Working it out...

Today I got stood up by two of my students, on top of a long break I had already had in my schedule. But I can't get too upset because it offers the perfect excuse to catch up on my reading. So I hung out at the office for three hours straight absorbing myself in my book. In the chapter I am currently on, Obama delves into black anger. Although he relates, he seems to view it from an outside perspective, as I suppose he does with everything, which is pretty cool. He briefly discusses the differing philosophies of Malcolm X and Farrakhan, and relates an episode when he and his then-girlfriend argued over a play they'd seen. When Obama laughs at the anger depicted throughout the play, his girlfriend doesn't understand. The issues of blacks are related to that of the surviving Jews of World War II, yet she doesn't see any similarity. And, she ends their relationship stating that she could never be black. He talks about how it angers some blacks when white people discuss the idea of equality, as we can never be equal because of our vastly different and complexly integrated pasts.



Tonight on the playbill was The Reader, a movie that actually looks at the lingering effects of the Holocaust. This added a whole new dimension for me regarding my "Breaking the Cycle" post from earlier this week. I mentioned how no one deserves a lowering of status, but it appears it is more complicated than that. What happens to the anger that results from past wrongs? What happens to the sadness? The guilt? How does that work itself out in a societal sense? How long does it take to work out? Forever?

I watched the "Making of" afterward and was attentive to every word the author of the book it was based on spoke. His writing process. I still feel I am trying to work mine out in the form of this blog. Maybe in order to break down characters and get to the true heart of issues with your writing, you must first break down and get to the truth within yourself and the world around you. I don't know yet, but I can't help but feel that the answer is just over the horizon.



I was actually inspired by the movie poster for The Reader for this shot. My husband bought me some new bulbs today that I had wanted to use to try out different lighting, and I love them! I definitely want to work more with this "up close and personal" type shot.