Whitebrow
My life as a wolf.
An old wolf.
With three cubs.
Hungry.
Just when I thought I had something tasty to eat -- a puppy shows up.
A stupid one.
And friendly.
To eat or not to eat.
I'll pass.
Food.
I need food.
But with this puppy around I'll never score.
I'm out of here!
The Goal: Read. Reflect. Respond. Over two hundred Chekhov stories. Constance Garnett translations.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
IN PASSION WEEK
In Passion Week
Brainwashing or comforting?
I've been watching Bill Moyer's series Faith and Reason and this story has many connections to the show.
We see how religion and faith can be very meaningful to people and actually helps many get through life. A promise of eternal salvation and forgiveness of sin is not a bad deal.
But of course it comes at a cost.
Rationality and reason has to take a backseat.
Through the boy's eyes we see the mystery and lure of the church and its rituals and we also witness the absurdity and repression.
The quest for something greater than ourselves -- a place in the cosmos -- an understanding of what it's all for -- is part of our DNA -- unfortunately so is the pettiness and the fear.
Brainwashing or comforting?
I've been watching Bill Moyer's series Faith and Reason and this story has many connections to the show.
We see how religion and faith can be very meaningful to people and actually helps many get through life. A promise of eternal salvation and forgiveness of sin is not a bad deal.
But of course it comes at a cost.
Rationality and reason has to take a backseat.
Through the boy's eyes we see the mystery and lure of the church and its rituals and we also witness the absurdity and repression.
The quest for something greater than ourselves -- a place in the cosmos -- an understanding of what it's all for -- is part of our DNA -- unfortunately so is the pettiness and the fear.
Friday, July 20, 2012
THE OLD HOUSE
The Old House
Jinxed, shall we say?
Someone ought to call an exorcist.
Or maybe people living on the edge don't need much help to tip them over.
And they keep rolling downhill.
A bit pessimistic?
Don't look at me -- talk to Chekhov.
As far as the house, may I suggest an expert in Feng shui or, better yet, a bulldozer.
Jinxed, shall we say?
Someone ought to call an exorcist.
Or maybe people living on the edge don't need much help to tip them over.
And they keep rolling downhill.
A bit pessimistic?
Don't look at me -- talk to Chekhov.
As far as the house, may I suggest an expert in Feng shui or, better yet, a bulldozer.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
SHROVE TUESDAY
Shrove Tuesday
Forgive me if I'm yawning as I write this entry. This story does make you sleepy. Maybe that's the point.
The stomach is full. All is still except the mice. Ah, the mice behind the wallpaper. Kind of ruins the moment of tranquility for me -- but live and let live.
Lent is on the way and one must eat while the eating is good.
Some have more than they need. Get to lounge around and think of nothing important. Except fulfilling some duty whose significance has long been forgotten.
I'm being too judgmental. Please forgive me.
Should we envy our noble folks or pity them?
Yawn.
2/3 multiplied by 3/8 is . . .
While the cats sleep the mice play.
At least somebody is having some fun.
Tea time. Supper time.
What's the difference?
Someone ought pump up the music in this household.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .
Forgive me if I'm yawning as I write this entry. This story does make you sleepy. Maybe that's the point.
The stomach is full. All is still except the mice. Ah, the mice behind the wallpaper. Kind of ruins the moment of tranquility for me -- but live and let live.
Lent is on the way and one must eat while the eating is good.
Some have more than they need. Get to lounge around and think of nothing important. Except fulfilling some duty whose significance has long been forgotten.
I'm being too judgmental. Please forgive me.
Should we envy our noble folks or pity them?
Yawn.
2/3 multiplied by 3/8 is . . .
While the cats sleep the mice play.
At least somebody is having some fun.
Tea time. Supper time.
What's the difference?
Someone ought pump up the music in this household.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .
Friday, July 13, 2012
BOYS
Boys
Coming to America.
Boys will be boys.
Cowboys and Indians.
Heroes and Villains.
Any more cliches?
Oh, yeah . . . California, Here I come.
Teens dreaming of real adventure -- not some video game fantasy. (The Times They Are A-Changin')
Leaving home and walking for thousands of miles alone in Siberia -- not roughing it in the sands of the Bahamas.
Pretending to be an Indian Chief of the Wild West -- not King James of Miami.
Big dreams -- big ideas -- big hopes -- maybe they led us right into the Great War -- but big ideas and dreams also got us planes, trains, and automobiles!
Now, where is my remote? Man vs.Wild is on Discovery Channel.
Coming to America.
Boys will be boys.
Cowboys and Indians.
Heroes and Villains.
Any more cliches?
Oh, yeah . . . California, Here I come.
Teens dreaming of real adventure -- not some video game fantasy. (The Times They Are A-Changin')
Leaving home and walking for thousands of miles alone in Siberia -- not roughing it in the sands of the Bahamas.
Pretending to be an Indian Chief of the Wild West -- not King James of Miami.
Big dreams -- big ideas -- big hopes -- maybe they led us right into the Great War -- but big ideas and dreams also got us planes, trains, and automobiles!
Now, where is my remote? Man vs.Wild is on Discovery Channel.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
A DAY IN THE COUNTRY
A Day in the Country
Mother Nature working her magic.
We can relish in her pyrotechnics and also realize we are a part of the show.
Only a part.
Respect!
Reminds me of the Robert Frost poem:
Design
Mother Nature working her magic.
We can relish in her pyrotechnics and also realize we are a part of the show.
Only a part.
Respect!
Reminds me of the Robert Frost poem:
Design
I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,
On a white heal-all, holding up a moth
Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth --
Assorted characters of death and blight
Mixed ready to begin the morning right,
Like the ingredients of a witches' broth --
A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,
And dead wings carried like a paper kite.
What had that flower to do with being white,
The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?
What brought the kindred spider to that height,
Then steered the white moth thither in the night?
What but design of darkness to appall?--
If design govern in a thing so small.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
VANKA
Vanka
Poor Vanka.
He has it rough.
He deserves better.
He might as well be writing to Santa Claus.
The pleading letter that may save him will never get to the grandfather.
The only letter the grandfather may get about Vanka is one informing him his grandson has perished.
Well, the grandfather may not really care about Vanka as he send him off to Moscow. Maybe the grandfather thought he was doing Vanka a favor. Or maybe he got some money from the transaction.
I guess this would make the story even more tragic if the grandfather received the letter and did nothing.
Since this story is so sad I'll assume if the grandfather ever got the letter he would come and rescue his grandson. Call me sentimental.
How ironic is it that Vanka works for the shoemaker but doesn't have any shoes himself?
But I guess this isn't so unusual as workers from around the world are laboring day and night to provide us with goods which they themselves will never have.
Poor Vanka.
He has it rough.
He deserves better.
He might as well be writing to Santa Claus.
The pleading letter that may save him will never get to the grandfather.
The only letter the grandfather may get about Vanka is one informing him his grandson has perished.
Well, the grandfather may not really care about Vanka as he send him off to Moscow. Maybe the grandfather thought he was doing Vanka a favor. Or maybe he got some money from the transaction.
I guess this would make the story even more tragic if the grandfather received the letter and did nothing.
Since this story is so sad I'll assume if the grandfather ever got the letter he would come and rescue his grandson. Call me sentimental.
How ironic is it that Vanka works for the shoemaker but doesn't have any shoes himself?
But I guess this isn't so unusual as workers from around the world are laboring day and night to provide us with goods which they themselves will never have.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
A CLASSICAL STUDENT
A Classical Student
Here is some reading for the mother.
What the hell is wrong with this family?
The mother has high expectations. But she has zero heart.
Okay, let's look at it from the perspective of the mother. She has invested a lot for her son to succeed. And he didn't. Clearly, it seems like he's trying. But that's not good enough for this Tiger Mom. Hey, lady, your son isn't a robot. Give him a break!
I realize that there's a lot at stake and she depends on the son succeeding so he will grow up and take care of her. But she's insane.
The aunt isn't much better.
And that lodger doing the dirty work. Disgusting.
One would think the lodger is educated and he'll deal with the boy fairly. Wrong!
Obviously, looking at this story -- you blame the mother for being totally obsessed with grades and completely missing what a classical education is meant for. She is a parasite -- trying to get ahead on the back of a young man who is doing his best to carry the load.
The scary thing is that this type of parent is not that uncommon.
Vanya, you deserve better.
Here is some reading for the mother.
What the hell is wrong with this family?
The mother has high expectations. But she has zero heart.
Okay, let's look at it from the perspective of the mother. She has invested a lot for her son to succeed. And he didn't. Clearly, it seems like he's trying. But that's not good enough for this Tiger Mom. Hey, lady, your son isn't a robot. Give him a break!
I realize that there's a lot at stake and she depends on the son succeeding so he will grow up and take care of her. But she's insane.
The aunt isn't much better.
And that lodger doing the dirty work. Disgusting.
One would think the lodger is educated and he'll deal with the boy fairly. Wrong!
Obviously, looking at this story -- you blame the mother for being totally obsessed with grades and completely missing what a classical education is meant for. She is a parasite -- trying to get ahead on the back of a young man who is doing his best to carry the load.
The scary thing is that this type of parent is not that uncommon.
Vanya, you deserve better.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
HOME
Home
Father and son.
Truth.
Logic.
Sometimes when I finish a story, I just sit there and wonder how he is able to put it all together.
This story works so well on so many levels.
First, it tenderly portrays the love of a father for his son and the love of a son for his father. When the boy is sitting and stroking the father's beard -- the father experiences pure love. There is no greater joy. If I had read this story and truly understood it -- I would have become a parent much earlier than I did and would have opted for many more children.
When Seryozha tells his dad to keep the yellow dog -- it is so touching and accurate -- Chekhov at his best!
( Show don't tell.)
We are also invited inside the mind of a child -- adults should enter this world with caution. Adult logic and reason have little input here. A man can be bigger than a house. So get over it. And hence the art of Miro -- Picasso . . . etc.
The problem in the story is serious. It deals with truth. Most people -- children and grown-ups can't handle the truth. Logic doesn't go too far. We need to garnish it with stuff to make it palpable. Chekhov laments this in the story but he also knows that's the way it is and will always be. The nature of man?
All you have to do is look at the current presidential election and you'll notice all kinds of ads persuading you one way or another -- but logic plays a small part -- people vote and do things based on a myriad of factors -- and the truth and nothing but the truth seems to play a small part in their decision. Sad?
What is interesting to me is how in 1887 in Russia and I'm assuming in many other places -- people were well aware of the harm and danger of smoking -- sometimes we tend to think we realized that smoking is bad with the advent of modern science -- but people have known smoking kills for a long time.
In Yevgeny Petrovitch Bykovsky, Chekhov has created a thoroughly modern man. His reflections are completely relevant -- his musings about how the more one thinks about things -- the more indecisive one becomes (Obama, anyone?) really gets to the heart of our modern age. (Study the effects on the environment -- forget about it -- drill, baby, drill! Global warming, give me a break and turn on the air conditioner. Subtlety, nuance -- what is this a college class? Bold action -- right or wrong! Hence, Romney will act on his first day against anything Obama was for. A true man of action!)
The story is written in 1887 -- the Nazis have not yet appeared. Or Stalin. The intellectual will lose out to brutality. To this day we are still in the midst of what works best -- reason or brute strength. (Arab Spring?)
In order to make Home work so effectively -- Chekhov had to capture the ambience of the home -- the pacing upstairs -- the piano playing -- the study -- it all meshes and puts you into the place. The one key ingredient which makes the story even more powerful is the missing mother. You sense Bykovsky is still grieving the death of his wife and he also realizes how much Seryozha will never have. He could give him anything but he can't give him a mother's love.
Seryoza, might or might not give up smoking -- but he will grow up to be a good man because he has a great role model in his father.
Father and son.
Truth.
Logic.
Sometimes when I finish a story, I just sit there and wonder how he is able to put it all together.
This story works so well on so many levels.
First, it tenderly portrays the love of a father for his son and the love of a son for his father. When the boy is sitting and stroking the father's beard -- the father experiences pure love. There is no greater joy. If I had read this story and truly understood it -- I would have become a parent much earlier than I did and would have opted for many more children.
When Seryozha tells his dad to keep the yellow dog -- it is so touching and accurate -- Chekhov at his best!
( Show don't tell.)
We are also invited inside the mind of a child -- adults should enter this world with caution. Adult logic and reason have little input here. A man can be bigger than a house. So get over it. And hence the art of Miro -- Picasso . . . etc.
The problem in the story is serious. It deals with truth. Most people -- children and grown-ups can't handle the truth. Logic doesn't go too far. We need to garnish it with stuff to make it palpable. Chekhov laments this in the story but he also knows that's the way it is and will always be. The nature of man?
All you have to do is look at the current presidential election and you'll notice all kinds of ads persuading you one way or another -- but logic plays a small part -- people vote and do things based on a myriad of factors -- and the truth and nothing but the truth seems to play a small part in their decision. Sad?
What is interesting to me is how in 1887 in Russia and I'm assuming in many other places -- people were well aware of the harm and danger of smoking -- sometimes we tend to think we realized that smoking is bad with the advent of modern science -- but people have known smoking kills for a long time.
In Yevgeny Petrovitch Bykovsky, Chekhov has created a thoroughly modern man. His reflections are completely relevant -- his musings about how the more one thinks about things -- the more indecisive one becomes (Obama, anyone?) really gets to the heart of our modern age. (Study the effects on the environment -- forget about it -- drill, baby, drill! Global warming, give me a break and turn on the air conditioner. Subtlety, nuance -- what is this a college class? Bold action -- right or wrong! Hence, Romney will act on his first day against anything Obama was for. A true man of action!)
The story is written in 1887 -- the Nazis have not yet appeared. Or Stalin. The intellectual will lose out to brutality. To this day we are still in the midst of what works best -- reason or brute strength. (Arab Spring?)
In order to make Home work so effectively -- Chekhov had to capture the ambience of the home -- the pacing upstairs -- the piano playing -- the study -- it all meshes and puts you into the place. The one key ingredient which makes the story even more powerful is the missing mother. You sense Bykovsky is still grieving the death of his wife and he also realizes how much Seryozha will never have. He could give him anything but he can't give him a mother's love.
Seryoza, might or might not give up smoking -- but he will grow up to be a good man because he has a great role model in his father.
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