Comments for Paying Attention http://lynnehugo.com/blog a blog about writing literary fiction Tue, 08 May 2012 02:27:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Lunatic by Bill Wilcox http://lynnehugo.com/blog/?p=616#comment-367 Bill Wilcox Tue, 08 May 2012 02:27:55 +0000 http://lynnehugo.com/blog/?p=616#comment-367 That is some trajectory - from a bird beating itself senseless defending its territory from whoever that intruder is looking back at him (or her?), to have one's own book banned. Of course a book banned is a book that gives recognition to the author by way of a public's negative reaction. You really hit the target in the (many?) prejudices of those people? My question is, though, how do you know one or more of your books haven't been banned? Indeed, how do you know that you haven't influenced people now or in the future. Book banning takes time, as does book loving. Think about the fact that if any of our thoughts got out there in the public, most, if not all of us, would be banned in a minute. The difference between thoughts and books is to have the courage to put our thoughts on paper in the most effective way to get a response. Even so, we may never know the kind of influence we have. That is the nature of those whose fate is to live by words. An example - Some years ago I visited a young girl in Cape Cod hospital's mental division. She was there because she could not come to terms with a particular Biblical verse that seemed to damn her coming and going. She felt she was damned because her interpretation said the greatest sin was to be unaware of the Holy Spirit. I told her that of course she was aware or she wouldn't be so concerned about have sinned. After I left I didn't see her again until two years later when we happened to be at the same meeting. She recognized me and came over. She said, "Chaplain, I am so grateful to you. You set me free." Who needs to produce a book banned in Boston! The recognitions come great distances, but that they come even once is, to my mind, indication of unseen riches. That is some trajectory – from a bird beating itself senseless defending its territory from whoever that intruder is looking back at him (or her?), to have one’s own book banned. Of course a book banned is a book that gives recognition to the author by way of a public’s negative reaction. You really hit the target in the (many?) prejudices of those people? My question is, though, how do you know one or more of your books haven’t been banned? Indeed, how do you know that you haven’t influenced people now or in the future. Book banning takes time, as does book loving.
Think about the fact that if any of our thoughts got out there in the public, most, if not all of us, would be banned in a minute. The difference between thoughts and books is to have the courage to put our thoughts on paper in the most effective way to get a response. Even so, we may never know the kind of influence we have. That is the nature of those whose fate is to live by words.
An example – Some years ago I visited a young girl in Cape Cod hospital’s mental division. She was there because she could not come to terms with a particular Biblical verse that seemed to damn her coming and going. She felt she was damned because her interpretation said the greatest sin was to be unaware of the Holy Spirit. I told her that of course she was aware or she wouldn’t be so concerned about have sinned.
After I left I didn’t see her again until two years later when we happened to be at the same meeting. She recognized me and came over. She said, “Chaplain, I am so grateful to you. You set me free.”
Who needs to produce a book banned in Boston! The recognitions come great distances, but that they come even once is, to my mind, indication of unseen riches.

]]> Comment on Lunatic by Preston Neal Jones http://lynnehugo.com/blog/?p=616#comment-364 Preston Neal Jones Sat, 28 Apr 2012 06:27:09 +0000 http://lynnehugo.com/blog/?p=616#comment-364 Nu, why DO some folks challenge MOCKINGBIRD? Something in the language, the N-word, maybe? Sexuality and violence reported in the trial scenes? I'd love to know. And I'd be VERY curious how MOCKINGBIRD still makes the list but somehow HUCKLEBERRY FINN finally gets a reprieve. It happens that just a couple of weeks ago the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had a special 50th anniversary screening of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, with special guest Mary Badham ("Scout.") She gave up acting long ago and now devotes herself to social issues, especially education. Surprisingly, (to me, anyway), since this was after all the MOTION PICTURE Academy, virtually all the introductory remarks and the post-film discussion (between Ms. Badham, a lady who is a civil rights attorney, and a gentleman who'd been one of the students to integrate Alabama schools,) centered around the racial and social aspects of the film and its continued relevance for contemporary times. Funny thing, but my personal love for the film has always been based on the nostalgic treatment of childhood, and when I recall the movie I almost never think about the civil rights conflicts depicted. (Composer Elmer Bernstein was at a loss as to how to score the film until he hit upon the fact that the whole story presented the adult world through the eyes of a child, and his beautiful music reflects that eloquently.) Nu, why DO some folks challenge MOCKINGBIRD? Something in the language, the N-word, maybe? Sexuality and violence reported in the trial scenes? I’d love to know. And I’d be VERY curious how MOCKINGBIRD still makes the list but somehow HUCKLEBERRY FINN finally gets a reprieve.

It happens that just a couple of weeks ago the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had a special 50th anniversary screening of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, with special guest Mary Badham (“Scout.”) She gave up acting long ago and now devotes herself to social issues, especially education. Surprisingly, (to me, anyway), since this was after all the MOTION PICTURE Academy, virtually all the introductory remarks and the post-film discussion (between Ms. Badham, a lady who is a civil rights attorney, and a gentleman who’d been one of the students to integrate Alabama schools,) centered around the racial and social aspects of the film and its continued relevance for contemporary times. Funny thing, but my personal love for the film has always been based on the nostalgic treatment of childhood, and when I recall the movie I almost never think about the civil rights conflicts depicted. (Composer Elmer Bernstein was at a loss as to how to score the film until he hit upon the fact that the whole story presented the adult world through the eyes of a child, and his beautiful music reflects that eloquently.)

]]> Comment on Lunatic by Emily Kemme http://lynnehugo.com/blog/?p=616#comment-358 Emily Kemme Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:25:00 +0000 http://lynnehugo.com/blog/?p=616#comment-358 Be glad that you only have one robin jousting at your windows. At our house, we have daily repetitions of that glass-shuddering "bam!" That's when we look at one another, roll our eyes and say, "oh no, there goes another one." Birds haunt our windows, leaving their spreadeagled (or robined, sparrowed, and the like) dusty outlines as a reminder that our house is in their path. Or so I'd thought. I was convinced they were committing suicide on a daily basis because our windows happened to be in the way. Now that I understand they're doing battle, I can't be as sympathetic. Particularly since the collies, Flopsy and Mopsy, dine on the birds' war-weary bodies. In a sense, I'm winning the game. The dogs each much less dog food. . . Be glad that you only have one robin jousting at your windows. At our house, we have daily repetitions of that glass-shuddering “bam!” That’s when we look at one another, roll our eyes and say, “oh no, there goes another one.” Birds haunt our windows, leaving their spreadeagled (or robined, sparrowed, and the like) dusty outlines as a reminder that our house is in their path. Or so I’d thought. I was convinced they were committing suicide on a daily basis because our windows happened to be in the way. Now that I understand they’re doing battle, I can’t be as sympathetic. Particularly since the collies, Flopsy and Mopsy, dine on the birds’ war-weary bodies. In a sense, I’m winning the game. The dogs each much less dog food. . .

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