Have you looked around?

Where in NY can you see examples of brick buildings from the 1920s-1930s, the kind that Geremio's gang is erecting in the book?

I am asking for a precise reference and location, not just a generic "in Manhattan" or "in the Bronx."

Christ is largely autobiographical, and, yes, Italian workers were particularly skilled at this kind of construction technique due to the fact that ALL buildings in Italy are made of stones or bricks (no wood except in the northern Alps region.)

Discussion 25: Critical Thinking (nothing to do with "Christ")

My take:

1) Critical thinking begins with the question: "Am I doing this right?"

2) Critical thinking is simply "knowledge."

3) "Knowledge" is the meaning of information.
     No information? No meaning.
     The more information, the deeper the meaning.

Do you remember one of the very first topics of the course, the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the South?

Please, read this article (NYTimes).

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/opinion/sunday/racism-is-everywhere-so-why-not-move-south.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=0

COMMENTS optional

Discussion n. 24: "Christ," the hard question

My take: believing in god is like being in love. It is not something you can explain to someone else.

And for those who don't believe in god, it's impossible to understand how anybody can.

Further belaboring the metaphor: in Christ, Paul falls out of love.

WHY?

Is it because he felt betrayed by his church (Father John and the cake)?

Is it because god proved to be an illusion?

Is it because he is angry at god?

Please, don't get into useless arguments pro /con the existence of god -- you are not going to convince anyone to change his/her mind.

FOCUS on Paul's perspective and HIS reasons for rejecting faith.

 

READ ALL THE COMMENTS BEFORE YOU ANSWER.

"The Godfather" book club.

Please let me know if you want to join.

I already received one subscription.

 

 

REPLY to Jared:

I was planning on having the discussion on the blog. I will post an outline with thoughts and ideas to kick off the discussion.

Discussion n. 23: Why did Annunziata tell his kids NOT to tell anyone about the house they were about to buy?

Some of you were perplex and wondered why they had to keep it secret.

Rabia graciously allowed me to post this passage from her assignment, and will reply to your comments / questions  (and she will get extra credit -- despite the fact that she didn't ask for it)

-          Geremio bought a house after 20 years of labor in America

o                    I can feel his happiness because my family recently went through this two years back. No words do justice to the joy of owning something of your own. Well, we do have to pay mortgage, so its technically not completely ours. But still, yay!

-          Annunziata, Geremio's wife, tells the kids not to speak of their new ownership or someone will send an evil eye their way.

o                    We believe in the same

o                    We kept word of our house quiet

o                    Eventually, we had to tell everyone

o                    They were all jealous and envious, more than impressed

o                    Most of them owned homes, but liked ours better

o                    My aunt that didn't own a home did not speak to us for months, as if we had done something wrong with her

o                    Such is the envy of humans

Does this sound familiar to any of you?

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

DISCUSSION n 22: About Geremio's death (due July 8)

I am posting this anonymously as it contains personal information.

If the student who wrote it wants to be identified it's up to him/her.


“Geremio gazed about and was conscious of seeming to understand many things. He marveled at the strange feeling which permitted him to sense the familiarity of life. And yet-- all appeared unreal, a dream pungent and nostalgic.”

This quote shot me to my core because this is how I felt after losing my dad. Moments of silence, or moments that had so much going on around me yet nothing at all, provided me with so much clarity, yet utter confusion. I could sense that Geremio was on the brink of his fate. He felt he understood life so well, yet it couldn’t be possible to be so understandable. After losing my dad, I felt more vulnerable and in touch about humanity than ever before, but it all felt like a dream. I would think the most realest thoughts I have ever had, but did not believe them either. And then, in the next few pages, the gruesome details of their deaths were painful and stinging. They were so vivid. Now, I wonder what the rest of the novel will be about and how raw it will become.
 

 

COMMENTS

Discussion n. 21: That feeling of "lost" (July 5)

Just thinking....

Premise:

Kara commented  that the pics in "The Way They Were" gave her a sense of how lost those people were.

Premise:

answers indicate that this interpretation resonates deeply with many.

Condition:

supposing this could be the result of a meta-analysis or "projection":

Hypothesis:

Is it possible that so many of you responded strongly to her interpretation because you personally (and collectively, as a generation) also feel the same sense of "lost"; because you don't know what the close future is going to be like; because you worry whether your choices today (major, profession etc.) will be the right ones for the world of tomorrow?

Hazel broadened the conversation beyond concerns about personal life: she talked about finding a role in society not just as a clog that fits, but as an agent of change in society.

Is this larger role also a cause of anxiety about the future?

Open discussion.