Week 3, Post A

VOCAB:

pamphleteers (159): Writers of pamphlets or other short works taking a partisan stand on an issue
seditious (179): arising to action or rebellion
caustic (156): severely critical or sarcastic

APPEALS:

1. "I met an old lady once, almost one hundred years old, and she told me, 'There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. How much do you love me? And Who's in charge?'" (157). This is an emotional appeal in two ways. At first the reader is eager to hear the two questions. Once these are presented, the reader wants to hear the reasoning behind this generalization and is looking forward to the examples given by the author.

2. "This morning I overslept. Which is to say-sloth that I am, I dozed until the ungodly hour of 4:15 AM" (167). This is a logical appeal because the Elizabeth's oversleeping is factual, along with the time she eventually awoke.


3. "I decided I needed to stay here at the Ashram. This was totally not in my original plan" (170). This is an emotional appeal because it sparks curiousity and surprise in the reader. Elizabeth had maintained throughout the story that she was planning on spending six weeks at the Ashram and then traveling all over India to end the trip. With the deliverance of this change in the plan the reader is eager to hear how the rest of the time will go and leaves the reader wondering about what caused Elizabeth to change her mind.

QUOTE:

"The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. In the search for God, you revert from what attracts you and swim toward that which is difficult. You abandon your comforting and familiar habits with the hope (the mere hope!) that something greater will be offered to you in return...Faith is the belief in what you cannot see or prove or touch. Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark" (175). I love this quote because I think it speaks very truthfully to the essence of faith and the strength required to maintain faith, not just in God but in anything. Elizabeth provides many thoughtful insights such as this throughout her memoir. Her deep self-analysis and her analysis of the world around her encourage me to rethink many ideas I would never have questioned before.

THEME:

I now think this book's focus is on balancing the pleasures of life and the spiritual side of life. Elizabeth's focus is on these two competing sides of life (earthly pleasures vs. divine spirituality) and the importance of the presence of both of them in life.