it perfectly.  
  • Cal said, "I don't think the light hurts your eyes. I think you're afraid."
    • Cal was talking to his mother, who had done an incredulous deed right before deserting her husband and two sons about 15 years earlier. Upon finding out that she was alive, Cal went to see her.

 

In no way can I justify to you why East of Eden was so good to me. It just spoke to me I suppose. Maybe when/if you read it, you think I'm a complete liar and hate it, I don't know. Everyone will take something from it whether it be good or bad.

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of putting a picture of the book, I chose this one. I chose it because like Bonnell said, Steinbeck captures the bitter triumphs and sorrowful ambitions of the human experience. I just wanted to covey this trough a dark and light contrast. To show how humans have such dark souls with little splashes of light. Or if you're an optimist, it is light with a few shadows. Steinbeck shows this through his characters and their actions/thoughts. Cathy, Adam, Cal, Aron, Lee. They all have these traits.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Hoboes and Tramps

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen, hoboes and tramps,

cross eyed mesquitoes and bow legged ants,

I  come before you to stand behind you,

to tell you something I  know nothing about.

Next Thrsday, which is Good Friday,

there will be a Mother's Day meeting for fathers only;

admission is free, so pay at the door,

pull up a seat and sit on the floor.

the topic to discuss...

the crime that has never been committed.

 

One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night

 

One fine day in the middle of the night,

two dead boys got up to fight,

back to back they faced each other,

drew out their swords and shot one another.

 

One was blind and the other couldn't see,

so they chose a dummy for a referee.

a blind man went to see fair play,

a dumb man went to shout "hooray!"

 

A paralyzed donkey passing by,

kicked the blind man in the eye,

knocked him through a nine-inch wall,

into a dry ditch and drowned them all.

 

A deaf policeman heard the noise,

and came to arrest the two dead boys,

if you don't believe this story's true,

ask the blind man, he saw it too.

 

I Just really liked these two poems. All the oxy-morons in them are funny, so I  figured I would share them. I'm sure some people have heard the second one, it's pretty common and it was even put into the movie A Haunting In Connecticut. Hope you like them!  

 

 

Okay, I don't really know what I was thinking when I wrote that last little sentence . . . I don't really care whether you like them or not. I like them, and that's really all that matters because this is MY wiki page, right? That sounds mean and all, but it's true.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

The Road

 By Cormac McCarthy

 

 

The Road is most definitely in my top 10 favorite books. It was so depressing, but it made me really think. This book is about a man and his son in a post-apocalyptic world that have to travel south, towards the coast. Their journey began because the area they are in is getting colder by the day. In this world darkness comsumes almost every person that they come across. People become more animal than human in this dead world. Nothing grows, there are no animals, and there is no sun. The man and the boy must hide during the night hours in order to keep out of the sights of "the bad guys." They must scavenge for food, clothing, and other necessities. The two find many horrible and scary things while scavenging for their lives. The man is getting sick and old with exhaustion, while the son is getting weaker from lack of nutrition, as he is growing and needs it.

 

This book is so thought-provoking! It makes a person think of what they would do in order to preserve their own life. Makes them wonder what they would do to another human being so that their child will live to see another day, what they would take from someone else so that they could be warmer. The Road will make a person doubt their supposed morals and feelings; it will make them wonder if they would be a "bad guy."

 

Cormac McCarthy did a wonderful job of conveying all of the feelings that the father was feeling. The father, to me, seemed like he was just so mad and upset that he was watching his son die and there was nothing that he could do about it. He could feel his thinness and ache to feed him. At times I almost think that he would rather that they both be dead so that they don't have to survive. Not live, don't get the two mixed up. You can live while surviving but the man and his son don't live at all, they simply survive. Alas, he could not kill his own son, no matter how much easier it would be for them.

 

I will say that this books made me have transitional feelings. At the beginning of the book, I wanted to know WHAT HAPPENED TO MAKE THE WORLD BE SO HORRID??? It made me so mad that it didn't tell me!! But throughout the book, it started to change. After a little while, it didn't matter what had happened. All that really mattered was what was happening at the moment, what they were going through, what they were going to do. There were so many emotions that McCarthy was able to put in here. The boy was, at first, doubtful. His father told him that they were good guys and that they carried the fire, but he was always questioning it; always asking his father if they had the fire or if they were really the good guys. By the end, he is so sure of it. He knew that he was a good guy and that he and he alone carried the fire. That little bit of knowledge made going on possible, made it acceptable.

 

Overall, The Road is wonderfully horrible.  

 

"He started down the rough wooden steps. He ducked his head and then flicked the lighter and swung the flame out over the darkness like and offering. Coldness and damp. An ungodly stench. The boy clutched at his coat. He could see part of a stone wall. Clay floor. An old mattress darkly stained. He crouched and stepped down again and held out the light. Huddled against the back wall were naked people, male and female, all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hands. On the mattresss lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt. The smell was hideous.

     Jesus, he whispered.

     Then one by one they turned and blinked in the pitiful light. Help us, they whispered. Please help us."

 

Vocab

 

Mendicant: Begging; practicing begging; living on alms.

 

Transom: A crosspiece seperating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it.

 

Cannonading: To attack conitnuously with or as if with a cannon.

 

Mastic: A small Mediterranean tree in the cashew family.

 

Duff: Organic matter in various stages of decomposition on the forest floor.

 

Krugerrands: A one ounce gold coin of the Republic of South Africa.

 

Dessicated (This is how McCarthy spelled it. I don't know if it was intentional or if it was just a typo. It's really spelled desiccated): To dry thoroughly; dry up.

 

Predicated: To proclaim or declare.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 

 Hannibal_rising.jpg hannisha image by kolisa                          

 

 

 

 

Author: Thomas Harris

Title: Hannibal Rising

Publication Date: December 5, 2006

Total number of pages: 323

 

Quotations

 

“Drop it or I’ll shoot her.” Page 39

 

The way that Grutas immediately knew to turn the gun on Mischa to get Hannibal to put the gun down showed how quickly his mind worked. I find it interesting, but it also plays a large role in the book. It shows that Hannibal is not the only intelligent person alive.

 

“They shook him, asking questions in Russian, Polish, and makeshift Lithuanian, until they realized he could not speak at all.” Page 46

 

 

This particular sentence just made me sad. It was after the five men had eaten Mischa and Hannibal got away. Some Russian soldiers found him walking. He was so traumatized by what happened that he couldn’t even speak. I think that those experiences contributed to the way he was later in life.

 

“For a mute, he can scream well enough at night,” First Monitor said, and swung with his other hand. Hannibal blocked the blow with the fork in his fist, the tines digging into First Monitor’s knuckles.” Page 54

 

 

Now this was just funny. This scene was in the movie so it’s a bit funnier because of the mental image. This is one of the first few instances where Hannibal really shows off his ability to read human beings. He is incredibly good at guessing what people are thinking. He conveys that knowledge here, when he blocks the hit with his fork. He somehow knew that the Monitor was going to hit him. It’s just the beginning of Hannibal’s power.

 

“Hannibal does not observe the pecking order…Hannibal can be dangerous to persons larger than himself. He’s fine with the little ones. Lets them tease him a little…He gives them his treats, on the rare occasions there are any treats.” Page 64

 

I found this to be a bit odd. Hannibal would hurt the large bullies very quickly and sometimes severely, but bullies smaller than him he gave treats to. Why? I am so confused as to why he would do that? Hannibal is not a small person, so it couldn’t be “little man’s complex.”

 

“Lady Murasaki opened the casement. The evening light touched her face and Hannibal, out of the wastes of nightmare, took his first step on the bridge of dreams…” Page 67

 

Wow, this is such a pretty line. Thomas Harris’ writing is a little blunt and crude most of the time, so this sentence is amplified even more. It’s like a brilliant splash of color against a world of black and white. Anyways, Lady Murasaki plays a huge role in the life of Hannibal Lecter. She is almost like a role model in a way. As the quote states, she is a relief of nightmares for Hannibal. She helps to improve Hannibal in so many ways and this quote just sums up her accomplishments with him beautifully.

 

 

“Chiyoh appraised him for an instant, then a veil slid across her eyes like the nictitating goggles of a hawk.” Page 69

 

Honestly, I just liked the word nictitating. It’s a great word, I must say. This quote isn’t very significant other than it showed a little weakness in Chiyoh.

 

 

“To Hannibal, her speech sounded like accidental music in a wind chime.” Page 76

 

What!! He’s like, 13 for crying out loud! He’s already falling in love with her? That’s just ridiculous. I mean, I suppose I can understand why. He’s been through hell for half his life and she’s the first decent, beautiful woman he’s come across since his mother, but still. That should not be happening.

 

“Hannibal reached out and stopped the pendulum, regarded its length, and the position of the weight against a scale on the metronome. He wrote on the pad: In a stool pit, Doctor. May I open the back of the clock?” Page 85

 

 

Hannibal is just remarkable sometimes. He was supposed to be hypnotized but instead he sat there pretending and listening to the clock on the wall and the metronome in front of him. The doctor thought that he was in his state of wakeful sleep, when in all reality he wasn’t even close. I love how Hannibal played along with the game up until he got bored and curious, at which point he stops pretending. Also, this is right after the doctor asks Hannibal about his last memory of his sister. Hannibal writes that her teeth were in a stool pit, but immediately closes down. That’s why he asked about the clock. I found that interesting. It is certainly in Hannibal’s nature to do this. He actually does things like this quite often as he gets older.

 

“Hannibal’s voice was rusty with disuse, but the butcher understood him. He said “Beast” very calmly. It sounded like taxonomy rather than insult. Page 94

 

 

This is another instance where Hannibal’s mannerisms

show through his current state of being mute. He is known for being able to beat another person to death and be completely calm while doing it. It is crazy, and almost inhuman, but it is one of his characteristics.

 

“Hannibal began to draw with big arm motions, as the count had counseled, trying to let it go, making great diagonal strokes across newsprint, slashes of color. It did not work. Toward dawn he stopped forcing; he quit pushing and simply watched what his hand revealed to him.” Page 99

 

That one was a little long, but I found it sort of important, so I included all of it. I liked how Harris showed Hannibal forcing himself to do something and then having him realize that it forcing an idea on himself doesn’t work, that he has to just let ideas come to him. That he had to let it flow. It was a nice little revelation.

 

 

“’Regard, Hannibal,’ the chef said. ‘The best morsels of the fish are the cheeks. This is true of many creatures.’” Page 107

 

This quote was from both the book and the movie, surprisingly; word for word. It is almost foreshadowing in a way. Later, Hannibal makes a brochette out of mushrooms and cheeks. Specifically, Dortlich’s cheeks, one of the men that ate Hannibal’s sister.

 

 

“The inspector scanned Hannibal’s face for something. He did not find it. He did not find anything, so he asked another question.” Page 118

 

I thought this was kind of interesting. Hannibal is able to keep any and all emotion from his face. The trained inspector sees nothing. Not a single thing he is looking for presents itself like it would in normal people. He does something similar, later in a more impressive stunt. He completely fools a polygraph (lie detector).

 

 

“’The very scent of her takes away the smell of the camp? May I ask if you compose verse, Inspector?’” Page 121

 

This made me laugh! Hannibal mocks the Inspector horribly right here and it’s just hilarious! I love how Hannibal uses quick wits and his intelligence to mock people.

 

“If the furniture, undraped piece by piece, brought Lady Murasaki memories of her father, she did not reveal them.”Page 126

 

This was a little bit odd, in my eyes. Lady Murasaki is now showing characteristics that Hannibal possesses. I would think that the furniture of her father’s house would bring her memories of him but she did not let them register on her face, not even to Hannibal’s eyes, which catch even the smallest changes.

 

“You can tell me anything in the world.” Page 129

 

Okay, just for clarification, that was the inspector talking to Hannibal. Who does he thing he is?? Hannibal isn’t going to tell him anything. He doesn’t even like him for crap’s sake! What makes him think that Hannibal would share anything with him? Because he lost family in the war too? Yeah, right. I thought he was a fairly smart man, but that clearly proves the opposite.

 

 

“My heart hops at the sight of you, who taught my heart to sing.” Page 135

 

 

I thought this was sweet of Hannibal to say and very true of him to say as well. He was saying this to Lady Murasaki and it is just very appropriate. She really did teach his heart to sing.

 

“With a little thrill he took down the painting and, raising the glassine sheet, with hi wet handkerchief he scrubbed the outline of Mischa’s hand off the back.” Page 151

 

Oh my goodness! I am so mad that that guy did that! Hannibal found a painting that was stolen from his parents castle and there was the drawing of Mischa’s hand on the back that Hannibal had traced. He was really excited to get the painting and the memory back and Trebelaux just erased any chance of Hannibal regaining possession of that painting! Ugh!

 

“’Do you think God intended to eat Isaac, and that’s why he told Abraham to kill him?’ Hannibal said. ‘No, Hannibal. Of course not. The angel intervenes in time.’ ‘Not always,’ Hannibal said.” Page 151

 

This not only coincides with my History class, but it’s also a very interesting take on the whole thing. I don’t really think that God intended to eat Isaac because God is supposedly a supreme being and why would a supreme being want to eat a mortal? That sounds more like a Greek god than a modern monotheistic American one. But I think that Hannibal is right, the angel does not always intervene in time. In fact, he often fails to intervene at all.

 

 

“Kleber was his name only in France. His birth name was Petras Kolnas and he knew Inspector Popil’s name, but not from his payroll.” Page 156

 

THE PLOT THICKENS. (I know that sentence isn’t grammatically correct, but it fits.)

 

“She has put on irritation like a winter kimono. Seeing that, can I use it to keep from thinking about her in the bath at the chateau so long ago, herfaceandbreastslikewaterflowers? Like the pink and cream lilies on the moat? Can I? I can not.” Page 169

 

This isn’t really all that significant. It sort of is I suppose. It shows that Hannibal can’t remove a memory of her by replacing it with her current irritation at him. I just really liked this quote because it is one of the few insights to what Hannibal is really thinking. It’s just...I don’t know.

 

 

“Popil might have swung at him then. The moment passed. Popil shut his notebook and left the room.” Page 196

“He rested his gloved hand lightly on the brain. Obsessed with memory, and the blank places in his own mind, he wished that by touch he could read a dead man’s dreams, that by force of will he could explore his own.” Page 175

 

Don’t we all? Okay, it may just be me that wishes this, but it would be awesome. To be able to delve into the thoughts and dreams of others would be simply fantastic, especially to be able to explore my own memories in more depth. I think that it is possible to get into one’s own mind and memories in depth, but sadly it’s a bit more difficult to get into other’s heads.

 

 

 

Oh! Hannibal is finally able to get to Inspector Popil! This book just gets better and better. Hannibal is finally using his capabilities to the fullest and getting under Popil’s skin. It’s great.

 

“The contents rattle on the iron as he dumped them out: assorted military collar brass…Nazi SS lightning brass…Salvation Army collar brass and last, six stainless steel dog tags. The top one was Dortlich’s.” Page 220

 

Yes! Finally, Hannibal has their names! That’s so great. It was such a relief. He had been trying every way he could to get to this memory so that he could remember their horrid names and instead he gets their dog tags. It just worked out so perfectly.

 

 

hannibalmemory.jpg Hannibal Rising image by inulovesramen 

 

 

 

I love the Hannibal series, books and movies. I recommend them to everyone. :] They are so interesting!

“You have blessed oblivion. I miss you every day.”

 

Blessed oblivion…hmm. That’s an interesting way to think about death. Not enslaved in Heaven, made to kiss God’s ass forever. I like it. It’s so much more peaceful.

 

 

"Ein Mannlein steht im Walde ganz still und stumm. Es hat von lauter Purpur ein Mantlein um. Sagt wer mag das Mannlein sein. Das da steht im Wald allein, mit dem purporroten Mantelein." Pages 224 & 225  

 

Okay, I must say that this a little bit creepy. My great grandma sang this to my grandma when she was little and my grandma sang it to me when I was little. I heard this song a lot, and I still sing it from time to time and all of a sudden it’s in Hannibal Rising? That’s a little weird, but cool at the same time.

 

"When I couldn't speak I was not drawn into silence, silence captured me." Page 252

 

That just sounds pretty, really. I think that it is true as well. One is not drawn into darkness, one is captured by the darkness. Likewise, one is not drawn towards the light, one is captured by its iridescent beauty.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I Felt A Funeral In My Brain

By Emily Dickinson 

I felt a funeral in my brain,

        And mourners, to and fro,

Kept treading, treading, till it seemed

        That sense was breaking through.

 

And when they all were seated,

        A service like a drum

Kept beating, beating, till I thought 

        My mind was going numb.

And then I heard them lift a box,

        And creak across my soul

With those same boots of lead,

        Then space began to toll

As all the heavens were a bell,

        And Being but an ear,

And I and silence some strange race, 

        Wrecked, solitary, here.

And then a plank in reason, broke,

        And I dropped down and down--

And hit a world at every plunge,

        And finished knowing--then--

 

I would have to say, despite how depressing this poem is, it is one of my favorites. To me, she is talking about a descent into madness. She uses a funeral to show that a part of her is dying. That her conscious mind is slipping ever so slowly and she's finally coming to realize it. She feels alienated by her irrationality and it silences her (And I and silence some strange race), like she is separated from normal people. The last word of the poem, "then--," does not finish or end her experience but leaves open the door for the nightmare--horror of madness.

 

____________________________________________________________ 

Angelhead My Brother's Descent Into Madness

 

     THIS BOOK IS CRAZY. THE BOY IS CRAZY, HIS BROTHER IS CRAZY, HIS PARENTS ARE CRAZY, THEIR ACTIONS ARE CRAZY.

 

     The poem right above this actually relates to this book. It's a true story, which makes it kind of scary... The things that happened to Michael are seemingly unreal. The fact a person's brain can make them believe they are seeing Christ in their bedroom window is absolutely crazy. Or that one would believe that they could talk to snakes or even a branch on a tree. None of it makes sense to a normal human mind. A person with schizophrenia makes no sense to a normal person and a normal person makes no sense to someone with schizophrenia. It's a lose-lose! Okay, listen to this. I'm going to show you why this kid is so crazy.

 

     "Michael was out by a tree in the corner of the yard. He'd foind the sharp stump of a broken-off branch at face level and was talking to it, arguing with the tree or himself, gesticulating as if giving a grand speech, a sermon. He then reared his head back and slammed his forehead onto the branch.

     He backed up, blood pouring down his face. I backed away from the window - what - went back to the window, thingking my brother was going to kill himself.

     He slammed his face on the sharp branch again.

     I sat down, dizzy."

 

This was Michael's second psychotic break. His first was seeing Christ in his window. After his first break, he began studying the Bible intensely. He quoted it all the time and carried a copy of it at all times.

 

This story struck a fair amount of fear in me because I have a sketchy family history that includes some mental illnesses. It makes me worry that I'll develop something. Angelhead sort of showed me what went on in a schizophrenic's mind. I already knew what they were like towards others due to my family. I know that it's treatable, but usually doctors don't catch it for a long time. 

 

Anyways, back to the book. Here are some vocabulary words for you. 

 

Aphorism-  a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation, as “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

 

Ennui-page 82- a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom

 

Epithets-page 87- 

a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.

 

 

Conflation-page 90-  the process or result of fusing items into one entity; fusion; amalgamation.

 

Metachromatic leukodystrophy-page 91-  a hereditary neurological disorder of lipid metabolism characterized by the accumulation of cerebrosidesulfates, loss of myelin in the central nervous system, and progressive deterioration of mental and motor activity

 

Frenetic-page 98- frantic; frenzied

 

These are pretty much the only words I could find that were worth putting on here. Greg Bottoms used a fairly small vocabulary.

 

     Okay, here's some awesomely amazing pictures. They're pretty much scrumtralescent. :]

 

schizophrenia.jpg schizophrenia image by miss_penny_dreadful

Yep. This is pretty much what some schizophrenics feel like. Awesome, huh?

 

Schizophrenia.jpg SCHIZOPHRENIA image by Bubblehead_2006

Okay, this is kinda mean, considering people might ACTUALLY think their cappucino is out to get them...but this is just funny.

 

So there is some pretty famous art made by schizophrenics and they usually consist of intensely bright colors as well as having a lot of things going on at once. Here's some examples. :]

 

As you can see, I was not kidding.

 

This one is one of the more famous schizo-paintings. Again, intense colors with a lot going on.

 

I don't really know what else to say. Angelhead was an okay book. I have read better and I've attempted to read worse. I usually don't succeed. But, whatever. It's all right if you're interested in schizophrenia and whatnot, but just as a warning, if you oppose religion at all, you probably don't want to read this because Michael is one of the many schizophrenics that turn to intense religion. It talks about it a lot in the book. Which is all fine and dandy, everyone as their own story, I just don't want to hear about God for 50 pages out of the book. I already know enough about him, thank you. I think if I could change one thing about the book, that'd be it. Less preaching. So, yeah.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdF4R3GrOB0

 

 

 

 

Poems for Angelhead

 

Numbers

 

They say 1 in 100 contract it,

That's 1% that turn schizophrenic,

At some point during their lives,

Recovery rate is 3 in 5,

That's 2 in 5 that can never make

Out of possibly a paranoid delusional state.

To the nation they cost millions of pounds,

Out of which solutions are seldom found.

At a cost of hundreds a month,

To the economy they pack a costly punch.

Over 51 million have it worldwide,

Quarter of a million in the country in which I reside.

Teens at 50% risk of attempted suicide,

It even affects children as young as five,

40% suffering will try suicide,

After possibly feeling dead inside.

A decade on 10% will succeed and die,

A further 15% will be hospitalised.

6% live it rough in the States,

And with another 6% living in jail,

That's over a tenth who's life has evidently failed.

So pray from it you never suffer,

And end up becoming another number,

But as a hypocrite I truly amount,

As I'm also one of those whom this rhyme is about.

 

Don't worry if these statistics shock you,

If I'm honest they shock me too,

All facts and figures are accurate and true.

So the next time you meet someone new,

Ask yourself are they a number too,

Chances are they're hiding it from you,

And the rest of the world,

Like I did myself for many a years,

But now I'm here breaking it down for you,

Bringing the facts to you,

And who knows a few years from now we might prove,

To better understand the plights of the sufferers,

Otherwise known as the numbers.

--Mastershak 

 

Set The World On Fire

 

 I know something you don't know,

and it's a mighty secret.

Show me how to rule the world

and maybe I won't burn it.

 

I wrote it on a paper slip,

I've got it in my hand.

I'm holding something you don't know--

won't know, as it stands.

 

Just give me what I ask for,

I wanna be the queen.

Show me, teach me, love me now,

and I'll set the secret free.

 

I know, I seem a bit strange.

Perhaps you think I'm a freak?

I can't be accused of sanity,

but at least you can't call me weak.

 

And I'll set the world on fire,

so no one must ever freeze.

And I'll nurse the woods to glory,

feed your ashes to the trees.

 

We can watch my flames devour

all who have done us wrong.

We can sit and watch the Reaper

slash through my favorite song.

 

And everyone will be laughing,

sobbing tears of joy.

They hadn't realized how much they wished

to be our favorite toys.

 

They'll be screaming to the heavens,

praising our very names.

Adrenaline makes them run with glee

as we play delightful games.

 

I know something you don't know.

That I'm a nasty liar.

Now sit in muted horror

as I set the world on fire.

 

--Keera

 

 

Madness

 

Is what the public considers insanity, really sanity?

How would any of us know if we are insane?

If we are insane how would we know what sanity is?

If we are sane how do we know what insanity is?

How do we know these things exist?

How do we know if we are real?

Are we all just a figment of some little girl’s imagination?

What is imagination?

What if we are all living in a dream?

Just slightly disconnected from the real world?

Is there a world?

Or have we just created a safety blanket labeled earth?

To try and save us from madness?

But what is so wrong with being positively mad?

 

You would never become bored

and life truly is just a bunch of paradoxes

so shouldn't the mind work that way?

Shouldn’t everything in the world and the mind contradict itself?

Or maybe since life is a paradox our minds shouldn't be

but is that possible?

Isn’t it natural to contradict oneself and the world they envision?

What if when I see pink you see green instead and your friend sees blue...

but wouldn’t it be the same?

 

If no one was around and a tree fell would it make a noise?

Are the laws of the universe true?

Is there a universe?

What if scientists made it all up?

What if we all saw the world differently?

But had the same words for the same things?

Would anyone know the difference?

 

Maybe everyone is a little mad or a little sane

who would know what is normal in an abnormal world?

But what is normal?

Abnormal?

 

There are times I gain a bit more sanity

and then I wonder how did I become this way?

How is a raven like a writing desk?

Maybe this madness started with death

how is a book like a rabbit?

Some days I wonder if people notice my mind slipping

how is a bird like a pencil?

But is it really slipping?

 

Is it a bad thing to welcome this madness?

If it is that’s terribly awful of the fates to decide.

Becoming mad as a hatter is quite comforting to a tormented soul.

Maybe it should be phrased content as a hatter

for I am surely not mad

am I?

No....

imp much to relaxed and at peace

but are these feeling real?

Am I real?

 

Is what the public considers insanity, really sanity?

How would any of us know if we are insane?

If we are insane how would we know what sanity is?

If we are sane how do we know what insanity is?

Is insanity madness?

 

--Unknown

 

I do, you don't

 

I hear you

You don't

I see you

You don't

I feel you

You don't

I smell you

You don't

 

I think you're real

You think I lie

I speak to you

You don't answer

I listen to you

You tell me lies

I follow your directions

You take me away

 

I hear them, the voices

I hear them, I see them, I feel them, I smell them

But the outsider. You.

 

You don't hear them, see them, feel them, smell them.

I believe in them, speak to them, listen to them, follow them.

You tell me I lie. You take me away.

 

Am I crazy or are you? 

 

--Keera  

 

 

 

Comments (18)

Josh said

at 8:52 am on Oct 5, 2009

Why tomorrow??? I MUCT KNOW NOW!!!!

Allia said

at 8:53 am on Oct 5, 2009

muct? yeah, i can see why your in ADVANCED english

Reid said

at 8:53 am on Oct 5, 2009

My sis read the the book last year and I was wondering what it was/is about. I might be interested in reading it later this year.

Coe said

at 8:08 am on Oct 6, 2009

Theres always lots of people reading this book it must be good.

Keera said

at 8:40 am on Oct 6, 2009

It definitely is. It is in my top two books. It's tied with Of Mice and Men, also by John Steinbeck. In my opinion, it should be a class novel because of it's insight into the human soul and it's amazingly awesome good vs. evil theme.

Allia said

at 8:41 am on Oct 6, 2009

Do you think that I would like it?? I loved Of Mice and Men

Keera said

at 8:48 am on Oct 6, 2009

I think everyone would love it! Well, okay, probably not everyone, but I think you would at least. It's a fantastic book.

Coe said

at 8:50 am on Oct 6, 2009

hey another book i should read! how many times have i said that now....

Allia said

at 8:50 am on Oct 6, 2009

I should try it out. Is it pretty slow moving??

Keera said

at 12:33 pm on Oct 16, 2009

No, it's a fast read. It just took me a while because I never had time. >:[ Which made me mad because I didn't want to put it down.

Keera said

at 12:34 pm on Oct 16, 2009

No, it's a fast read. It just took me a while because I never had time. >:[ Which made me mad because I didn't want to put it down.

paul bonnell said

at 1:23 pm on Oct 17, 2009

Steinbeck masterfully captures the bitter triumphs and sorrowful ambitions of the human experience, yes?

Keera said

at 10:48 am on Oct 19, 2009

That is exactly what he does, Bonnell. He challenges the rights and wrongs of the human soul. Amazing book.

Ben said

at 9:26 am on Nov 23, 2009

_The Road_ sounds freaking sweet!

Francis said

at 3:38 pm on Nov 23, 2009

I agree with your final statement. I don't like the book, it's so depressing, but so far I would agree its a wonderfully horrible book.

Ande said

at 10:53 am on Nov 24, 2009

YAY. I was so happy when I found the haunting from conneticut poem. I've never heard the whole thing. :) I love it.

paul bonnell said

at 10:15 am on Dec 21, 2009

Indeed, _The Road_ has a bleak luminescence about it. Somehow I felt wretched and hopeful while reading it.

paul bonnell said

at 11:45 pm on Mar 27, 2010

Your wiki wonderfully bridges between you, the text, and us. Yes--quotations, video links, controversial visual art, reflections, etc. You're really turning this into an interface. Imagine that!

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