Post B week 4

In this section of the book summer is ending and Alice needs to make an important decision. She needs to decide whether shes going to go back to Syracuse or change to a new school. Her parents suggest an all girls college that is only five blocks away from her house. Also, Since it is so close Alice would be able to come home easily and sleep there every night. That way her parents would know she was safe. However, this is not what Alice has in mind. Alice doesn't want the fact that she was raped to effect other aspects in her life. She thinks if she doesn't try to go back the way things were, she would be unhappy. She wans to return to Syracuse so that she will feel more normal. I believe Alice knows whats best for her. If shes willing and feels comfortable enough to go back and face the same campus that will haunt her for the rest of her life, then I think she should do it. She should at least try it out and if shes that unhappy then she can consider transferring. But she would regret not at least attempting to make things back to normal.

Post A week 4

traversed (pg 93): to pass or move over, along, or through.

mechanism (pg 97): the agency or means by which an effect is produced or a purpose is accomplished.

Post B week 3

In this next section of the book Alice realizes how her family doesn't know how to react about the situation. They don't know what to do or what to even say. I would find that very frusterating if I were Alice because all you want to do is be comforted by your family when something so tragic happens. It would make the situaton even worse when they don't know how to. Also another time when Alice gets frusterated was when one night a cute boy comes to visit her sister and gave Alice a weird look. Alice interprets this as he knew she had been raped and he would never be interested or like her. She began to break down in tears with sadness and shame. She generalized the situation and screams to her family that a nice boy will never like her because she has been raped, and as usual her family does not know how to respond. If I was Alice I would need some sympathy and comfort if something so devastating happened to me. I think Alice needs to accept what happened and try to move on and if someone judges her then she shouldn't even be with them anyways. The genuine people will see her for who she is and not judge her for what happened.

Post A week 3

parishioners (pg62): A member of a parish.

probed (pg 75): to search into or examine thoroughly; question closely.

The theme that has been merging in this section of the book is if someone judges you over something you had no control over, then they arent even worth wasting your time on.

Post B week 2

In the next section of the book there is a flashback of Alice’s life before the rape. She lived in an old and small town in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Her mother was an alcoholic and her parents had a love-hate relationship that had no “touch.” They would never show any kind of emotion towards each other. I think this was hard for Alice growing up because she didn’t know what a healthy relationship was like. By 1997 her mom had stayed sober for 10 years but began having a disorder called "flaps". They were basically extreme mood swings. She would have bad anxiety, go crazy and panic. This would be frustrating to have a mom who couldn’t function normally. Also, to see someone you love so much be in so much pain daily. Alice had two basset hounds. Their names were Feijoo and Belle. She would spend a lot of her time playing games with her dogs. She also was apart of her high school marching band. She didn’t particularly enjoy that crowd of people and eventually quit. I think if you don’t enjoy something, it is a waste of time to do something you don’t like. She then had her secret dream of becoming an actress on Broadway. Her inspiration was Ethel Merman, a loud and outgoing actress on Broadway. Because of Alice’s dream, her mom surprised her with a trip to New York. But before they could see much, her mom had one of her “flaps.” Alice insisted that they should go home because her mom was miserable. I thought this was very mature and considerate of her, especially since she was so excited for the trip. She knew her mom wouldn’t enjoy the trip from her condition and she couldn’t enjoy it if she wasn’t. They ended up getting a cab and headed their way home. Alice must have been extremely disappointed but didn’t let it show so her mom wouldn’t feel guilty.

Post A week 2

amorphous (pg 34): of no particular kind or character; indeterminate; having no pattern or structure

contention (pg 59): a struggling together in opposition

A theme that is developing so far in this memoir would be accept and support the ones you love no matter what.

Post B week 1

The book Lucky begins with a traumatic and life-changing experience for the author Alice Sebold. She was brutally raped and beaten in an old tunnel near campus during the end of her freshman year of college. The pain would be indescribable for someone who had deal with that, both emotionally and physically. Alice had to face her friends and family with the truth. As hard as that would be, she needed the support and comfort of others to be able to move on in her life. Her friends seemed to be genuinely concerned and wanted to help her during such a difficult time. Along with telling her friends, she had to confront her mom which would be most difficult. She knew her mom was going to be heart-broken that such a terrible thing was done to her own daughter. I would also think this would be most difficult because someone’s mom is usually one of the people in their life that loves them most. Along with confronting people, another hard part of the situation was the fact that she was a virgin. She had made the choice to save herself for the right person, and without her control someone took that away from her; a sick-minded rapist. I hope as I continue to read she will find the man who raped her because I believe that would give her some closure and help her move on. I also hope her friends and family continue to be supportive and caring towards her.

Post A week 1

disassembled (pg 8)-to come apart.
diligently (pg 25)-constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything.

"My life was over; my life had just begun."
This quote is significant to this book because the tramatic and life changing experience she had just gone through caused her so called 'normal' life and self to be over and gone. Now she will struggle with many emotional and physical problems causing herself to change and her life to be way different.