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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:16 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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Did you read the book or is your memory just that bad? |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:20 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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This is what he did. The doctor was scared, so instead of sending her daughter abroad, he didn't do anything. Then he was invited for a daughter with daughter to be raped, and he didn't bring her, and then, he did nothing. Realistically, the president could have just as easily raped the daughter after they imprisoned the doctor.
So what exactly did he do? Yes, he did not bring the daughter to the party but he made no other efforts to protect his family, and frankly, fucked up all of their lives. If he was incapable of protecting them or putting in any effort to protect them, then having the daughter being raped by the president WOULD have been a better move. |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:23 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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*middle east* |
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L Ron Butterfly I take pop music pretty seriously. Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 3537 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:22 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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*Mid West* |
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Potatoes Joined: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 3036 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:37 pm) Reply
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L Ron Butterfly I take pop music pretty seriously. Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 3537 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:39 pm) Reply
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Action Hank Yes, I fart dicks. Dicks actually come out of my anus when I fart. Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 8600 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:37 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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MADali, how was he to send his daughter away without Trujillo finding out and murdering them? Did the author not emphasize Trujillo's reach? There was no solution other then death or rape. |
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L Ron Butterfly I take pop music pretty seriously. Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 3537 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:43 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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THAN, Ace. THAN.
Aren't you an English graduate? |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:12 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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Someone else can select the next book. We should set up some guidelines though so that we aren't reading the latest 1500 page fantasy novel that Yogurtman likes. |
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Servbot Overrated faggot Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 9020 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:19 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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I suggest Kekfa on the Shore. |
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L Ron Butterfly I take pop music pretty seriously. Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 3537 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:48 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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Things Fall Apart, so that I can actually participate in this without doing any extra reading that my 18 hours of literature courses won't allow?
And also because Ace mentioned it earlier? |
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Action Hank Yes, I fart dicks. Dicks actually come out of my anus when I fart. Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 8600 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:40 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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I don't have my copy of Things Fall Apart with me, and I doubt the resulting conversation would be any more interesting than this one was.
Which isn't completely dead, yet. I have a bunch of questions.
What about the final letter/package that Oscar said he would send, but that Yunior never received. What do you think was in that package? Or did the package not exist? If it did exist, would you blame the fuku/curse on it never making it to Yunior?
Why do you think we never see what Oscar wrote? The World According to Garp was about a writer, and we see plenty of his writing (with the short story often taught, by itself, in College lit classes). Is it important that we don't see what he wrote? Did Diaz do that purposely, or am I looking too deep into something that isn't there?
Why was Oscar ready to die in the end? What was the significance of his dreams near the end of the book about the Golden Mongoose? I know it represents some native spirit that protects humans from evil things, but why doesn't it protect Oscar in the end? What is the point of it not protecting him?
I will think about a good next book. I have been wanting to read My Name is Red for some time, and I also want to read Tropic of Capricorn. |
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L Ron Butterfly I take pop music pretty seriously. Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 3537 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:00 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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It is very difficult for Western readers to understand Things Fall Apart, but through my YORUBA MENTOR, I came pretty close to accomplishing this.
(breathes on knuckles)
(wipes knuckles on shoulder)
I'm always saying gay shit like this, but in some ways, it's purposely written like how somebody at FTU would write a mock African novel.
"But Okonkwo wasn't the man to stop beating someone halfway through." |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:20 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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1. Yeah, the package scene that was a purposefully ambiguous scene to let the reader decide on what happened with the fuku or whether it existed in the first place. The fuku sort of functions as a continuous real life literary device, which I think is part of the reason why Oscar's cure-all never comes and why it spurs Yunior to writing. *drinks latte*
2. We do get a sense of Oscar's writing, but we have to remember that this is being told through Yunior eyes, who already admitted to us that he's not interested in sci-fi. I think that Oscar is a writer is more important than what he actually writes but that's just me.
3. The mongoose sort of acts like a gatekeeper in my eyes. Remember that he offers Oscar a choice of living or dying in the cane fields. I think when Beli sees her it's because she has the choice of giving birth to new life. It's more of an encourager of life than a guardian angel.
If you remember that Oscar did not consider himself alive until he met Ybon (I think), it makes it easier to understand his trip back.
Although, it's been about a week since I've read the book and I don't have it any longer, I think most of what I remember is accurate. |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:51 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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This book was really stupid, MHH & Ace, no need to take it so seriously. All that fuku shit was tailor-made for westerns to go, "ooooh third worlders are so mystical and exotic" |
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Action Hank Yes, I fart dicks. Dicks actually come out of my anus when I fart. Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 8600 (Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:34 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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I didn't spend several days reading this crap just to post, "It's stupid". Besides, this is a book club, so we need to talk about things, even if the book wasn't that great.
I saw the Golden Mongoose more as a protective spirit that can fight off fuku in the way that a real mongoose would kill snakes. I also first thought of it like a small Aslan, sort of a Jesus-figure who can let someone take the punishment and survive (I know, that's not really Aslan or Jesus, but the first description of the Mongoose in the book made me picture a tiny Aslan). |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:41 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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Wow, book clubs are stupid if you have to force yourself to discuss the symbols of a book just to feel like you haven't wasted your time. Because what better way to justify reading a crap book than needlessly discussing its tacky symbols. Ooh, a Jesus comparison, good job Ace.
Just read something else. |
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Action Hank Yes, I fart dicks. Dicks actually come out of my anus when I fart. Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 8600 (Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:24 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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You're out of the club! |
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YES Ask me about nation, culture, religion, gender, sexuality, and identity in general being anachronisms from a more vulgar and primitive past. Joined: 05 Sep 2007 Posts: 6090 (Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:25 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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Our constitution clearly states "no discrimination against angry brown people. In fact just give them handouts beause theyre retarded, unless their asian, because theyre smart enough unless theyre SE asian" |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:28 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Book Club |
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Madali, just because you understand things at the level of a barbarian doesn't mean others have to. |
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