Thursday, August 12, 2010
Group D Connector
Post your connections to the book. These may be connections to: your own life (text to life)To happenings at school or in the neighborhood or in the newspaper (text to world)To other books or stories (text to text)To other writings on the same topic (text to text)To other writings by the same author (text to author)Please respond to each other's entries.
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Janice Brown
ReplyDeleteAs the connector I can think of some text-self connections. In the book the death of Vanessa's mother plays a significant role in her passive attitude and distance from Lee especially. I can connect to Vanessa in the way of my Papa's death 5 years ago. My grandparents raised me; therefore, my Papa was really like my father. His death was a shatter to my soul. I was lost. He was very sick for two years from a spinal choard injury. When I read about Vanessa's mom's illness I thought of my Papa being sick right away. When he died I shut myself off from the world. I didn't want to talk to anyone about it and I just closed myself off for quite a while. This is exactly how Vanessa reacted to her mother's death. She eventually began trying to get over it by digging into her cryptid files and uncover Nessie, something her mother wanted to do. She surrounded herself with something that her mother had a big passion for....cyrtozoology. My Papa was an avid gardener, which of course is much different from trying to uncover the Loch Ness; however, he had a passion just like Vanessa's mother did. My grandmother did not want a garden after he dided because it reminded her too much of him. She did not want to do. I decidecd to take it upon myself to heal my own self in a way and do the garden the summer after he died. It actually helped me out a lot and my grandmother and I become closer and are now best friends. After Vanessa's encounter with Nessie, her bond with her father was closer than ever too.
This is just one personal connection. I will be adding more tomorrow.
Janice-connector
A text-world connection I can make to the book is the idea that many people in the world believe in the Loch Ness, "Nessie." As Sylvia reported as the the role of the reporter, many people have researched about the Loch Ness and are convinced she is real. I can remember years back hearing on the news that people saw Nessie, but it was never proven. There are people in the world that believe in ghosts, myself being one of them in certain situations... There are ghost chasers. People hunt for ghosts and claim they are in their prescence. Are they really? Who knows...This connects to people reporting sightings of Nessie and certainly connects to Vannessa and of course Lee (Lena Cook's) encounter with the monster.
ReplyDeleteJanice,
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine what that must feel like. I too have lost people close to me b did not go through the cess the same way. I think that your connection brings up a great point that Vanessa was, in fact, heeling ehrself through her quest to learn more. I also think that the connection a daughter has to her mother cannot be replaced and this gave her something tangible to hang on to. Through her grieving and connection to her mother's unfinished work, she grew as an individual and formed new bonds just as you did with your grandmother.
Thanks Heather.
ReplyDeleteJanice: Thanks for sharing a painful experience with us. I am sorry for your loss. Gardening is such a wonderful way to reconnect not only with your grandmother, but also with your grandfather. I often think of my aunt who passed away 10 years ago whenever I garden -just because I knew she was so good with gardening and loved to do it. Just thinking about her makes me feel her presence with me and warms my heart. Which brings me to your comments about ghosts, I do believe the spirit lives on when someone passes away. We will always be connected to the one's we care about. I guess the loch ness monster was Vanessa's way of holding on to her connection to her mother.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your idea of the spirit living on when someone passes away. This absolutely relates with Vanessa's journey with Nessie and the spirit of her mother still be present throughout the entire experience. When I thought about the ghost connection, the idea of Vanessa and her mother came to mind, so thank you for your comment!
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ReplyDeleteJanice,
ReplyDeleteI made a similar text-to-self connection immediately when I began reading about Vanessa’s sorrow and experiences following her mother’s death. June 3, 2000 was the day that unexpectedly changed my life forever. On that tragic day, my mom told my sister and me that our dad had passed away. I was in denial and repeatedly told myself that it was only a nightmare. I didn’t wake up from that dream though; I awoke into reality. I felt as though my life was ruined forever. Therefore, a quote (Golden Line) from Lee’s diary stood out to me: “People often say that ‘life goes on,’ but it didn’t for me. For me, it stopped in its tracks. It didn’t teeter and fall, or wobble and slow, it just stopped dead. The days went on, sure, but not my life.” (p. 161) After my dad passed away, I felt as if my life “stopped in its tracks.” I had difficulty focusing on my school work, dancing during my dance classes, and doing other things that normally brought me joy. Everyone says that “time heals all wounds.” I believe that to a certain extent. Time does seems to mend wounds, but people who pass on will hold a special place in our hearts forever.
Another connection that I made was to the resentment that Vanessa felt towards Lee during the beginning of the book. I resented my mom’s fiancé in the beginning and wished that my dad was still alive. I wished that it was my dad who was here instead of him. Just as Vanessa eventually connected with Lee, I finally accepted my mom’s fiancé into my life as well.
Thanks for your story Jessica. What a devastating and heart wrenching experience the loss of someone so close to you is. I couldn't even function for quite sometime. Nothing seemed right to me. I wasn't myself and in a way I feel as though my Papa took a little bit of me with him when he passed. Our bound was so special that nothing else could ever replace that, just like Vanessa's connection was with her mother. It has been five years and I still cry once in a while just thinking about him and wishing he was hear to experience all the great things that have happened to me in life since then. I am sure you feel the same wasy about your dad, so difficult. Vannessa's stuggles with her mothers death similar in that she couldnt really move forward until she fulfilled the search of Nessie, similar with that of Lee's journey with Nessie, thus making Lee and Vanessa have a bond.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your other connection in that how you felt resentment toward your mother's fiance, that had to be so so difficult. I actually never met my real father and when my mother married my now stepfather and had my brother, I felt resentment in that all he did was pay attention to my brother and like I was just the other kid in the background and I had that longing for my real father, but luckily I had my Papa who was my "dad." I am glad to hear you finally had a relationship with him and things are better, things are better with mine as well. Life did have to go on for both of us, but we will never forget the bond we had with our loved ones (my papa, your dad). Your connection ties in so well with Lee and Vanessa's relationship. Thanks for sharing your stories and it makes me feel at peace to know someone can share such a difficult connection with me. Thanks
-Janice
I really cannot connect to this story personally. But reading this story has made me think of The Watson's Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. There is a part where , Kenny, the main character, gets taken under by the Wool Pooh and almost drowns. After his near death experience, his view point on life begins to change. I view the water as a symbol of rebirth or growth for the character just as it is for Vanessa. The water and submerging can represent the cleansing of old ways of viewing life and rentering the world anew.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing connection to THe Watsons go to Birmingham 1963 Heather. I loved that book. That part in the story connects so well to the experience Vanessa had in the wated with Nessie. I compltely agree with your idea of the water being a symbol of rebirth for Vanessa. After that experience both Kenny and Vanessa had a new outlook on life. Thanks for that great insight!
ReplyDelete-Janice