Short Story Two - Story and Article

Short Story #2 by: Deylah McCarty

~-Summary-~

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby is a very humorous, touching, and grounding story. His poetic words really showed me how amazing it is to be able to perform simple tasks such as waking up in the morning, walking, or just giving someone a kind smile. For Mr. Bauby, all of this was taken away in a flash. After his stroke, his only form of communication was blinking his left eye, the way that he wrote this book.
Jean-Dominique Bauby was one of the major editors for the French fashion magazine "Elle." He describes little of his ‘previous’ life, but makes himself appear to be a simple man, a normal person who follows a busy schedule like everyone else around him. However, this all changed without warning when he had a stroke on the way to get his son Théophile. In just moments he was paralyzed completely and soon fell into a coma that lasted for weeks.
You feel a deep sympathy for Mr. Bauby when he describes life as a quadriplegic, unable to do anything but blink his left eye and shake his head in the slightest. He talks mostly about his family’s feelings, his heartbroken girlfriend and his optimistic children. Bauby knows that this has affected his family, but he can see that they remain hopeful. On a lighter note, Bauby talks about visiting places in his mind, traveling and acting in movies, making the most of the limitless time he has.
This story has really taught me to appreciate everything around me. As many have said, life can be taken away in an instant. Mr. Bauby’s sad, inspiring tale has uplifted me in many ways, teaching me to fully enjoy every day, every feeling, and every freeing moment.

~-Why Did Mr. Bauby Write His Tale?-~

I don’t think Bauby wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. He wanted everyone to know that he was still alive in his body, trapped in what he described as a ‘bell’ keeping him constricted. Rather than stay lost in sorrow and memory, Bauby makes the most of things by imagining he is traveling, visiting loved ones or countries he has never been to. He tells of how you can really be inventive even in the most horrible moments. I believe he wrote his tale to show what the world is like through the eyes of someone considered ‘less fortunate.’ Through Bauby’s struggle to cope with this new life, he writes everything he thinks, from eating an imaginary meal to how he perceives the hospital staff. At some point in the book he writes that he wants to keep in contact with the general public, as they began to believe he is a vegetable, to show them that he is still intelligent, still stable inside.
It is human nature to want to peer into the lives of people much different than ourselves and to understand something completely different. Bauby does this, and he answers all and any questions anyone could have about him. He speaks of his physical pain, his mental pain, his thoughts, feelings and dreams.
Shortly after his book was published, Mr. Bauby passed on, but he said all he needed to say. He refused to be silent even when his vocal cords were useless, and even now his words still speak clearly around the world.

~-Questions-~

1) Why do you think it is important to read about moments in other people's lives?

With stories like Bauby’s, I believe it is important to read them because it really teaches you how much we can take simple gifts for granted. Especially with Bauby’s, you can see that everything you are able to do is such a blessing.

2) Why are these kinds of stories so popular?
They are most likely popular because they are a real artifact from something that has happened to someone, and so when we read them we put ourselves in that person’s place and become attached to that character, growing and experiencing with the character.

3) Are there instances in your life that would be helpful to other people to read about?
Yes, such as my autobiography. I also think anyone could write about an event that changed their life and have it help other people.

Writing Two - Descriptive Writing - "The Organ"

Writing #2 – Descriptive Writing
"The Organ"
By: Deylah McCarty

Waiting for me in the old garage room, my organ sits, an old, patient friend. Bathed in dust, and subdued in shadow, my organ does not mind. It waits calmly for my return each day, for me to touch its cold keys, so cracked and rough. In the organ room, it is a different world. The farthest wall is wide, filled entirely with the looming organ, standing tall like a sentry. The air is warm and moist, and dust floats past my vision when I open the door, blowing a gentle gust across the floor. There is no light in the organ room; only a clouded, cracked window that allows a sliver of sunlight to pour onto the floor. I take my time to walk across the creaky floor, sneaking as if I may wake the organ from a deep slumber. I sit down quietly, and prepare to play. My fingers move gracefully, playing out a silent tune as I hum and imagine the deep, windy sound of air traveling through the organ’s pipes. I move to my organ’s side, looking up through the dusty air to the stained brass pipes, reaching up, cold and lonely; the tallest brushes the ceiling. I touch the cold metal, tarnished and old, and smile at my warped reflection in the brass mirrors.

Many days I have spent, sitting with my organ, playing silent compositions as I inhaled the musty old air. I can hear the organ play in my mind, a sweet, grand sound. Without my imagination, all I would hear is the old piano chair groaning against my weight, complaining, and the squeaky old floorboards, unaccustomed to my presence. I try to visit my old organ every day, but I begin to realize that I am avoiding doing so. Slowly I stop going into my organ’s old chamber, for fear that I will seep into a depression at seeing it so blank and unused. I can no longer bear the moldy scent, the silence, the dark dankness, nor the loneliness that lurks in my organ’s room.

Months pass. I no longer can hear the organ play in my mind. Instead, I play my electric piano, a tune that I don’t have to imagine. The chair I sit in is perfectly quiet, and the floor makes no complaint of my footsteps. I soon begin to stop thinking about my organ. It becomes a piece of old junk that clutters my mind as much as the room it inhabits. The organ haunts me, crying out in a silent plea for me to please visit it, don’t ignore it, to stay with it. I begin to grow anxious for a solution, until one becomes very clear to me: I have to get rid of the organ.

The solution! A young instrument collector came and looked at my organ, poking here and tapping there as I watched with the eyes of a protective mother. He tapped his clean-shaven chin, slowly filling the room with the deep, acrid scent of his expensive cologne, which was most definitely not worth the price. He pondered, mumbling to his clipboard, and finally came to a joyous conclusion: "This organ of yours is very old, but can be repaired. My company will buy it from you for $100,000."

Grand magnificence awaits on the spacious stage, flourishing in its newfound beauty and appeal. I feel a buzz of excitement sparkle through me, ecstatic about this now beautiful organ of mine. No longer does it make me feel dark and saddened, and no longer is it a burden on my shoulders. Care-given and fixed to new, I barely recognize the magnificent object against the stage wall, towering above all other instruments. The brass pipes rise high, polished, gleaming bright in the stage lights. Nothing compares to its grand elegance, but I can still remember sitting with my organ in its big, moldy room, dreaming of its sound, inhaling its musty scent. I still smell it as I watch my organ on the stage, and it still makes my nose twitch.

The organ is played and I clap, even cry. My old, weak organ is reborn! So many times I had sat with my organ, playing those silent melodies, but now my wonderful, rough-keyed organ is played, and the sound, oh the sound! Such a magnificent, melodic tune, so sweet and pure to the ears. My organ pierces the silence like a golden-armored warrior. The pipes tremble, breaching the silence they had held so long. My imagined melody is made real! I smile in pure joy at my organ. My beautiful, dustless organ.

Independent Reading - Week Six

For week six I tried to read more Harry Potter, but someone else is reading it right now, so I'll have to wait. In the meantime I found a new book I really like called "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby. It's very good, and I should be finished with it soon. (I especially like this book because the man wrote it by using an alphabet code and only blinking his left eye [he had had a stroke and was almost fully paralyzed].)

Independent Reading - Week Five

For week five I read Harry Potter, and I haven't written how many pages on my reading log yet, but I'll do that once I see the book and figure it out. :) As for that book, I am enjoying it very much so far. I'll probably read the entire series, maybe even finsish by the end of second semester! (Ha ha, maybe...)

Independent Reading - Week Four

For week four I started to read "A Wind in the Door" by Madeleine L'Engle, but I kind of slacked off and didn't really read much because it wasn't as good as the original book ("A Wrinkle in Time") and so I didn't really read the rest of it... I switched instead to Harry Potter again, but I didn't read that until week 5.

Independent Reading - Week Three

For week three, I began to read The Wide Window (the third book in the Unfortunate series) and I like it so far, but as I read I am remembering how it went (becauase I read it a few years ago) so I think I'll start reading a new book I found called A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

Independent Reading - Week Two

For week two I also read The Reptile Room, and finished it up. As I said before, I think these books are really funny and entertaining, but I'd like to read more serious books rather than continue with the Unfortunate Events series.

Independent Reading - Week One

For week one I read A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. I like this book (and these series) because it contains a lot of humor that's in my taste. I also find it interesting because it has a lot of words in it that I don't know.