A litte Reflection

Oh my GOODNESS! I can't wait for the discussion of The Book Thief (yeah, I'm the nerd already finished). I can't remember, well, yeah I can, Harry Potter. But in that reference, I looked this book up on line to help try to find a quote that I loved from the book and ended up reading reviews, histories, the bio of the author and critics quotes about the book. One was quoted as saying, "I hate to call this Harry Potter and the Holocaust but that's how much I enjoyed reading this book." As twisted as that is I understand his comparison. I enjoyed it that much as well. I'm sure Jonathan won't have to read the book, I read so much of it to him.

On that note, I knew no other book could measure up to The Book Thief. So that is the situation I face when I contemplate this Searching for Alaska book. I am cynical going in. I love the classic coming of age stories and because of this I am weary going into the next book. For this reason, low expectations, I will probably like it. It is the same with movies. If I don't have expectations there is no bar to drop, no level to reach. I already assume you will be on the bottom to me. (and Yes, I know what ass-u-m(e)ing does).

The other day in class we did a fish bowl (I almost wrote round robin - classroom curse words). I really enjoyed this with the piece that the Pro. chose. It was complicated and I spilled my brains all over the pages (and there were only three...pages, that is). When I was finished the words were marked, questioned, underlined, boxed in, crossed out and mulled over. I ended up enjoying the piece (I think it was called She Unnames Them). Anywho, rules of the fish bowl being: Four people come to front and sit "at the table" (mind you, there is no literal table, they just sit like they are across from one another at one). ONLY these people talk, if a though strikes someone in the audience they tap one of the people in the circle. The tapped exits gracefully and the conversation newbie enters.

It worked out great! I learned loads. I was one of em' who did not know about this Plato and a cave and the shadows....whoa! What? So there was something to look up. Then there was this Swift fellow, which we were told was Jonathan Swift. I had no idea (still) how he fit into the situation. The point being that the collective of the class could bring to this piece of literature what I could not alone bring up to myself. I don't have all the experience, I only have some. The whole is greater than its parts and all that jazz. BUT it's true! This was great proof of that. I consider myself a strong reader (for the most part, I struggled at the two highest levels of lexile.com) but even as I did have my own take on it there was so much more to take in.

There are also times when I remember getting lost in a text and talking it out with my peers would have helped, but talking is restricted and collective thinking is stipulated to clubs. I could have used a fishbowl a few times in school. Instead I had to figure it out on my own, I wonder if I actually did?