You changed it.

He [Dad] said, "Well, what would happen if a plane dropped you in the middle of the Sahara Desert and you picked up a single grain of sand with tweezers and moved it one millimeter?...you changed the Sahara...So the Sahara is a vast desert. And it has existed for millions of years. And you changed it!" (p. 86)

I think many times we forget how much our actions change more than just our own lives. From the quote taken in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Oskar's dad explains how even a little change is changing the course of everything. Specifically, a grain of sand moved from its original position changes what was considered the Sahara Desert. More radically, the position of each and every grain of sand made it "the Sahara". Of course, wind and other natural occurrences changes the position of sand constantly, but if we were to move that single grain of sand, we have forever changed the course of that grain of sand that made the Sahara. If that same concept of radical change is present in such a mindless and effortless action of moving a grain of sand, doesn't that make our intentional actions much more world-changing?
As in the photograph above, it is an illustration of the Wright brothers flying one of their experimental planes. Though we don't know their ultimate intentions, we can be sure that their efforts have changed the course of history today. Planes are used in combat, transportation, and the study of aerodynamics. They have changed how the government moves consistently from place to place...how celebrities and music artists can be from one city to another in a matter of hours. They have changed businesses and corporations. We know for a fact they have changed our lives.
Now, how can this be applied to our lives today? In history, who would have thought that crashing into two towers would have been what pushed us into war. Did the terrorists foresee this? Probably not. They might have expected to be hunted down...almost no doubt there. But to cause a war? That was almost out of the question.
If we really think about it, our actions in our own personal lives do the same. If I go to this university, will I meet the love of my life? If we marry this certain person, what types of children will we create? The next Einstein? Hitler? Next U.S. president? Will our children end the human race? All this because of one decision that sparked it all.
Though we may not know it, it seems we control the mainstream, the government, the course of history... even if it's just a little: You changed it.

- Karl Abordo

Blog 5

“I do not know why I am writing this letter, or what this letter is supposed to be about, but I am writing it nonetheless, because I love you very much and trust that you have some good purpose for having me write this letter. I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love.”

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close had many great passages that stuck out, but this one really hit a homerun for me. I feel like the passage is trying to explain that although you may not understand something, you act on impulse and hope that it can be useful one day. I think it is a powerful passage and really shows you that love can be impulsive yet meaningful. Although Oskar may not understand why he is doing some things, maybe due to young age, maybe due to sheer confusion, they all serve meaning in the end. Other people may not understand why you are going through with some action, and I think that this passage also sheds light on doing things that are right to you and following through even if others don’t agree.

I chose this picture because it shows the word love written in several different languages. I thought this picture was perfect for describing this passage. Love is one of the most meaningful words known in this world. When written in your native language, this small word has huge meaning. However, when you see it another language, it’s meaning is disguised and you don’t understand what it says. In life, we may be loved on by others, but not even notice. It’s like Oskar is loving, but often in other languages to others, and maybe even himself, because they don’t understand.

Seeing it from another perspective

“Sometimes I think it would be weird if there were a skyscraper that moved up and down while its elevator stayed in place. So if you wanted to go to the ninety-fifth floor, you’d just pressed the 95 button and the ninety-fifth floor would come to you. Also, that could be extremely useful, because if you’re on the ninety-fifth floor, and a plane hits below you, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone could be safe, even if you left your birdseed shirt at home that day.”
When I first read this quote and this chapter at first I literally looked at it and I was confused and tried so hard to not laugh because how funny it was. In my personal opinion I thought it was genius and it made a valuable point. What if there was a skyscraper that could do that, it would make the elevator a lot different and easier. But at the same time it was a low blow to the Twin Towers and I thought it was kinda wrong that he said that. It was good until he said when a plane would hit the bottom floors and make it going down a lot faster and safe. I had to shake my head and just look at it funny because he said it like that, I think he wanted to slide a small joke in there to level the blow of 9/11 but in retrospect it was too soon to pull that off and get away with it. The quote was interesting and it put me in that situation and visualize what would I do if I was in that predicament.

Speechless

"Does it break my heart, of course, every moment of every day, into more pieces than my heart was made of, I never thought of myself as quiet, much less silent, I never thought about things at all, everything changed, the distance that wedged itself between me and my happiness wasn't the world, it wasn't the bombs burning buildings, it was me, my thinking..." (16)

This is an artist's representation of the Greek mythological woman Cassandra. She's most well known for her part in the Shakespeare play Troilus and Cressida, but the story is similar in Greek mythology. Basically Cassandra's role in the play is to always speak the truth (because she's a seer), but to never be listened to. It may be a bit of a stretch, but this idea really reminded me of Oskar's grandfather, who loses his ability to speak. While their ailments are obviously different, I feel like Oskar's grandfather and Cassandra would have felt similarly about their conditions. In the Shakespearean play everyone thinks that Cassandra is a madwoman and they learn to automatically dismiss anything she says without a second thought. Eventually it gets to the point that people really don't listen to her at all, no matter what she's saying. Not being listened to and not being able to speak are, in my opinion, very similar problems. They both have the effect of limiting your ability to impact the world around you verbally.

I feel that this statue really expresses what Cassandra's going through (and thus some of what Oskar's grandfather is going through). It's not an expression of agony or anger. The artist describes her as having a 'farseeing' expression. I feel that anyone who has the communication problems that she and the grandfather have would often seem to be a 'farseeing' person, because they have been rejected from the to-and-fro of regular conversation. They don't get to talk to people and make quick decisions about how to respond. THey don't get to communicate without deep thought first. In some ways they are trapped in their own minds, because they cannot easily put the thoughts they're having out there into the world for others to interpret.

The two characters are even more similar when you consider that some interpretations say that Cassandra really can't talk about whatever she wants to. Everything she says has to be a prophecy and it has to be true, so she can't really talk about the things she likes and enjoys. She's limited to her prophecies. In a similar way, Oskar's grandfather is limited by not being able to speak at all. He doesn't have the advantages of tone-of-voice, sarcasm, or even speed. Cassandra has these things, but nobody is willing to listen to her, so they become null and void. Oskar's grandfather is limited to what he can write down (and he seems to choose what to write based on how short and simple he can make the sentence), and when he finishes with the day's book he's limited to what he's written down previously.

Blog Assignment 5

“Sometimes I think it would be weird if there were a skyscraper that moved up and down while its elevator stayed in place. So if you wanted to go to the ninety-fifth floor, you’d just press the 95 button and the ninety-fifth floor would come to you. Also, that could be extremely useful, because if you’re on the ninety-fifth floor, and a plane hits below you, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone could be safe, even if you left your birdseed shirt at home that day.”

First of all, I thought this passage was very appropriate for the blog because it shows the reader the true nature of the main character. This paragraph is on page three and by this time the reader doesn’t really know what is going on. We later find out that the character is a child and it becomes pretty obvious to us. This kid seems very insightful and inventive. I was really intrigued by this quote because it seems like a pretty advanced though for a child and I liked it because it was rather creative of him. This passage is also very important because it is the first mention of the Twin Towers. Though this idea of his is practically impossible and unlikely, it shows that he knows much about the terrorist attack on September 11th and as thought quite a bit about it. I assume most people read the back of this book before starting it and that was where it reveals that his father was killed in the attack.

I chose this image because I first thought of some advanced technology that created moving elevators. I thought of putting a picture of the Disneyworld ride Tower of Terror. Anyway, I heard of this city that was building moving skyscrapers. I don’t think it’s been done before but there are architects in Dubai that are building them so they rotate 360 degrees. I figured this was the closest to what our main character was thinking of.

Something You Do Not Understand

“I do not know why I am writing this letter, or what this letter is supposed to be about, but I am writing it nonetheless, because I love you very much and trust that you have some good purpose for having me write this letter. I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love.” (76)

When I was thinking about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, that was the passage that I remembered the most. That one like – “I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love” – stuck out to me and stayed with me. To me, so much of this story is about doing something you do not understand. I feel that Oskar does not entirely understand why he needs to find what the key unlocks, but that he needs to do this for his father. I don’t think that Oskar’s grandfather understands why Oskar needs to do this, or why he needs to dig up the grave. I don’t think that Oskar’s mother fully understands either, or that Oskar’s grandmother understands why her husband left or came back. These are just a few things that I remember, and although I can understand arguments against this, I feel that so much of this book consists of actions that are not entirely understood by the doer, but they know that they need to do them for someone they love, and that is enough reason.

I choose a picture of writing, what seems to me like a letter. Letters and writing played such an important role in this book – the daybooks of Thomas Schell, the letters Oskar’s grandmother wrote him – and the quote I choose is from the letter that Oskar’s grandmother asked her father to write. I loved the use of writing and letters because it allowed us to view events through different perspectives, and there is something that I think is special about a letter. Letters allow the writer to pour out their thoughts and feelings without having to see the reaction of the person reading their letter, and in this novel especially, we get a sense of the letter writer truly is. I felt that the letters in this book made for a unique, interesting story, as well as drawing an emotion response out of the reader.

Blog 5

"The week was incredibly boring, except for when I remembered the key. Even though I knew that there were 161,999,999 locks in New York that it didn't open, I still felt like it opened everything." (pg. 200)




At that moment, Oskar felt bigger and smaller than the world at the same time. I know how it to be so close to something so immeasurably important, and yet because of it's importance feel yourself sliding farther away from it with every step you take. It's a scary feeling, and as a child I can't imagine how intensified the emotions are for him. Oskar has a very unique and yet wonderful courageous attitude, never shameful or afraid to run after what he feels might help him. I envy that ability to speak up so loud for something lost. To love someone you've lost with the same reckless abandon as when they were living is an accomplishment I can only pray I achieve. His ability to remain a child even through the most serious of times gives him an advantage to keep his hopes high enough to continue his journey. I, alas, no longer have the ability to keep the faith of a child, and I fear I will regret it as long as I live.

I chose this picture because it matches with how with the passage makes me feel. Children have faith in making wishes, while adults stamps over the wish-makers with disbelief. I long for the faith of a child; the endurance, courage, and hope it takes to carry through in tough times. I was relieved of that long before my time, and I wish upon a dandelion for it to return.