This week we talked about the assigned reading, Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. There were many different rites of passages that were touched on so the question I have is how can you relate to them? Was there a specific rite of passage from any of the characters that you have experienced, is there anything similar between your rites of passage and there's? Or is the cultural barrier to big to be breached and there's no way to relate? This could pertain to any of the characters that you want to compare to yourself or even contrast if you have no comparisons.
You posted this at 6:48 in the morning? Jeez kid. Anyways, I can definitely relate to giving birth in a barn and then abandoning the baby, reminds me of the time... Ok, no I can't specifically relate to that but if we look at the coming of age in a more essential way I'm sure we'd all be able to relate at least in part to the rites of passage in the book. For example we've all probably kept a lie going longer than we should have up to the point where its detrimental to our well-being but we keep it up anyway. :) and im sure some of us have given birth in a barn, what with us pokin' em and stuff all the time.
ReplyDeleteI can kind of relate to Ellie having to go to the Amish world. The summer between 8th and 9th grade I went to visit my cousin at her cabin up in Pine City, Minnesota. No internet, phone service, and only her dad's crappy movies. I do remember at one point walking a mile down the road just to find a little phone service to try and talk to my friend. We had to help out with the chores and find ways to entertain ourselves. While I was there, I realized how much fun you can have if you just get your butt off the couch and go do something.
ReplyDeleteThe novel is centered upon Katie making decisions that go against her familial, social and religious values. She must face the consequences of her decisions and ultimately come to terms with feelings of shame and inadequacy. So in this way, i most certainly can relate to Katie. Obviously my family and community are not near as strict as the Amish community, but i have made decisions that are contrary to what my family has always believed and now i am dealing with feeling like i don't fit in or measure up. Granted, my decisions were not near as extreme as Katie's, but nonetheless influential upon my life as they have separated me in a sense, if only emotionally, from my family.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taylor G., a huge part of coming of age is making mistakes and learning from them. Otherwise everything you know about life is simply knowledge not wisdom. Wisdom comes with experience, if you don't experience the struggle and pain that comes with lying then you'll never fully understand the value and importance of the truth. As for who I can relate most to in "Plain Truth" I would have to say Ellie. She has a lot of emotional growth in this book, especially with her issues of commitment and intimacy. At the beginning of the book Ellie has a virtual wall around herself when it comes to the men in her life, but as the story goes on and her relationship with Coop grows, the wall starts to come down. I consider myself to be a guarded person and though I'm young I can relate to the difficulties of opening up to a significant other. But because I'm young, I have not yet experienced the growth Ellie did in being able to eventually let Coop love her. I am still a guarded person, but I believe through time and experiences of life my wall will eventually come down too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taylor G., a huge part of coming of age is making mistakes and learning from them. Otherwise everything you know about life is simply knowledge not wisdom. Wisdom comes with experience, if you don't experience the struggle and pain that comes with lying then you'll never fully understand the value and importance of the truth. As for who I can relate most to in "Plain Truth" I would have to say Ellie. She has a lot of emotional growth in this book, especially with her issues of commitment and intimacy. At the beginning of the book Ellie has a virtual wall around herself when it comes to the men in her life, but as the story goes on and her relationship with Coop grows, the wall starts to come down. I consider myself to be a guarded person and though I'm young I can relate to the difficulties of opening up to a significant other. But because I'm young, I have not yet experienced the growth Ellie did in being able to eventually let Coop love her. I am still a guarded person, but I believe through time and experiences of life my wall will eventually come down too.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we all have lied to protect ourselves from the consequences of the problem we are trying to avoid. Sometimes lies get out of hand such as the one Katie kept telling everyone. In Katie's case she was the only one who believed her own lie which was just setting her up for even more resent. All of us have told lies, some are better at it than others. I know i have told lies that I knew others wouldn't believe,I just hoped they wouldn't ask any questions. Katie went through a lot and realized that by lying she would only have to keep making up more lies, but by telling the truth she would free herself and be accepted by her community. She learned the value of truth as most of us have. The truth shall set you free!
ReplyDeleteNow that everyone has mentioned lies, I guess I can find myself relating to Sarah the most. I still lie nowadays, but it's rarely without good intent. In retrospect, a lie is still a lie, but when we are older they are more carefully crafted. Of course, even if we know the consequences of a lie, we often fail to take into account what happens if the lie is discovered, and how that changes the dynamic between you and that person you lied to.
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