Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book is divided into 3 sections, one for each country Liz lives in over the course of a year. First she spends 4 months in Italy eating, then she spends 4 months in India praying, then she spends 4 months in Indonesia loving. Over the past week I finished reading the Italy section of the memoir, and started the India section. The Italy section was fantastic, absolutely amazing. Liz talked about her experiences, and her travels, and all of the great food she ate! If any other person went on this journey and had the same experiences and wrote a memoir on it, it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable or inspiring as the way Liz tells it. She uses such great adjectives and emotions and figurative language when she writes, which makes it so much fun to read. I feel like I'm listening to her just sitting at the table, telling of her Italian friends that she has made and how every week she goes to another place in Italy, and asks the locals, where is the best place to eat? And once she gets there she asks the waitress for the best thing on the menu. It all sounds delightful, the way that Liz portrays it, and it is all in Italian, Liz's newly learned language. My mom was recently in Venice, so I heard about the nature of the Italians and their food and customs, and the beauty of their cities. Reading about it in this book made it all the more wonderful, and now I have been inspired to go to Italy and see all of the sites and experience what a beautiful and yummy country it is, all down to simply the Italian language.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Outside Reading - Week 6, Post A
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
VOCAB
-coagulation(101)- the process of forming semisolid lumps in a liquid
-staid(102)- of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "[...] to Messina (a scary and suspicious Sicilian port town that seems to howl from behind barricaded doors, 'It's not my fault I'm ugly! I've been earthquaked and carpet-bombed and raped by the Mafia, too!')" (112). This is personification. The city does not yell itself but a traveler would get the feeling that the city is actually begging for mercy.
2. "Like we have roped it with our music, and now we are hauling it across the night sky like it's a massive fishing net, brimming with all our unknown destinies" (130). This is an example of a simile comparing the Indian New Years' celebration with music and dancing to pulling the New Year as if it were attached to a rope and they were lassoing it.
3. "The seconds drop down to midnight and we sing with our biggest effort yet and in this last brave exertion we finally pull the net of the New Year over us, covering both the sky and ourselves with it" (130). This is an example of a metaphor. The year was not actually tied to a rope that the Indians pulled into the next year, but that is how it felt, it was being pulled pulled pulled then it was covering them.
QUOTE
"'You have got control issues, Groceries. Come on. Nobody ever told you this before?'" (151). This is a major turning point for Liz because she finally realizes and admits to herself her issues and is ready to move on now with a clean slate and no extra baggage from past relationships and bad things that didn't go her way. She admits that she can't always be in control, but the worst is over with and it is time to let it go, stop wondering what could have been, and move on.
THEME
You have to struggle through the bad times to get to the good.
VOCAB
-coagulation(101)- the process of forming semisolid lumps in a liquid
-staid(102)- of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "[...] to Messina (a scary and suspicious Sicilian port town that seems to howl from behind barricaded doors, 'It's not my fault I'm ugly! I've been earthquaked and carpet-bombed and raped by the Mafia, too!')" (112). This is personification. The city does not yell itself but a traveler would get the feeling that the city is actually begging for mercy.
2. "Like we have roped it with our music, and now we are hauling it across the night sky like it's a massive fishing net, brimming with all our unknown destinies" (130). This is an example of a simile comparing the Indian New Years' celebration with music and dancing to pulling the New Year as if it were attached to a rope and they were lassoing it.
3. "The seconds drop down to midnight and we sing with our biggest effort yet and in this last brave exertion we finally pull the net of the New Year over us, covering both the sky and ourselves with it" (130). This is an example of a metaphor. The year was not actually tied to a rope that the Indians pulled into the next year, but that is how it felt, it was being pulled pulled pulled then it was covering them.
QUOTE
"'You have got control issues, Groceries. Come on. Nobody ever told you this before?'" (151). This is a major turning point for Liz because she finally realizes and admits to herself her issues and is ready to move on now with a clean slate and no extra baggage from past relationships and bad things that didn't go her way. She admits that she can't always be in control, but the worst is over with and it is time to let it go, stop wondering what could have been, and move on.
THEME
You have to struggle through the bad times to get to the good.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Outside Reading - Week 5, Post B
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I really enjoy reading this book. Most school books feel like a chore to read, but I find myself wanting to pick up this one and wondering about what will happen next. I think that it is so intriguing because of the writing style of the author, Elizabeth Gilbert. It truly is written like a memoir, as if Liz is sitting right next to you with a cup of coffee recounting the story of her life. I am amazed at how open she is about her problems and thoughts, but she doesn't make it seem like one of those novels where the conflict is so drastic it is unrealistic to the average housewife that would buy and read a novel of this sort. Anna commented on my blog, this book makes me want to do yoga! and I feel the same way. It is so inspiring to hear her talk about and describe how she feels, I really have started about how I can better my mental health and physical and spiritual health as well. It is funny how inspired I am because just the other day I turned on Oprah and none other than Elizabeth Gilbert was on. She was a guest on the show a week or two ago and everybody loved hearing form her so much that she was invited back to do another show, with even more viewer input. There were ladies interviewed on the show that talked about how this book had changed their lives, some women went to Paris, some started taking one weekend off a month for themselves, and some realized that hey, if she can do it, I can do it and got their acts together. It was also great to put a face to the name of the woman who I know more about her struggles, hardships, and thoughts than my own mother. The general consensus from everyone that has read this book is that it is AMAZING and that is proven by being on the new york times' bestseller list and countless other recognitions.
I really enjoy reading this book. Most school books feel like a chore to read, but I find myself wanting to pick up this one and wondering about what will happen next. I think that it is so intriguing because of the writing style of the author, Elizabeth Gilbert. It truly is written like a memoir, as if Liz is sitting right next to you with a cup of coffee recounting the story of her life. I am amazed at how open she is about her problems and thoughts, but she doesn't make it seem like one of those novels where the conflict is so drastic it is unrealistic to the average housewife that would buy and read a novel of this sort. Anna commented on my blog, this book makes me want to do yoga! and I feel the same way. It is so inspiring to hear her talk about and describe how she feels, I really have started about how I can better my mental health and physical and spiritual health as well. It is funny how inspired I am because just the other day I turned on Oprah and none other than Elizabeth Gilbert was on. She was a guest on the show a week or two ago and everybody loved hearing form her so much that she was invited back to do another show, with even more viewer input. There were ladies interviewed on the show that talked about how this book had changed their lives, some women went to Paris, some started taking one weekend off a month for themselves, and some realized that hey, if she can do it, I can do it and got their acts together. It was also great to put a face to the name of the woman who I know more about her struggles, hardships, and thoughts than my own mother. The general consensus from everyone that has read this book is that it is AMAZING and that is proven by being on the new york times' bestseller list and countless other recognitions.
Outside Reading - Week 5, Post A
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
VOCAB
-grievous(94)- causing grief or great sorrow
-decanted(99)- To pour (a liquid) from one container into another
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "[...]'Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth'"(94). This is repetition, used to force the virtue of honesty into the reader's head.
2. "It's the emotional recoil that kills you, the shock of stepping off the track of a conventional lifestyle and losing all the embracing comforts that keep so many people on that track forever" (94). This is a metaphor for divorce and the emotional recovery after a divorce, being compared to a roller coaster track.
3. "But what if [...]? What if [...]? Where [....]? How [...]? But what if [...]? What [...]?" (95). This is a series of questions about Liz's life that could be asked of any one's life that is reading the memoir. It is a style technique used so that the reader can easily relate to the author's situation in life.
QUOTE
"Ah, she left her marriage in order to preserve her art"(95). Liz is using this as a justification of why she got a divorce. She was insecure about what others thought of her for leaving her husband, and it bothered her, so she is making things up in her head to justify her paranoia.
THEME
I am seeing the theme of independence continue to strengthen.
VOCAB
-grievous(94)- causing grief or great sorrow
-decanted(99)- To pour (a liquid) from one container into another
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "[...]'Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth'"(94). This is repetition, used to force the virtue of honesty into the reader's head.
2. "It's the emotional recoil that kills you, the shock of stepping off the track of a conventional lifestyle and losing all the embracing comforts that keep so many people on that track forever" (94). This is a metaphor for divorce and the emotional recovery after a divorce, being compared to a roller coaster track.
3. "But what if [...]? What if [...]? Where [....]? How [...]? But what if [...]? What [...]?" (95). This is a series of questions about Liz's life that could be asked of any one's life that is reading the memoir. It is a style technique used so that the reader can easily relate to the author's situation in life.
QUOTE
"Ah, she left her marriage in order to preserve her art"(95). Liz is using this as a justification of why she got a divorce. She was insecure about what others thought of her for leaving her husband, and it bothered her, so she is making things up in her head to justify her paranoia.
THEME
I am seeing the theme of independence continue to strengthen.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Outside Reading - Week 4, Post B
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
A theme that I am seeing emerge from the pages of this touching memoir is independence and strength of character. Elizabeth's year long journey to Italy, India, and Indonesia was taken because she wanted to do something for herself, to rediscover herself and reinvent her habits and unhealthy thinking patterns. Prior to her travels, Liz needed affection and recognition from others that she was involved with. She dovoted herself to a relationship, whether it was a friendship or romantic relationship. Elizabeth gave all that she had, and needed the same undemandable things back which the other person could not give her. By traveling, she is asserting her independence, and her lack of a need for a man or devoted friend. Liz comes to realize this and have healthier thoughts here.
A theme that I am seeing emerge from the pages of this touching memoir is independence and strength of character. Elizabeth's year long journey to Italy, India, and Indonesia was taken because she wanted to do something for herself, to rediscover herself and reinvent her habits and unhealthy thinking patterns. Prior to her travels, Liz needed affection and recognition from others that she was involved with. She dovoted herself to a relationship, whether it was a friendship or romantic relationship. Elizabeth gave all that she had, and needed the same undemandable things back which the other person could not give her. By traveling, she is asserting her independence, and her lack of a need for a man or devoted friend. Liz comes to realize this and have healthier thoughts here.
Outside Reading - Week 4, Post A
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
VOCAB
-amenities(91)- any feature that provides comfort, convenience, or pleasure
-hair shirt(87)- an object that can be worn to induce some degree of discomfort or pain
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "[...] a mushroom pate that tastes like a forest [...](90)." This is a simile because Gilbert is comparing the taste of her pate to the taste of a forest, which is a very descriptive yet vague comparison because no-one goes around tasting forests, but one can imagine what it would taste like.
2. "[...] two of those big softball-sized rolls of bread, spicy sausage, pickled sardines wrapped around meaty green olives, a mushroom pate that tastes like a forest, balls of smoked mozzarella, peppered and grilled arugula, cherry tomatoes, pecorino cheese, mineral water and a split of cold white wine[...](90)." This is imagery because of all the descriptive adjectives that create such a vivid image in your mind.
3. "Before either one of us gets on an airplane now, the one always calls the other and says, 'I know this is morbid, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you. You know...just in case...' And the other one always says, 'I know...just in case'(89)." This is a loaded "phrase," the terrorist attacks touched many people and many of those people fear flying and want to be safe "just in case." Also, the emotion the sisters felt can be shared and brought to life by the mention of this scenario.
QUOTE
"That maybe it's time for us to end our story forever(81)." Liz is referring to the story of her and her lover David. They have had a continuous relationship with offs and ons for a long period of time, starting right after her divorce and not ending ever (it seems like). Every time they get back together it screws Liz up because they become happy then something goes wrong and it tears the two of them apart continuously. This realization of hers is how Liz is deciding to take matters into her own hands and choose her life.
THEME
An emerging theme I see is independence and strength of character.
VOCAB
-amenities(91)- any feature that provides comfort, convenience, or pleasure
-hair shirt(87)- an object that can be worn to induce some degree of discomfort or pain
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
1. "[...] a mushroom pate that tastes like a forest [...](90)." This is a simile because Gilbert is comparing the taste of her pate to the taste of a forest, which is a very descriptive yet vague comparison because no-one goes around tasting forests, but one can imagine what it would taste like.
2. "[...] two of those big softball-sized rolls of bread, spicy sausage, pickled sardines wrapped around meaty green olives, a mushroom pate that tastes like a forest, balls of smoked mozzarella, peppered and grilled arugula, cherry tomatoes, pecorino cheese, mineral water and a split of cold white wine[...](90)." This is imagery because of all the descriptive adjectives that create such a vivid image in your mind.
3. "Before either one of us gets on an airplane now, the one always calls the other and says, 'I know this is morbid, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you. You know...just in case...' And the other one always says, 'I know...just in case'(89)." This is a loaded "phrase," the terrorist attacks touched many people and many of those people fear flying and want to be safe "just in case." Also, the emotion the sisters felt can be shared and brought to life by the mention of this scenario.
QUOTE
"That maybe it's time for us to end our story forever(81)." Liz is referring to the story of her and her lover David. They have had a continuous relationship with offs and ons for a long period of time, starting right after her divorce and not ending ever (it seems like). Every time they get back together it screws Liz up because they become happy then something goes wrong and it tears the two of them apart continuously. This realization of hers is how Liz is deciding to take matters into her own hands and choose her life.
THEME
An emerging theme I see is independence and strength of character.
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