When Margaret and I where staying with The Brisbane Starrs there was a time when we were looking for work so had time to fill. We went to the library in Indooroopilly and read books. A book I have never forgotten is 'The Cockatoos' by Patrick White, a book of short stories published in 1974.
What I recall from the story entitled 'The Night Prowler' was the passage below:-
Felicity has taken to breaking into neighbouring homes, perhaps just for the thrill. In an apparently derelict house she finds an ancient naked man, lying on a mattress.
He gives her these words of wisdom.
He opened his eyes. "I was thinking of the days when I could still enjoy an easy piss. And stools came easy. That's the two most important things you find out." ....
"Trouble is," he continued, "you find out too late to appreciate the advantage."
Profound stuff I think you must agree. Then I reread the story and marvelled that I had remembered poo and piss over its controversial plot. 'White' a male writer, describes a story where a male intruder climbs into a young woman's bedroom. She is engaged to a fine worthy man called John. Her respectable middle class parents sleep in a room nearby. The next thing they know 'Felicity', with torn nightdress, reports that she has been raped. The police are called but she declines to give evidence. We later learn how in the excitement of the moment, she has had sex with this strange man, he being overwhelmed by her power. Felicity then breaks off her engagement, and set about on a night career of breaking in and snooping on neighbouring homes. She does not steel, but is disrespectful and agressive. She appears to become arroused by the secret lives of these stranger-neighbours. The story ends when she meets an unloved vargrent old man in the squat, who promptly dies in her arms.
The story reminds me of the rotting apples of the Dutch masters, or the hypocritical lives in 'Revolutionary Road, or 'Death of a Salesman'. My assumption when I read this story is that Filicity has been sexually abused, perhaps by her father, but I can see nothing in 'White's' plot to affirm this.
I do not like the implication that this woman enjoys or thrives on this rape. This is not a healthy contention, feeding the rapist's fantasy. We can see and feel the sad emtiness of the meaningless life; John, the parents, the neighbours. That is why I like the old man's wisdom. As with the struggles of our earliest existence, which was all about emptying our bowels successfully, so with old age.
And let's not forget it.
Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
More on Middlemarch
I listened to the Penguin Book Club talk on Middlemarch. It stimulated more thoughts.
Themes
1) Politics- Eliot present the political scene in Midlands Englandin 1831/1832. The main themes were electrol reform and political stagnation.
2) Marriage - Eliot presents 8 couples.
Rosie and Tertius Lydgate - unhappily married. Tershus wanted a beautiful benign wife, a 'wall flower'. He chose an egotistical, vain, person, who clearly knew the power given to her by her special beauty.
Dorothea and Edward Casaubon - a sterile, unbalanced relationship. Dorothy was marrying her absent father? Edward realised his selfishness in marrying a woman he could never make happy.
Fred and Mary Vincey- young lovers, relationship based on equality, where Mary, described as a plain girl, reveals her inner beauty. I fine marriage built on good role models in the Garth family.
Caleb and Susan Garth - older mature relationship, based on mutual respect and adoration. Mrs Garth saved an enormous amount of money from her tutoring, which she gave to Fred to cover his debts, with great grace.
Harriet and Nicholas Bulstrode - marked by Harriet's selfless devotion to her errant husband. She is fully committed to the road she took when she married him.
Dorothea and Will Ladislaw - Dorothea's second marriage. One marked with passion. A romantic, painful, whirlwind of a relationship. Rosemary Ashton, in her introduction in the Penguin edition, feels that Dorothea makes two bad marriages. I heard the story more favourably on the second time of asking.
Lucy and Walter Vincey - Rosamund and Fred's parents. From humble stock, raised up through the Victorian industrial revolution, simple minded, spooling their children, with hopes of securing a prosperous status quo, but largely vanity.
Ceila and James Chetham - Dorothea's sister marries the titled local land owner. He targets beautiful Dorothea initially but is rebuffed, so settles for the smaller, sillier sister. Even rich land owners cannot have everthing their own way.
3) Medicine - Eliot is able to demonstrate her knowledge of the scientific progress of medicine across the 19th century, as she also demonstrates with her knowledge of land reform.
4) Religion - the clergyman who comes out well in the story is Farebrother, the fly fishing batcholor who has an eye for Mary, but also an honourable soft spot for Fred too. He speaks the truth in love, though perhaps aware that he really should not be a clergyman. Casaubon is a terrible priest, who pays his curate to do his work so that he can write an ever diminishing academic tome. Fred is suggested as a clergyman because he has a degree and therefore is eligible. Mary puts a stop to this saying he will look ridiculous as a fake.
5) Class - here is a book that portrays 'class' as it is, without bias. The Book Club noted that in the very centre of the novel, this is adescribtion of how the mild mannered Mr Brooke, attempts to visit one of his tennents, and is fearously rebuffed.
Mr Brooke went to confront his tennents farmer, Mr Dagley, about his son's theft of leverets.
The reply he got was "No, I woon't: I'll be dee'd if I'll leather my boy to please you or anybody else, not if you was twenty landlords isted o' one, and that a bad un'." Brooke sensibly backs off to try his luck with the sober mother.
Themes
1) Politics- Eliot present the political scene in Midlands Englandin 1831/1832. The main themes were electrol reform and political stagnation.
2) Marriage - Eliot presents 8 couples.
Rosie and Tertius Lydgate - unhappily married. Tershus wanted a beautiful benign wife, a 'wall flower'. He chose an egotistical, vain, person, who clearly knew the power given to her by her special beauty.
Dorothea and Edward Casaubon - a sterile, unbalanced relationship. Dorothy was marrying her absent father? Edward realised his selfishness in marrying a woman he could never make happy.
Fred and Mary Vincey- young lovers, relationship based on equality, where Mary, described as a plain girl, reveals her inner beauty. I fine marriage built on good role models in the Garth family.
Caleb and Susan Garth - older mature relationship, based on mutual respect and adoration. Mrs Garth saved an enormous amount of money from her tutoring, which she gave to Fred to cover his debts, with great grace.
Harriet and Nicholas Bulstrode - marked by Harriet's selfless devotion to her errant husband. She is fully committed to the road she took when she married him.
Dorothea and Will Ladislaw - Dorothea's second marriage. One marked with passion. A romantic, painful, whirlwind of a relationship. Rosemary Ashton, in her introduction in the Penguin edition, feels that Dorothea makes two bad marriages. I heard the story more favourably on the second time of asking.
Lucy and Walter Vincey - Rosamund and Fred's parents. From humble stock, raised up through the Victorian industrial revolution, simple minded, spooling their children, with hopes of securing a prosperous status quo, but largely vanity.
Ceila and James Chetham - Dorothea's sister marries the titled local land owner. He targets beautiful Dorothea initially but is rebuffed, so settles for the smaller, sillier sister. Even rich land owners cannot have everthing their own way.
3) Medicine - Eliot is able to demonstrate her knowledge of the scientific progress of medicine across the 19th century, as she also demonstrates with her knowledge of land reform.
4) Religion - the clergyman who comes out well in the story is Farebrother, the fly fishing batcholor who has an eye for Mary, but also an honourable soft spot for Fred too. He speaks the truth in love, though perhaps aware that he really should not be a clergyman. Casaubon is a terrible priest, who pays his curate to do his work so that he can write an ever diminishing academic tome. Fred is suggested as a clergyman because he has a degree and therefore is eligible. Mary puts a stop to this saying he will look ridiculous as a fake.
5) Class - here is a book that portrays 'class' as it is, without bias. The Book Club noted that in the very centre of the novel, this is adescribtion of how the mild mannered Mr Brooke, attempts to visit one of his tennents, and is fearously rebuffed.
Mr Brooke went to confront his tennents farmer, Mr Dagley, about his son's theft of leverets.
The reply he got was "No, I woon't: I'll be dee'd if I'll leather my boy to please you or anybody else, not if you was twenty landlords isted o' one, and that a bad un'." Brooke sensibly backs off to try his luck with the sober mother.
Sunday, 4 March 2018
Persepolis
In Iran Persepolis is Takht-e-Jamshid. Persepolis in Greek translates as 'Persian City', a typical name invented by foreigners.
Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel by that name is to be discussed at our next film club meet. I guess she knows most of her audience will relate better to the bland foreign name, although I know it to be the name of a major Tehran thoroughfare.
Iran, a wonderful ancient country, cursed and blessed with oil. 150 years ago the oil will have meant very little to the world. The cultural norms may also have been very similar to those represented in this story. The message I hear is one of stifling repression. There is a lack of real creative joy. The viewer is left wondering at how parents can leave there child in the care of a heartless relative at such a young age. Was it not bound to fail? A family who are clearly well off; they can provide school fees for a French school in Vienna, have a daughter who goes on to live rough on the streets.
I am reminded of a young Iranian I met in Leicester who talked though his asylum claim with me. He had no physical injuries to show, no police interigations, he just said "I was suffocating, I couldn't breathe, I was dying."
Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel by that name is to be discussed at our next film club meet. I guess she knows most of her audience will relate better to the bland foreign name, although I know it to be the name of a major Tehran thoroughfare.
Iran, a wonderful ancient country, cursed and blessed with oil. 150 years ago the oil will have meant very little to the world. The cultural norms may also have been very similar to those represented in this story. The message I hear is one of stifling repression. There is a lack of real creative joy. The viewer is left wondering at how parents can leave there child in the care of a heartless relative at such a young age. Was it not bound to fail? A family who are clearly well off; they can provide school fees for a French school in Vienna, have a daughter who goes on to live rough on the streets.
I am reminded of a young Iranian I met in Leicester who talked though his asylum claim with me. He had no physical injuries to show, no police interigations, he just said "I was suffocating, I couldn't breathe, I was dying."
Sunday, 25 February 2018
What my paper says
Laura Bates, guest collumnist, writes from the perspective of her new book "Misogynation:The True Scale of Sexism" (Simon and Schuster).
She got me thinking.
Am I a feminist? I think anyone who is in favour of justice is a feminist. Therefore I aspire to be a feminist. Is there more to be done? Having read a number of Victorian novels recently, it is incredible to see how our society, and most societies across the globe, have shifted. But just as builders of modern estates appear to disappear just as people move into the new houses, leaving numerous jobs 'pending', with the right kind of lens, much work for justice is 'pending'. Reading around my paper I see stories such as 1 in 8 French women report having been raped. Also more discussed about the #MeToo campaign, the Bafta ceremony protest, and BBC claiming it will be a champion for women in the future.
Bates describes six myths that blame women for sexism. These are:-
1. Women objectify men too. I thought of the two life size cut outs in my female secretaries office of two male film stars. What would be said of me if I had a lifesize cut out of a female demigod? I think the comparison is different However. 'Power' comes into the equation, and this is subtle. Just as the racism equation goes "prejudice + power = racism" so with male objectification, much as it makes me uncomfortable, as things stand now, the two are not comparable.
2. Women are there own worst enemies. Again in my paper there is discussion about A French actress has said that men should be allowed to flirt. The 'it's naughty but nice' argument. I am drawn to think of Fritz Fanon's seminal work on mass cultural oppression where he describes the three ways one society can control another. He highlights this as 'alcohol' (keep them pissed), 'gunpowder' (threaten to kill them) and 'factors'. 'Factors' are people from the other side who work for you, like the slave traders. In the year when the Royal Mail printed a set of stamps celebration the sufferagettes (include the extraordinary Princess Sophia Deleep Singh), it is interesting to remember that far more women were signed up to the antisuffrage lobby, than were with the women's movement. However I am sure they were not as passionate about their cause, and not likely to sacrifice much for their cause either. Much of the status quo was linked to the Bible, and Christian teaching, which now seems yesterday's battle.
3. There are terrible role models that undermine the cause. Very true. We are used to seeing women on the red carpet looking pretty cold, with lots of bare flesh. Our society still has a number of clearly unchecked prejudices infavour of young beautiful, women. There some exceptions, and I am a great fan of Clare Baulding, who covered the Winter Olympics beautifully. As mentioned previously, the book Freakanomics highlights a mathematical examination of prejudice in the American panel show 'the weakest link', showing no bias against women and black players, but clear bias against older players and Hispanics.
4. Women aren't that interested in equality. As already noted, women in the past did not seem on mass to be motivated to get the vote. Today I think there would be few who would be willing to turn back the clock. Indeed, I think that it is a male issue too. Inequality affects all, and will eventually back fire. It always does. Britain is still affected by injustices committed by its colonial rule.
5. Why are women not doing more? (Pay gap, leaving violent relationships etc.) I wonder whether one of the reasons for the pay gap is to do with the greater social mindedness amongst women. Less interested in 'devil take the hind most' self-centred, capitalist motivations. It is known that the women's vote is more to the left wing than men. We now have the women's party, a political movement. It is a well know tactic of oppressors to blame the victim. We can only be held responsible for our own actions.
A thought I have is to do with our system of democracy. Just as 'Leicester' will be the first Black/Asian majority city in the UK is significant because majorities hold power, when women become truly representative, then they too will hold power. It is therefor essential that majorities treat minorities justly, just as they might like to be treated when it become their turn to be a minority.
She got me thinking.
Am I a feminist? I think anyone who is in favour of justice is a feminist. Therefore I aspire to be a feminist. Is there more to be done? Having read a number of Victorian novels recently, it is incredible to see how our society, and most societies across the globe, have shifted. But just as builders of modern estates appear to disappear just as people move into the new houses, leaving numerous jobs 'pending', with the right kind of lens, much work for justice is 'pending'. Reading around my paper I see stories such as 1 in 8 French women report having been raped. Also more discussed about the #MeToo campaign, the Bafta ceremony protest, and BBC claiming it will be a champion for women in the future.
Bates describes six myths that blame women for sexism. These are:-
1. Women objectify men too. I thought of the two life size cut outs in my female secretaries office of two male film stars. What would be said of me if I had a lifesize cut out of a female demigod? I think the comparison is different However. 'Power' comes into the equation, and this is subtle. Just as the racism equation goes "prejudice + power = racism" so with male objectification, much as it makes me uncomfortable, as things stand now, the two are not comparable.
2. Women are there own worst enemies. Again in my paper there is discussion about A French actress has said that men should be allowed to flirt. The 'it's naughty but nice' argument. I am drawn to think of Fritz Fanon's seminal work on mass cultural oppression where he describes the three ways one society can control another. He highlights this as 'alcohol' (keep them pissed), 'gunpowder' (threaten to kill them) and 'factors'. 'Factors' are people from the other side who work for you, like the slave traders. In the year when the Royal Mail printed a set of stamps celebration the sufferagettes (include the extraordinary Princess Sophia Deleep Singh), it is interesting to remember that far more women were signed up to the antisuffrage lobby, than were with the women's movement. However I am sure they were not as passionate about their cause, and not likely to sacrifice much for their cause either. Much of the status quo was linked to the Bible, and Christian teaching, which now seems yesterday's battle.
3. There are terrible role models that undermine the cause. Very true. We are used to seeing women on the red carpet looking pretty cold, with lots of bare flesh. Our society still has a number of clearly unchecked prejudices infavour of young beautiful, women. There some exceptions, and I am a great fan of Clare Baulding, who covered the Winter Olympics beautifully. As mentioned previously, the book Freakanomics highlights a mathematical examination of prejudice in the American panel show 'the weakest link', showing no bias against women and black players, but clear bias against older players and Hispanics.
4. Women aren't that interested in equality. As already noted, women in the past did not seem on mass to be motivated to get the vote. Today I think there would be few who would be willing to turn back the clock. Indeed, I think that it is a male issue too. Inequality affects all, and will eventually back fire. It always does. Britain is still affected by injustices committed by its colonial rule.
5. Why are women not doing more? (Pay gap, leaving violent relationships etc.) I wonder whether one of the reasons for the pay gap is to do with the greater social mindedness amongst women. Less interested in 'devil take the hind most' self-centred, capitalist motivations. It is known that the women's vote is more to the left wing than men. We now have the women's party, a political movement. It is a well know tactic of oppressors to blame the victim. We can only be held responsible for our own actions.
A thought I have is to do with our system of democracy. Just as 'Leicester' will be the first Black/Asian majority city in the UK is significant because majorities hold power, when women become truly representative, then they too will hold power. It is therefor essential that majorities treat minorities justly, just as they might like to be treated when it become their turn to be a minority.
Pain Points
One- Pain is good (pain is bad and good is bad).
Having a knee injury helped me understand that the body creates its own natural plaster cast. The pneumatic swelling not only protects the healing joint and keeps it stiff, it also alines the leg. Pain, as with 'anxiety' is there for a purpose.
Pain is bad - we hope for a time when pain and suffering will cease. Some pain, (and some anxiety) is not needed or excessive. But this side of heaven, pain is with us from birth.
Two- Put your worst foot forwards when descending stairs. Opposite when ascending. Is there another metaphysical analogy in there?
Three- Mindfulness worked for me. Some people think that mindfulness is distraction, going into another world, or relaxation. It's not. It's seeing pain as one of many feelings we experience, and not giving it preference over the others. It's accepting it without judgement. The pain is neither good nor bad - it's just happening and I am experiencing it. By looking straight at it, again as with the analogy of anxiety, I can see it's extent, power and influence, and how it is shrinks or grows. I live with it, but with everything else as well. It therefore is less dominant and demanding.
Isn't most learning through experience? Perhaps another reason why things are the way they are this side of heaven.
Having a knee injury helped me understand that the body creates its own natural plaster cast. The pneumatic swelling not only protects the healing joint and keeps it stiff, it also alines the leg. Pain, as with 'anxiety' is there for a purpose.
Pain is bad - we hope for a time when pain and suffering will cease. Some pain, (and some anxiety) is not needed or excessive. But this side of heaven, pain is with us from birth.
Two- Put your worst foot forwards when descending stairs. Opposite when ascending. Is there another metaphysical analogy in there?
Three- Mindfulness worked for me. Some people think that mindfulness is distraction, going into another world, or relaxation. It's not. It's seeing pain as one of many feelings we experience, and not giving it preference over the others. It's accepting it without judgement. The pain is neither good nor bad - it's just happening and I am experiencing it. By looking straight at it, again as with the analogy of anxiety, I can see it's extent, power and influence, and how it is shrinks or grows. I live with it, but with everything else as well. It therefore is less dominant and demanding.
Isn't most learning through experience? Perhaps another reason why things are the way they are this side of heaven.
Saturday, 24 February 2018
A feat worse than...
Yesterday I accidentally ”knee-capped” myself,
I tripped forward in haste, and backward in health.
Now nursing my leg, find I’m musing the fate,
Meated out to informers in a land full of hate.
Time in this bed I put at less than three days,
Considerably different to the price a traitor pays.
Very much the ‘mild end’ I think it’s safe to put,
I will also be avoiding ‘shooting myself in the foot.’
I tripped forward in haste, and backward in health.
Now nursing my leg, find I’m musing the fate,
Meated out to informers in a land full of hate.
Time in this bed I put at less than three days,
Considerably different to the price a traitor pays.
Very much the ‘mild end’ I think it’s safe to put,
I will also be avoiding ‘shooting myself in the foot.’
Middlemarch- a tribute
This is brilliant-
Page 720 Raffles has died under Boulstrode’s care; Lydgate, being the attending doctor. His prescription for the dying man was to administer a strict quantity of opium with no alcohol, even if strongly pressed. Boulstrode, not unaversed to the idea of a speedy demise of Raffles, decides not to tell his housekeeper about the limits placed on the use of opium. He also allowed his her to acquiesce to the demands of his alcoholic unwanted guest. He gives her access to his spirits cabinet.
The burgers of Middlemarch smell a rat. They are not keen on Boulstode, and Mr Hawley, a lawyer, does some investigating.
“For hardly anyone doubted that some scandalous reason or other was at the bottom of Boulstrode’s liberality to Lydgate (he had just paid off his debts with a large loan of money). Mr Hawley, indeed, in the first instance, invited a select party, including the two physicians, with Mr Toller and Mr Wrench, expressly to hold a close discussion as to the probabilities of Raffle’s illness, reciting to them all the particulars which had been gathered from Mrs Able in connection with Lydgate’s certificate, that the death was due to delirium tremans, and the medical gentlemen, who all stood undisturbedly on the old path in relation to this disease, declared that they could see nothing in these particulars which could be transformed into a positive ground of suspicion.”
In other words, their medical practice was so out of date that they could not see the crime before their eyes.
The sad epitaph given to Lydgate goes as follows- page 737
“Only those who know the supremacy of the intellectual life - the life which has a seal of ennobling thought and purpose within it- can understand the grief of one who falls from serene activity into the absorbing soul washing struggle with worldly annoyances.”
Casauban's interest in Xisuthrus, Sumerian 'Noah', is mocked. What about Atrshasis from Gilgamesh, or Utnapishtim from Babylonia?
Page 720 Raffles has died under Boulstrode’s care; Lydgate, being the attending doctor. His prescription for the dying man was to administer a strict quantity of opium with no alcohol, even if strongly pressed. Boulstrode, not unaversed to the idea of a speedy demise of Raffles, decides not to tell his housekeeper about the limits placed on the use of opium. He also allowed his her to acquiesce to the demands of his alcoholic unwanted guest. He gives her access to his spirits cabinet.
The burgers of Middlemarch smell a rat. They are not keen on Boulstode, and Mr Hawley, a lawyer, does some investigating.
“For hardly anyone doubted that some scandalous reason or other was at the bottom of Boulstrode’s liberality to Lydgate (he had just paid off his debts with a large loan of money). Mr Hawley, indeed, in the first instance, invited a select party, including the two physicians, with Mr Toller and Mr Wrench, expressly to hold a close discussion as to the probabilities of Raffle’s illness, reciting to them all the particulars which had been gathered from Mrs Able in connection with Lydgate’s certificate, that the death was due to delirium tremans, and the medical gentlemen, who all stood undisturbedly on the old path in relation to this disease, declared that they could see nothing in these particulars which could be transformed into a positive ground of suspicion.”
In other words, their medical practice was so out of date that they could not see the crime before their eyes.
The sad epitaph given to Lydgate goes as follows- page 737
“Only those who know the supremacy of the intellectual life - the life which has a seal of ennobling thought and purpose within it- can understand the grief of one who falls from serene activity into the absorbing soul washing struggle with worldly annoyances.”
Casauban's interest in Xisuthrus, Sumerian 'Noah', is mocked. What about Atrshasis from Gilgamesh, or Utnapishtim from Babylonia?
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