The similarities between Lone Oak and Maycomb County are easy to realize, but not so easy when one does not have a place like Dallas to compare to. Lone Oak and Maycomb are small to the point of not even being on the map. Dallas is a major city, and serves as the honorary capital of northeast Texas. In comparison, Lone Oak is quite insignificant. The people who reside in Lone Oak and Dallas are also significantly different.
I can relate in many ways to Scout and the people in her home town. The people of Maycomb and Lone Oak are similar in the fact that they are close to one another, even without familiar relations. However, I have noticed that many families in Lone Oak are related. Many of them have lived in the area for generations. I have found no specific references to this scenario in the book, but the fact that the Cunninghams have lived in Maycomb for a very long time is a pretty close comparison.
The people of Lone Oak are always informed about the goings-on in society, whether they want to know or not. Gossip gets around the population quickly. For instance, if there is a newcomer in the district, and if any of the original population is even remotely interested, he/she will tell someone else, and the process will continue until the word gets back to the teller, and everyone will know. Maycomb is like this because it seemed that everyone in town knew about Tom Robinson's trial within two days.
Unfortunately, another comparison one could make about Lone Oak and Maycomb is the fact that there are not too many people in the upper class. I know select few who have a significant amount of money, emphasizing select few. These families do not even live in the district, and pay to have their children attend the school. Maycomb has a system of entailment to pay off debts. This resulted partially from the crash of the stock market in the early 1930s, but also partially from the county's original gross economic value.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 11 and 12
Charles Wallace is assigned Matthew Maddox after Chuck. Matthew Maddox is a cripple, crushed by the weight of his horse after a failed attempt at a jump. His twin brother, Bran Maddox, recently came home from fighting for the Union in the Civil War. Bran recalls the things he witnessed in battle, including some descriptions too gory to put here. He came home "sick of soul," even going as far as breaking his engagement to his fiance Zillah. After said descriptions, I can piece together the horror he would have been witness to. He lost his faith in man, and I don't blame him for letting the pain of the truth get to him.
Bran finally comes out of his seclusive state and moves to Patagonia, the new Welsh colony, to sort himself out again. Zillah, now his wife to be (again), tries to move with him, but her father, Doctor Llawcae, refuses to let her go. There are so many connections I have with this that it would take me years to list them out. Let me just say that being the daughter of a good father, I know how she feels.
After a few years, Matthew catches a bad chest cold, eventually sending him to his death. While he lived, Doctor Llawcae looked after him. Matthew used the money from his books to send Zillah to Patagonia without her father's blessing or knowledge. I now wonder if Llawcae let Matthew die because of this. I know that Llawcae was livid. Perhaps, in his irrationality, he needed to do something to get revenge. I can only guess, though.
All's well that ends well. Mom O'Keefe had heart problems, according to the twins. It was suggested that she may not have made it to see her grandchild, but I have a feeling she did alright. Half of the story was about her, anyway. It seems that Gaudior was forgotten by all except Charles Wallace, and that no one knew about Mad Dog Branzillo after he and the unicorn changed the timeline. I have seen events similar to this in stories. I wonder if they got it from here.
Bran finally comes out of his seclusive state and moves to Patagonia, the new Welsh colony, to sort himself out again. Zillah, now his wife to be (again), tries to move with him, but her father, Doctor Llawcae, refuses to let her go. There are so many connections I have with this that it would take me years to list them out. Let me just say that being the daughter of a good father, I know how she feels.
After a few years, Matthew catches a bad chest cold, eventually sending him to his death. While he lived, Doctor Llawcae looked after him. Matthew used the money from his books to send Zillah to Patagonia without her father's blessing or knowledge. I now wonder if Llawcae let Matthew die because of this. I know that Llawcae was livid. Perhaps, in his irrationality, he needed to do something to get revenge. I can only guess, though.
All's well that ends well. Mom O'Keefe had heart problems, according to the twins. It was suggested that she may not have made it to see her grandchild, but I have a feeling she did alright. Half of the story was about her, anyway. It seems that Gaudior was forgotten by all except Charles Wallace, and that no one knew about Mad Dog Branzillo after he and the unicorn changed the timeline. I have seen events similar to this in stories. I wonder if they got it from here.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 10
In the previous chapter, Chuck Maddox is struck by his stepfather, Duthbert Mortmain, and takes a tumble down a flight of stairs. The beginning of this chapter is utter confusion, words strung together in a barely sensible fashion. I have noticed the difference in writing styles between the 1960s and the present. It seems that almost every chapter in this book repeats the same elements, like the Echthroi attacks. But Charles Wallace's newest encounter with an Echthros is a bit different; this one is cunning, trying to lure him out from Within Chuck by acting like Gaudior. But the illusion isn't quite flawless.
Charles Wallace chooses to stay Within Chuck, but his experience is a frantic one. Chuck had fractured his skull and sustained brain damage when he fell. He can barely see, and when he can see clearly, he cannot comprehend what he sees. The time he lives in and the time of his ancestor, Matthew Maddox, swirl together, barely separable. I have only one comparison to give: This boy is now little more than an idiot, incapable of any original thought or reason. I have met so many people similar to Chuck, but none of them are like him at all. They cannot see the past for what it truly was, as if they were there, yet I know for certain that they cannot comprehend.
I imagine that life is a nightmare in Chuck's world. He is told what to do and has to do it, because he cannot say no. He can barely hold his job, a simple matter of putting price labels on canned goods. He knows not where he is, nor what is said or done around him. I choose not to pity him, for his condition is the result of his effort to protect someone he loved. The irony is that it didn't do either of them any good. Grandma died of a heart attack while he was unconsious in a hospital bed.
Charles Wallace chooses to stay Within Chuck, but his experience is a frantic one. Chuck had fractured his skull and sustained brain damage when he fell. He can barely see, and when he can see clearly, he cannot comprehend what he sees. The time he lives in and the time of his ancestor, Matthew Maddox, swirl together, barely separable. I have only one comparison to give: This boy is now little more than an idiot, incapable of any original thought or reason. I have met so many people similar to Chuck, but none of them are like him at all. They cannot see the past for what it truly was, as if they were there, yet I know for certain that they cannot comprehend.
I imagine that life is a nightmare in Chuck's world. He is told what to do and has to do it, because he cannot say no. He can barely hold his job, a simple matter of putting price labels on canned goods. He knows not where he is, nor what is said or done around him. I choose not to pity him, for his condition is the result of his effort to protect someone he loved. The irony is that it didn't do either of them any good. Grandma died of a heart attack while he was unconsious in a hospital bed.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 9
Meg comes out of kything when the telephone rings downstairs. Mom O'Keefe comes back over to the Murry house with an old letter written by Bran Maddox to Matthew Maddox. In it, we hear for the first time of a man named Gedder, but this is an incorrect pronunciation. I assume that his real name is Gwydyr, and is descended from the original Gwydyr's line. If this book is consistent with how it has been since Chapter 4, I can predict that Gedder will be cruel.
Meg finds her kythe with Charles Wallace again. Since Chuck's father is dead, his mother and grandmother search the house for thing they might be able to sell to keep their home running. They come across a chest containing letters and an old leather journal owned by Zyllah Llawcae. In this journal are beautiful paintings and sketches, and written journal entries. Zyllah tells her story about how Bran Maddox proposed to her and left for the Civil War. He came back different, barely present in his own mind. These things came from the horrors of war he was witness to. I cannot say that I find relation to him, for I have never seen the things of war. I can only imagine how devastating it may have been.
Chuck's mother had to marry Duthbert Mortmain (wow, what a name) to keep the family from losing the apartment. Mortmain was cruel, though at first he acted like a gentleman. He beat Mrs. Mortmain and was unkind to her children. He would have beaten Grandma, if Chuck hadn't stepped in his way. Chuck fell down the stairs when he was struck by Mortmain, and I am not yet certain he didn't die. I don't think I will ever understand men like Mortmain.
Meg finds her kythe with Charles Wallace again. Since Chuck's father is dead, his mother and grandmother search the house for thing they might be able to sell to keep their home running. They come across a chest containing letters and an old leather journal owned by Zyllah Llawcae. In this journal are beautiful paintings and sketches, and written journal entries. Zyllah tells her story about how Bran Maddox proposed to her and left for the Civil War. He came back different, barely present in his own mind. These things came from the horrors of war he was witness to. I cannot say that I find relation to him, for I have never seen the things of war. I can only imagine how devastating it may have been.
Chuck's mother had to marry Duthbert Mortmain (wow, what a name) to keep the family from losing the apartment. Mortmain was cruel, though at first he acted like a gentleman. He beat Mrs. Mortmain and was unkind to her children. He would have beaten Grandma, if Chuck hadn't stepped in his way. Chuck fell down the stairs when he was struck by Mortmain, and I am not yet certain he didn't die. I don't think I will ever understand men like Mortmain.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 7 and 8, Part II
I have to admit that I had never heard of the superstition of dandelion clocks before I read this book. They say that you're supposed to be able to tell the time by counting the breaths it takes to blow all of the feathery spores from a dandelion. This trick comes from Grandma in the book. She's a strange bird, but maybe it comes from just being old.
The story of Branwen, Princess of England comes from Grandma as well. She relays how Branwen used Patrick's Rune to help her after the Irish King's betrayal. Here we learn that Beezie, the granddaughter, is named Branwen Zillah Maddox, and she is the 11-year-old version of Mom O'Keefe. Her brother, Chuck, is Charles Wallace's host and can smell feelings and identities.
Chuck's gift is mainly ignored by everyone in his family besides Beezie. I assume this comes from the somewhat common phrase, "I can smell it." In normal circumstances, this rather means, "I can feel it." But Chuck smelled fear and death about his father, whose appendix ruptured only hours later. I cannot imagine what Chuck knows about people, given his gift. He probably knows more than he wants to.
The story of Branwen, Princess of England comes from Grandma as well. She relays how Branwen used Patrick's Rune to help her after the Irish King's betrayal. Here we learn that Beezie, the granddaughter, is named Branwen Zillah Maddox, and she is the 11-year-old version of Mom O'Keefe. Her brother, Chuck, is Charles Wallace's host and can smell feelings and identities.
Chuck's gift is mainly ignored by everyone in his family besides Beezie. I assume this comes from the somewhat common phrase, "I can smell it." In normal circumstances, this rather means, "I can feel it." But Chuck smelled fear and death about his father, whose appendix ruptured only hours later. I cannot imagine what Chuck knows about people, given his gift. He probably knows more than he wants to.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 7 and 8, Part I
There are many connections to be made between the character names in this book. For instance, the Welsh translation of Madoc is Madog, similar to Mad Dog. Bran (like Brandon or Branwen) plus Zillo (Zylle's father) is Branzillo, the last name of Mad Dog. I find this ingenious, personally.
Charles Wallace convinces Gaudior to try to travel in both space and time, an idea that Gaudior has shed negative light on before. In this, we see the old Charles Wallace emerge, the one who thinks he knows best and can take whatever. He fails to heed Gaudior's warnings, and ends up in a barely post-Ice Age ocean, bruised and dying from the cold. It's called common sense...thanks to Meg, they both made it out.
In the beginning of Chapter 8, Gaudior takes Charles Wallace to his home to heal. When I read the description of it, I think about how difficult it must be for Gaudior. I wouldn't want to leave what sounds like such a beautiful and safe place and look after a 15-year-old boy who doesn't use his head often. But it runs deeper than that; if I had been born and raised in that place and had ridden the When-winds like Gaudior, I would be appalled at Earth and all of its imperfection.
Charles Wallace convinces Gaudior to try to travel in both space and time, an idea that Gaudior has shed negative light on before. In this, we see the old Charles Wallace emerge, the one who thinks he knows best and can take whatever. He fails to heed Gaudior's warnings, and ends up in a barely post-Ice Age ocean, bruised and dying from the cold. It's called common sense...thanks to Meg, they both made it out.
In the beginning of Chapter 8, Gaudior takes Charles Wallace to his home to heal. When I read the description of it, I think about how difficult it must be for Gaudior. I wouldn't want to leave what sounds like such a beautiful and safe place and look after a 15-year-old boy who doesn't use his head often. But it runs deeper than that; if I had been born and raised in that place and had ridden the When-winds like Gaudior, I would be appalled at Earth and all of its imperfection.
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 6
This chapter was one of the more fascinating ones in the book. This time, Charles Wallace is assigned to go Within Brandon Llawcae, the son of a carpenter living in the 1600s as a pioneer. Brandon can scry, meaning he can see the future in pools and puddles and other. I am surprised the Llawcae family can keep his secret from all the other colonists, having to depend so heavily on one another and all. In this time period, he may have been burned at the stake, or like Zylle's near fate, hanged, even IF he was just 11 or 12 years old.
This Pastor Mortmain acts like a hothead, which is quite contrary to his religious beliefs. I think he's just looking for a reason to get rid of Zylle. Many colonists, as our country's history can testify to, were of the mindset that the natives were "heathens." We saw them as a plague on what was "rightfully" our land. We learned quite a deal later that what we had done was very wrong. Zylle's strange ways didn't help her case at all, either. I've never heard of a woman shedding no tears during delivery, at least without some serious anesthetic.
The assumption that Zylle was a witch reminded of so many days sitting in history class reviewing the Salem Witch Trials. In the town of Salem, a group of girls accused a woman of bewitching them. The woman was charged with a decision: Failure to admit her guilt would result in her immediate death, and her admission would have her burned or hanged. Either way, a person accused of witchcraft would die. Most of this injustice resulted from the panic of the citizens. It proves that a person may be smart, but in a group, people are only as smart as the dumbest person around. Logic and reason be hanged with the accused!
This Pastor Mortmain acts like a hothead, which is quite contrary to his religious beliefs. I think he's just looking for a reason to get rid of Zylle. Many colonists, as our country's history can testify to, were of the mindset that the natives were "heathens." We saw them as a plague on what was "rightfully" our land. We learned quite a deal later that what we had done was very wrong. Zylle's strange ways didn't help her case at all, either. I've never heard of a woman shedding no tears during delivery, at least without some serious anesthetic.
The assumption that Zylle was a witch reminded of so many days sitting in history class reviewing the Salem Witch Trials. In the town of Salem, a group of girls accused a woman of bewitching them. The woman was charged with a decision: Failure to admit her guilt would result in her immediate death, and her admission would have her burned or hanged. Either way, a person accused of witchcraft would die. Most of this injustice resulted from the panic of the citizens. It proves that a person may be smart, but in a group, people are only as smart as the dumbest person around. Logic and reason be hanged with the accused!
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