So first off, I know it´s strange I´m writing on Christmas, but in Germany they celebrate Christmas Eve not Christmas so today´s not really a holiday (just an explanation for why on earth I´d do homework on Christmas). Anyway, in this section, I was astonished by Wayan. In a previous post, I mentioned how her sassiness made her one of my favorite characters in the memoir, but after reading about her manipulative nature, she no longer is. I realize that it´s a part of her culture to utilize Westerners, but it alarmed me none the less. Though Felipe tells Liz, "This is her survival tactic, just accept that (320)," I was not sympathetic. Were you?
The section I loved the most in this chapter was the description of the blessing for the baby. In particular, I loved that, "The mother held an effigy of the baby--a coconut swaddled to look like an infant" (316). It was used to trick demons into attacking the coconut, rather than the baby when it first stepped onto the ground. Additionally, I thought that the description of how the Balinese idolize their babies relates to American culture. While we do not consider babies actual gods, we revere them and think of them as the most pure, wholesome creatures. I was happy to see a connection between the two different cultures. Did you enjoy this section as well?
Finally, what was your opinion on the book in general. While I did not like the author´s personality, I enjoyed reading about the different cultures and finding ways to connect them to our own. I also found the writing witty and relatable. Do you agree/disagree?
I found her writing to be very enjoyable as well, although I would describe the author herself as egotistical and narcissistic. She wrote just simply enough that it was still entertaining but you still easily get the gist of what is both going on around her and in her mind. I did a lot of her writing to be a little cliched. In particular, I remember rolling my eyes while reading the first line, "I wish Giovanni would kiss me." Such a stupid hook. or maybe that's just me..
ReplyDeleteI like her writing style. She is a bit egotistical at times, but I think that's just what you're going to get when you're reading a book that someone wrote about themselves. Yeah, the naked stuff was weird, but we have to keep in mind that if you were writing an entire book just about yourself, you might get a bit egotistical at some point.
ReplyDeleteWith Wayan... I don't know. I love how Liz wrote about Wayan in that way, even though they were good friends. I like that she didn't really try to sugarcoat what Wayan was doing, but she made sure to make it very clear that there were distinct differences between our cultures that would make the move hard to understand for most. I don't know if I would feel comfortable writing about a friend like that, because I would be afraid that people would judge her, just like we ended up doing.
By the way... This is Ali. I'm on my mom's account and I don't want to log out.