Due February 20, 2014: Again, choose one line from the book that feels important to
you and one that feels important
to the text. For each, write a paragraph explaining why. Also, read your classmates' posts and see if you have any responses to those.
Important to the text: p 312
ReplyDelete"a blizzard like this one did not come along often... Nonetheless, from Ishmael's perspective this inclement weather should not be allowed to overshadow the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto, which was an affair of a different sort entirely and of greater magnitude. In the hearts of his fellow islanders, though, weather of this sort overwhelmed absolutely everything, so that even when a man stood trial for his life it was no doubt the destruction of docks and bulkheads, the trees fallen on homes, the burst pipes, the stranded cars, that would most interest San Piedro's citizens."
I think this is important to the text because it shows how the townsfolk are excited by everything. This quote makes me think that the townsfolk are not necessarily smart, and don't really have jugement of the seriousness of issues. They get easily riled up by anything new and exciting, and don't really weigh anything more heavily than anything else.
Important to me: p 359
"[Hatsue] brought herself to [Kabuo's] sorrow completely, not to console him but to give him time to become himself again. Without regrets she honored the obligation she felt to him and was happy to efface herself. This gave her life a shape and meaning that were larger than her dream of farming strawberries from island soil, and at the same time giving herself over to his wounds was both disturbing and rewarding."
I think that this quote is very interesting as it shows a lot about Hatsue. I think she is the most interesting character in the book, and I like how this quote shows her compassion and also her want for a purpose. Comforting Kabuo gives her that purpose, but there's also something sad about this quote. It makes me think that she doesn't really know what she wants, and that she is living in a state of waiting for meaning to come into her life.
Important to the text:
ReplyDeleteP 305 "'I guess you'd have to guess,' said Nels, 'having not been present at their conversation. Having to report to the court only, Mrs. Heine, what your husband reported to you. Words that might not be one hundred percent accurate, sinceyour husband was aware of your disenchantment about the possibility of moving, as you've said, and may as well have altered the tone and substance of his conversation with Mr. Miyamo---"
The book is based around the trial of Mr. Miyamoto. Thought there are many tangents off onto other subjects. This makes this quote important to the text because it shows how difficult trials can be and how they can be almost futile if people aren't willing to talk or if there is some sort of outside agreement. Even some aspects of human nature, like self preservation, can get in the way of a straight forward verdict. Also this quote shows how difficult it is for people to trust other people, every one has an agenda, and every one knows that every one has an agenda. Think about the impact that that can have on a small community.
Important to me:
P 341-42 "'Suppose somebody put a gun to your head and forced you to choose, Ishmael. Is there a God or isn't there'"?
"'Nobody has a gun to my head,' Ishmael had answered her. 'I don't have to choose, do I? That't the whole point'".
This is important me because I think that it is relevant to the world outside the book. How many people have actually had a gun to their heads, or been threatened in some other way, and asked if there is a god, or which god do you believe in and then been killed for it. The whole idea of places with "religious freedom", like Ismael said, is that people don't have to choose. Except in a lot of places people, and cultures, don't get to choose or choose "wrong" and are killed for it.
Important to text: “He read the letter a second time, gravitating now toward its final words: ‘I wish you the very best, Ishmael. Your heart is large and you are gentle and kind, and I know you will do great things in this world, but now I must say good-bye to you. I am going to move on with my life as best I can, and I hope you will too” (442).
ReplyDeleteThis is a turning point for Ishmael. He has known all along that he lost something during the war, but has been unable to understand why he cannot seem to move on. Reading this letter, he realizes that part of this was due to the fact that he never let go of his love for Hatsue, and did not take her advice about going forward with his life. Until this point he never really registered the lines in which Hatsue says that he has a big heart and will do great things. Now he realizes that he did not live up to that because he was stuck in the past with his bitterness over the war and Hatsue. After these realizations, Ishmael makes a conscious decision to become the better person that Hatsue saw, and take the evidence to the Imadas.
Important to me: “Ten minutes later, in the port side gunnel just below the mast, they found a small fracture in the wood. Three small hairs were embedded in the crack, and Art Moran carved them free with his pocketknife and tucked them into the sheath in his wallet that also held his driver’s license. They looked at the hairs in a flashlight beam and then they all fell silent” (454).
This was when it hit home for me that Kabuo’s murder trial, the trial that unearthed old feuds and prejudices and caused many people pain, was all for nothing, and could have been prevented with a careful look at the evidence in the beginning. It is so easy to make assumptions and fill in the gaps in the evidence so that someone looks unarguably guilty. This is much easier than taking a hard look at the evidence and your own prejudices before choosing a side.
I really agree with you on your point that the trial unearthed old feuds and prejudices and caused many people pain, because also another instance I can think of. It is when Ishmael is with Hatsue and Hatsue is saying to Ishmael that the trial is unfair.
DeleteTwo quotes --
ReplyDeleteImportant to me on Pg. 344: "The Japanese soldier, a colonel had explained, would die fighting before he would surrender."
This quote reminds of WWII and History last year. In WWII, Japanese soldiers were continuing to fight the Americans towards the end of WWII, even though they were losing and outnumbered. They kept fighting because that is what they thought was right. Also, in History last year, we learned about the Greeks. We learned that they thought it was more honorable to die in battle so they could achieve glory and honor.
Important to the text on Pg. 316: "Judge Fielding's announcement to the gathered court was terse. The trial would adjourn until eight o'clock the following morning, at which time the power company expected to have the lights on."
This is quite interesting. When Judge Fielding said this, nobody was wanting to come back to the courthouse the next day to continue the trial. No matter how intreging the trial could be, court cases are depressing for all who are there. I would think that most of the people in the San Piedro Courthouse would agree with me on this point.
Line that is important to me Pg 330 " Levant was tall enough to be a basketball player, six five of six six, with a large adam's apple and tightly curled black hair, and he carried a lantern and a flashlight." This line is important to me because it tells me a lot about the writers style. In this quote, and throughout the book, Gutterson is painstakingly descriptive of everything that goes on in the book. Instead of just saying what happened, Gutterson paints a picture in the readers mind of what is happening. I like this because it helps me to better understand what is going on in the novel and why.
ReplyDeleteLine important to the text pg 387 "The storm winds battered the courtroom windows and rattled them in their casements so vigorously it seemed the glass would break." This line is important to the text because being the first sentence in the chapter, it really does a good job of setting the stage. This line gives the reader a vivid description of what it would be like to be on San Piedro Island at that time. Because of this vivid description the reader can tell that because of the storm being so violent, maybe the residents are a little agitated or scared.