Wednesday, August 13, 2008

W is the W- Chapter 11 & 12

(pg. 138) "This time, they were in my apartment no more than two minutes, though her scent lingers." (Eggers 138) When he says Tonya's "scent lingers" I believe it means their impact on him stays. Like the stuff they stole and the injuries they gave Achak. Or it means what they have awoken in his mind- these memories and recollection of his past that they triggered. These memories linger in his minds and continue to come, I imagine, throughout this book.

(pg. 140) "Have you seen the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir? His skin is almost as dark as mine." (Eggers 140-141) Okay, so why isn't he doing anything helpful or even productive? They all say it's the government against the SPLA, but I haven't heard anything about the president. Unless the president is Arab, therefore that makes sense. That means he is totally for the destruction of Sudan.

(pg. 143) "As soon as the first of our group entered the village, we knew we were not welcome. -No rebels here, the chief said, walking quickly out to the path. -No, no, no! Walk on. Keep going. Go!" (Eggers 143) Wow, no compassion at all. If I saw a huge crowd of half starved children coming towards my village I would gave them food. I suppose the chief is trying to protect his village, because I think if he helps them the government will know and kill them all. However, if he shouted at the real SPLA like that the rebels would like, shoot him. I mean, look at what happened to Achak's father!

(pg. 145) "Three boys were sent with the most injured boy back to the village for treatment. I am not sure what happened to these boys, for we never saw them again. I like to believe that they were taken in by the village who felt regretful for what they had done to us." (Eggers 145) Or they were killed. I'm depressed. Plus, I don't think it matters anymore if a village does help rebels. They're all going down.

(pg. 146) "Far off in the village, I could hear singing- the choir practicing that same hymn they sang four hundred times a day." (Eggers 146) This reminds me of an episode of Gilmore Girls. There is some sort of carnival going on in Stars Hollow and Rory catches Jess with some other girl. She is jealous even though she's going out with Dean. They she gets into a fight about it with her mom, and throughout all this chaos some barbershop quartet is singing the same song over and over again. So even through the tragedy in both situations, take comfort in annoying background music.

(pg. 147) "In the group there were many boys who became strange...He refused to sleep for many days because he wanted always to see what was coming, to see any threats that might befall us." (Eggers147) Going through tragedy or being in certain situations change people. Take Tom Hanks in Cast Away. He went pretty psycho and became best friends with a volleyball. Or perhaps a better example are the kids on Lord of the Flies. They changed on that island, changed in a way that they wouldn't have in the normal world. Jack became the vicious enemy who became responsible for murder. All of his minions became senseless followers. Everyone went a tad crazy, thinking monsters and terrible things were living in the jungle.
(pg. 151) "-They did this to Red Army boys? Boys with no weapons?" They have a formal name? Perhaps everyone knows about them. The group that started with 30 boys, gathered by Dut, are now so well known that they've been given their own name.
(pg. 152-153) "-Can I hold it? I asked. -Of course. You're so polite! he marveled. -A soldier is never polite." (Eggers 153) People seem to be very fond of Achak due to his personality. The Arab man, Sadiq, who allowed him to get on top of his horse and gave him a gift, his father who seems to favor him above all his other siblings, and now this SPLA soldier.

(pg. 160) "On the third day he decided to die in the hole, because i was warm there and there were no sounds inside. And he did die that day because he was ready." (Eggers 160) Perhaps they are so close to dying that when they only choose to give up, their bodies shut down. If they have the will power and don't want to die then something in them is holding on to life.

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