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.

I told her, "Humans are the only animal that blushes, laughs, has religion, wages war, and kisses with lips. So in a way, the more you kiss with lips, the more human you are." "And the more you wage war?" (99)

The illustration is a painting that was done by Eric Drooker.

After Abby asked that question, Oskar was quieted for a moment. He had been trying to find love (or at least a pleasant moment), and in return was given thoughts of violence. This moment is a parallel to the other main characters in the book, who had all tried so hard to have and hold onto love, but in the end were faced with violence, loss, and disappointment.

This passage is meant to be particularly unpleasant, because war is generally thought to be something that is inhuman. However, it is obvious from Oskar's factoid that war is one of the most human things of all. On the one hand, Abby is concurring that only humans are capable of something as horrible as war. However, the point could also be interpreted as “war has the ability to bring out the humanity in people.” When people are victimized by war, such as POWs, they see their own mortality.

Resistance is a huge exercise of humanity. When the victims of an attack retaliate, they are not simply killing for the sake of killing. They are saying, “I am a human, and that means something, and you will not kill me or imprison me if I have anything to say about it.” When Oskar’s grandfather was met with the cruelty of war, he lost his humanity in a way by losing the ability to talk. Oskar’s grandmother on the other hand dealt with the cruelty of war by trying her hardest to move on and not let herself be affected by it. By persevering, she was demonstrating her humanity. Mr. Black, who followed war as a reporter, was ignoring his humanity by neglecting his wife. However, he eventually came to his senses and realized that in order to really live, he had to love.

We Would Have Been Safe

I grabbed the flashlight from my backpack and aimed it at the book. I saw maps and drawings, pictures from magazines and newspapers and the Internet, pictures I'd taken with Grandpa's camera. The whole world was in there. Finally, I found the pictures of the falling body.

Was it Dad?

Maybe.

Whoever it was, it was somebody.

I ripped the pages out of the book.

I reversed the order so the last one was first, and the first was last.

When I flipped through them, it looked like the man was floating up through the sky.

And if I'd had more pictures, he would've flown through a window, back into the building, and the smoke would've poured into the hole that the plane was about to come out of.

Dad would've left his messages backward, until the machine was empty, and the plane would've flown backward away from him, all the way to Boston.

He would've taken the elevator to the street and pressed the button for the top floor.

He would've walked backward to the subway, and the subway would've gone backward through the tunnel, back to our stop. Dad would've gone backward through the turnstile, then swiped his Metrocard backward, then walked home backward as he read the New York Times from right to left.

He would've spit coffee into his mug, unbrushed his teeth, and put hair on his face with a razor.

He would've gotten back into bed, the alarm would've run backward, he would've dreamt backward.

Then he would've gotten up again at the end of the night before the worst day.

He would've walked backward to my room, whistling “I am the Walrus” backward.

He would've gotten into bed with me.

We would've looked at the stars on my ceiling, which would've pulled back their light from our eyes.

I'd have said “Nothing” backward.

He'd have said “Yeah, buddy?” backward.

I'd have said “Dad?” backward, which would have sounded the same as “Dad” forward.

He would have told me the story of the Sixth Borough, from the voice in the can at the end to the beginning, from “I love you” to “Once upon a time. . .”

We would have been safe.

(note: my scanner wasn't working properly and so the picture of my drawing makes it look much worse than it actually is)

My illustration shows Oskar's book, exploding out a dream of the falling man being lifted by a flock of birds (even without a birdseed shirt) back up into the air, back into the tower, like he wished his father could have done. The outline of the dream is the lyrics to the song "I am the Walrus" backward.

I chose this passage because it is the final message of the novel and the reader gets to see Oskar's innermost feelings. It's one of the passages that stuck with me after I put the book down.

There are many times in which a similar scenario plays in my head. I lost my father, like Oskar (although not nearly in the same way) and I often think about how I could just go back in time, reverse everything, and try to make it work again. Unlike Oskar, I don't remember my worst day at all. I never knew what it was like before he passed away, but I just knew that something went wrong in order for this disaster to happen. I often imagine different scenarios about what could have happened and how my life could be different, but the past doesn't change, and we have to eventually move on.

BLOG 5

Branden Stevens
3/13/11

Dad constantly used to tell me I was too smart for retail. I told him that. "First of all," he told me, “I’m not smarter than you, I'm more knowledgeable than you, and that's only because I'm older than you.” “Parents are always more knowledgeable than their children, and children are always smarter than their parents." (Pg.7)

I found this quote to be important because it’s a direct reflection of the relationship of the main character and their father. In a way it also reveals the simplest of truths, my parents always tell me that I’m smarter than them and they look forward to seeing me do great things. Every parent wants the opportunity to see their children better off than they are. To be this quote from the book stood out the most interesting of all considering my father has always told me he never wanted me to fallow in his footsteps and has always encouraged me to go into a different direction with my career, not because he felt I was incapable but simply because he wanted me to find and chase my own dreams. So for me this made my connection with Oskar on a stronger level, I began to look at the story with more of an empathetic side so when Oskar’ father died, the emotions displayed in the book were easily imaginable.

The picture I chose also connects my emotions with that of the main character. I feel like there are certain bonds a father and son share that are almost unexplainable it’s a special feeling when your father puts you on his shoulders and he becomes someone you admire and dream of fallowing in their footsteps, a lot like Oskar and his father I too at one point wanted to fallow in my dad’s footsteps and my dad was in an extremely similar situation as Oskar considering his father passed away when he was 14. The whole idea of losing your greatest role model is really evident and I think the author does a great job of stressing the father son relationship in the novel.

Cat and a Key

Casey, Psycho, My Secret Box Key, and Simba.

“As he walked out of the room, Jimmy said, “Hey, Oskar, who’s Buckminster?”. I said, “Buckminster is my pussy” (Foer 190).

“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. Sometimes I like to touch it just to know that it was there, like the pepper spray I kept in my pocket. Or the opposite of that. I adjusted the string so the keys – one to the apartment, one to I-didn’t-know-what- rested against my heart, which was nice, except the only thing was that it felt too cold sometimes, so I put a Band-Aid on that part of my chest, and the keys rested on that. (Foer 200).

I chose this passage because it was an odd passage in the book that I could relate to. I used to get picked on quite often when I was about Oskar’s age. I enjoyed reading and playing with paints, but the one thing that seemed to give me the most joy were my cats and the key I wore on a bracelet I made that opened my Secret Box. I had all the most valuable items that my Grandfather had given me into that box and I clung and fumbled with the key every day, especially after he was gone. I clung to them for companionship when I felt no one else in the world understood how difficult life could sometimes be. I feel that Oskar has a similar situation with his cat, Buckminster, and the key he wears around his neck from his father. But, why do we tend to cling to creatures or objects when everything seems to be going down the drain?

Maybe we cling to our animals and pretend that they understand what we are saying to help dull the pain. My pain was because I was being bullied by other kids at school and had to help my grandmother every afternoon after school. I would have to help take care of my dying grandfather who had already had the lower part of his left leg amputated due to horrible circulation. I was terrified to look at him because he looked as if his skin was hanging from his bones and he always had a face full of anguish and pain. When I went home after mom had picked me up I ran to my room and grabbed my kitty, Psycho, off the bed and just held her close. I felt that if I could be proud of anything at the time, it was her. She seemed to be the only living creature that I could count on to listen to me. When I read this passage it reminded me of this time even though I was ten years old instead of nine. I think that Oskar clings to his cat and the key that he found so that he can still believe that even though his father is gone from him, that he still carries him on his heart every day. In this way his father will always be with him. He clings to his cat because he is someone that will understand and not be judgmental or argue with you about what you think or believe. They just listen and love you without really ever understanding even though it seems like they do.

Blog 5: Backwards

"I'd have said "Dad?" backward, which would have sounded the same as "Dad" forward. He would have told me the story of the Sixth Borough, from the voice in a can at the end to the beginning, from "I love you" to "Once upon a time..." We would have been safe" (326).


This is how the entire novel ends: with Oskar wishing for everything to simply go backwards, for everyone's lives to speed through on rewind so that everything that happened to his father on the day of September 11, 2001, can be taken back.

I chose this particular picture because, even though it's just a toddler in the picture, it still conveys the same emotions that I felt when reading that particular passage of the novel. It seems desperate. Oskar is mature in many ways, but at the same time he's still just this little boy, feeling like the whole world is rushing around him in a blur while all he really wants right now is to have his father back.

I've never lost anyone quite that close to me, so I can't honestly say that I understand what Oskar was going through. I've felt that emotional pain before, though, and to be truthful, I'm impressed by how Oskar continues to push forward despite this huge tragedy in his life. I admire him for that. If I was in his situation, I really doubt that I could keep going on the way he does.

I'm not just saying that I like the last part of the book simply because it was the end; I actually really liked the backwards concept. Very few people will ever go through their entire life without thinking, "I wish I could do this over again." Oskar is very relatable in this way because that's what so many people in life wish for. Everyone just wants a do-over, a second chance.

Morgan Bernstein

Blog 5 GDP

“In the back seat, Mom was holding something in her purse. I could tell that she was squeezing it, because I could see her arm muscles. Grandma was knitting white mittens, so I knew they were for me, even though it wasn’t cold out. I wanted to ask Mom what she was squeezing and why she had to keep it hidden. I remember thinking that even if I were suffering hypothermia, I would never, ever put on those mittens.” Page 5.

I choose this passage of this section because it reminds me a lot of me. Back in 2001 my great grandmother died. I was eleven. I never got to really know my grandmother that well. My great aunt used to come down from Holland and visit and take care of her; if I was good on the weekends I could go to the retirement home with my great aunt. When my great grandmother died all I remember thinking was great now auntie will never come back, there is no reason for her to visit now. I was crying for the wrong reason. The funeral was held in New Jersey. I got to visit all the places my family would talk about in the “old days.” I was mainly excited to be missing school. The whole trip I didn’t think once of how sad it would be to not have my great grandmother at Christmas anymore. At the funeral I didn’t cry. I kept thinking when is this going to be over. I saw my grandmother and great aunt crying for the first time. They seemed even more upset when they looked at me. At that point I tried to make myself cry, I felt like such a bad family member for not being able to cry. I’ve had three other family members die since then. And every time I’ve never been able to cry. I always felt like it was coming eventually.

But anyway, I really liked this passage because I reminded of the funeral I went too. How my mind was everywhere but where it should have been like all my feelings were wrong. Everyone was really clingy and apologetic. My grandmother kept feeling sorry for that I never got to know my great grandmother. But she was 100 and I still feel like the tears are better put elsewhere. I spent eleven years getting to know my great grandmother and she still liked me seen but not heard. That sentiment makes it hard to get to know someone. Oskar was an atheist when his father died. But really I think we were just both really practical for our ages and just enjoyed what the moment brought us. Him a limousine and I a break from school.

Oskar

This is a picture that I drew of Oskar.

I'm Blue

“No matter how much I feel, I’m not going to let it out. If I have to cry, I’m gonna cry on the inside. If I have to bleed, I’ll bruise. If my heart starts going crazy, I’m not gonna tell everyone in the world about it. It doesn’t help anything. It just makes everyone’s life worse….” “But if you’re burying your feelings deep inside you, you won’t really be you, will you?” [203]

I chose this painting to illustrate the passage. It’s one of my paintings entitled I’m Blue. I felt that this painting would best express what the quotation is saying. I used this painting the same way that Oskar used the things in his scrapbook to express his feelings. I could really relate to the quotation above from the book as soon as I read it. It stuck in my mind. When I read it I thought about the painting and how I felt at the time that I was painting it. The quotation is a perfect expression of my experience. Oskar was hurting the same way I was. There have been many times in my life that I have kept my feelings hidden deep inside of me. I just couldn’t seem to let them out. I didn’t want to share them to anyone. Just like in the quotation my heart was going crazy. It was out of control. I felt as though I couldn’t calm or console my heart no matter how hard I tried at the time. There have been times that I felt as though I were crying on the inside but I wanted to do my best to hide it from the rest of the world. It just didn’t seem fair to rain on someone else’s parade. When I was hurting, I didn’t want others to hurt so I kept my feelings hidden sometimes from those I loved. As I grew older I realized that it was not good to keep things hidden deep inside of you. I have come to realize that my feelings helped mold me into the person that I am. We all will have times like these in our lives. They will not last forever. They make us stronger and help us to grow. These are experiences in our lives that we can look back on and know that we are better because we made it through them. Sometimes it’s hard to think of the sunshine when rain is falling into your life, but we all know that it not only takes sunshine but also rain to make things grow.

She asked, “Aren’t my life and my feelings the same thing?” (page 130)

I picked this picture because it reminded me of Oskar’s scrapbook called “Things That Have Happened to Me.” In my own way, it tells my experiences, my feelings, and my life. This is a truly powerful quote. It is true. Feelings bring meaning to a person’s life. Without having feelings, there would be no reason to live. There would be no love, no fear, no sadness, and no happiness. Feelings have a weird way of ruling your life. They impact your life greatly. Although sometime your feelings can be painful, like that of Oskar’s, it can cause you to grow, and in way understand someone else’s pain.

In Oskar’s scrapbook he placed his feelings on paper visually. I think Oskar’s scrapbook is a big part of the novel. His feelings are expressed through pictures he takes with his grandfather’s camera, clips from the magazines, prints off the internet and the scratch pad at the art supply store. They all deepen the experience of seeing the world through Oskar’s eyes. Oskar’s pictures give the meaning of the story. Oskar’s perspective is limited because he is a kid. His grief and fear are shown through these pictures. They are dark and have an eerie feel to them. His facts and statistics that he rambled on about, were just a way to put distance between the feelings. The 9/11 experience he encountered gave him a horrible feeling; however his pictures can’t hide his feelings like his words can.