"Special Topics" Post 2a

Vocabulary
crampons (97): a spiked iron or steel framework that is attached to the bottom of the shoe; used in climbing on ice or snow
Golighty [dress] (111): alluding to the style of clothing worn by Hepburn in her role as Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Figurative language
Personification: "The same word, when you said it, went limp" (94). Blue is explaining the power over words that Hannah has; her way with intonation that makes the same wordd, when another says it, seem much more dull. The words are not actually goign limp, they just do not have the same electrifying effect as when Hannah speaks them.
Allusion: "'Maybe it's her Rosebud.'" (104). Blue is referencing the movie "Citizen Kane", in which Kane spends his entire life looking for Rosebud. This gives the reader a sense of the depth of Hannah's fixation for Valerio that has been impressed on Blue, as well as her extensive knowledge.
Simile: "'It's fun to imagine they're as epidemic as illiteracy or chronic fatigue or any other cultural malaise that graces the covers of Time and Newsweek, but sadly, most Bob Joneses off the street are just that, Bob Jones'" (105). This simile (which one can tell from the use of the word as to compare the numbers of double lives and other cultural deficiencies) shows that Blue's father doubts her theory on the double life that Hannah leads, and also demonstrates his ideas of problems in society (illiteracy, etc.)

Quote
"Frankly, it could get a little stale how Dad, within minutes, could elicit such worldwide acclaim. Sure- I was the first person to stand up and throw him roses, shout, "Bravo, man, bravo!" But sometimes I couldn't help but feel Dad was an opera diva who garnered reverential ratings even when he was too lazy to higt the high notes...; something about him seized everyone, regardless of the performance" (112). I really liked this quote because it shows a lot of Blue's character. She really seems to rely upon her father almost has her star to pull out for others to admire, and so she takes a rather protective stance on his praise in the quote as if she is the only one she can stand doing it. It also shows that she perhaps isn't completely happy just being his daughter, instead of her own character, her own star.

Theme
Sometimes one must delve deeper to find the truth.

"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" Post 1b

When I first started reading “Special Topics in Calamity Physics”, I was completely awed by the number and breadth of things referenced. In simply the first two pages, Blue talks of Mozart, Matisse, Churchill, Che Guevara, James Bond, Henry Higgins and Eliza from Pygmalion or My Fair Lady, The Aeneid, and even a takes a quote from J.B. Tower: “death is ‘seeing everything that has ever existed all at once’”. Pretty intense for a first two pages. A review of the novel from Publishers Weekly states: “Pessl's showy (often too showy) debut novel, littered as it is with literary references and obscure citations”. However, as the book continued on, the references did add to my enjoyment and understanding of the book. They definitely required some wikipeidia-ing (for example, Lepidoptera (18)) but it also forced me to recognize words that I did not understand and look them up instead of skimming over them. Also, these obscure references do add to one’s understanding of the true depth of Blue’s knowledge- she is definitely a gifted student with a wide basis of information. To gain this, the rigorous training that her dad must have put her through makes the reader question the quality of her childhood, as well as her ability to function in society. Someone who is constantly quoting page numbers and publication years doesn’t seem like an extremely social type. So in a way, the offhand way in which these figures and quotes are tossed about leads the reader to think more about Blue as a character. Also, there is the delight one feels when you realize you know what Blue is referencing already: some form of pride.

"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" Post 1a

Vocabulary
Charles Kuralt (8): radio and television correspondent most popularily known for his "On the Road" segements, in which he traveled across America. In 1979, he became the presenter of "CBS News Sunday Morning".
RKO (55): RKO Pictures is an American film company that was one of the Big FIve during the Golden Age of Hollywood. It is most famous for stars such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, and Cary Grant, as well as films such as King Kong and Citizen Kane.

Figurative Language
simile: "She swooped into class and girls scattered like chipmunks and squirrels" (88). Use of the word "like" comparing the girls to chipmunks/squirrels in the presence of an eagle.
metaphor: "While most teachers hair at the end of the day resembled crusty windowsill plants, Hannah's- dark, but rusting a little in the late-day light- posed provocatively around her shoulders like Lauren Bacall in a doorway" (81). Hannah's hair obviously isn't truly "rusting" but instead displaying a more reddish hue in the evening light.
imagery: "The only sound in the room was the ice melting his glass" (72). The ice can't be melting the glass; instead, this is conjures the image of water condensing on the outside of a cold glass, as it is apt to do.

Quote
"'I'll be honest with you, Mr. Van Meer. The name's not healthy. The kids in class make fun of it. They call her Navy. Some of the smart ones call her Cobalt. And Cordon Bleu. Maybe you should think about alternatives."
"Might you have some suggestions, Miss Bergie?"
"Sure! I don't know about you, but I've always loved Daphne."' (78)
This quote shows not only the wit and sarcasm that Blue infuses into her writing, but also the persecution that she has endured as a misfit, even from her teachers.

Theme
In order to get into a good college (Harvard), you need to be amazing.
or
Things aren't always as they first appear.

Synopsis of "Special Topics in Calamity Physics"

Marisha Pessl's mesmerizing debut has critics raving and heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of this "cracking good read" is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway school, she finds some - a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery.
courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

"The Lost" Post 5b

During its entirety, "The Lost" made me question the value of what Mendelsohn had embarked on. Why did he care to know the specifics of the lives of his relatives that he did not have any contact with, could never know? He definitely wasn’t looking to find them alive or have survived; he states that he wants to know exactly how they died. As he continues his quest, he finds the details of their lives fascinating as well. Although they are his ancestors and a part of his family’s history, I don’t think that their lives could affect his in any way. Isn’t he his own person? However, family history is something that many of us value, and remembrance of the past is shown through the many Internet genealogy websites that Mendelsohn sites. Perhaps these searches are a form of narcissism: placing value on the families that placed us here today. As well, I think that Mendelsohn finds great significance in the characters and conflicts from his family past; he shows in "The Lost" how they mirror those of his current family and even those represented in the Bible. In the same way that we strive to learn from mistakes made in history, I believe Mendelsohn is trying to extract a lesson from the lives of Shmiel’s family. Also, considering their tragic story and the movement which they were part of (the Holocaust), he provides an intimate view for the reader on a tragedy that “is so big, the scale of it is so gigantic, so enormous, that it becomes easy to think of it as something mechanical. Anonymous” (479).
The other thing that struck me about the final section of his novel is the attention Mendelsohn pays to the Ukrainians involved in the killings of the Jews. He talks often of how without the help of their former neighbors, the Germans could not have completed such a thorough slaughter of Bolechow’s Jews. However, in contrast to this harsh reality, Mendelsohn provides a background on the conflict inside this “family” of Bolechow: “I am, however, willing to believe in other generalizations, for instance that seething resentment by a class of people who both have been and perceive themselves to be an underclass, particularly when those people have recently suffered unspeakable oppression- one example of which would be, say, Stalin’s international starvation of between five an seven million Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933, which for Ukrainians is the galvanizing national tragedy just as the Holocaust is the galvanizing national tragedy for Jews” (455). Although unimaginable acts were committed during the Holocaust, as Mendelsohn describes, I agree with him that as hard as it is, it is very important to look at even these acts with an open mind, a balanced perspective.

"The Lost" Post 5a

Vocabulary
mishpuchah (307): Yiddish for the entire family of relatives related by blood or by marriage, sometimes including friends; also called mishpachah
exculpating (312): clearing from a charge of guilt or fault, vindicating

Three Appeals
"As we walked up the concretet steps toward her she smiled broadly, exposing even rows of teeth" (318). This is a fact, a logical appeal, but Mendelsohn uses this statement as well as other descriptions to put us in his place as he is welcomed into the Reinharz's home. I thought the placement and depth of description was well done.
"'People in Bolechow take me for a rich man (since I pay enormous taxes) and anyone who needs anything comes to Samuel Jager. I have a lot of influence here and I've had preferential treatment everywhere, and so I hae to present myself well everywhere. Indeed I spend time with the better class of people" (324). These sentences from a letter written by Shmiel Jager have a strong emotional impact on the reader. One truly gets a sense of the pride and arrogance that Shmiel felt in his hometown. Although this does not paint the kindest portrait of Shmiel, it does provide a background for his reluctance to leave Bolechow, and the reader alternately feels an annoyance at his high opinion of himself, and a sadness for its effect on his life.
"Wait! Malcia exclaimed. I think she was relieved not to be talking about the past anymore, after all this time. You'll sit here a little while, and I'll make it for you!" (333). From this paragraph, the reader senses the true kindness of Malcia, even after all of the hardship and cruelty that she has been through. Also, one is reminded of how hard it is for the Jews of Bolechow to relive these memories of a terrible past. This portion of the text has an emotional appeal to the reader.

Quote
"But as Yona talked about how desperately poor my grandfather's childhood had been, I started to wonder, once again, how much of my grandfather's stories were based on fact, and how much they were the projections of his vivid and yearning imagination... Only in stories, after all, do things turn out neatly, and only in stories does every small detail fit neatly into place" (347). I liked this quote because Mendelsohn finally provides an adult aspect on his grandfather, instead of his childhood admiration, which is a nice change. As well, the reader is reminded of the nature of Mendelsohn's entire book: it is simply the memories of people which are bound to imagine over time more of a story, a way to make sense of all of it. This does not decrease their worthiness, but it is necessary to view these recollections in a certain light.

Theme
Perhaps the important part of a person, or history, is not the death, but the life.

"The Lost" Post 4b

This part of the novel “The Lost” was particularly affecting for me as it explored first-person experiences of the Holocaust (especially pages 227-229). I read “Night” this past year by Elie Wiesel, and although it related some horrendous experiences, I somehow found it hard to relate to his point of view. Mendelsohn offers the perspective of an outsider relating first-hand experiences, which I think makes them easier to understand. He isn’t in a position to relate to them any more than I can because he was not there either, so his reactions make it easier for me to connect to the first person accounts. This portion of the book also relates to the first reason the novel attracted me: it relates to my heritage. My grandparents on my father’s side both emigrated to the United States during the 1930s because of the persecution they were receiving as Jews. Although I have no connection to them, some of my relatives perished during the Holocaust. In some ways I feel guilty that I am not more connected to my personal history, and this book makes a strong case to find out about my relatives. The fact that my family is not strongly Jewish adds to this guilt: it seems sometimes as if I am disrespecting the sacrifice that my ancestors went through for their faith. At the same time, I feel so fortunate that I am growing up here where I can feel safe walking the streets and am allowed (mostly) unbiased treatment because of my religion or my looks. Unfortunately, genocide still exists today, so perhaps the best way to respect the memory of my Jewish relatives is to work until nothing like the Holocaust will ever happen again.