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20 Nov 99 - 01:53 AM (#138658) Subject: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: katlaughing The place was like a shell with gold tickle of toi-toi around its edges and grass and weeds growing in green fur over mounds of rubbish. - Janet Frame: Owls do cry The above describes "the site of the Cross St rubbish dump, situated behind the present Red Kettle Youth Hostel. Symbolically, the dump is central to (her book) "Owls do cry". Watched an incredible movie tonight by Jane Campion, director of The Piano. About another incredible woman, New Zealand author, Janet Frame. The movie was her autobiography, An Angel At My Table. There's actually mroe to the title as it was done in three parts as was her book, but I don't remember all of it. Being a writer, sometimes full of the kind of angst one hopes will inspire great inspiration, I felt a kinship with her, thanking my lucky stars I didn't go through some of the particular hells she was forced did, including 8 years in a mental hospital and over 200 electric shock *treatments*. That she survived those, intact enough to produce great literature and best sellers is phenomenal, IMHO. The music for the movie was well-researched and really exquisite, esp. a Robbie Burns one, which, you are going to hate me, I cannot remember the name of and didn't have a pen handy. When I have more time, I will go find a website and look it up from the movie. kat
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20 Nov 99 - 06:50 PM (#138920) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: katlaughing It was a good movie, darnit!:-) |
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20 Nov 99 - 06:53 PM (#138922) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: Micca Hi Kat yes it is a good movie and her poetry is good too!! |
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20 Nov 99 - 07:10 PM (#138935) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: Little Neophyte Odd experience with that movie Mama Kat The film projection caught on fire 1/2 way through and the odder thing was I never attempted to see the rest of the film later on. Banjo Bonnie |
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20 Nov 99 - 07:11 PM (#138936) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: katlaughing Too bad, I found the latter half even more fascinating, sweetie. Check it out. |
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20 Nov 99 - 08:35 PM (#138975) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: Allan C. Kat, you just reminded me of this: I was once a member of Toastmasters International where I hoped to improve not only my public speaking abilities, but also to get a handle on my stage fright. A young woman gave a performance there I will never forget. She walked to the front of the room. Carefully measuring, she stepped off an invisible rectangle: four-and-a-half strides one way, a left turn, then six strides, then another set equal to the first side, then six more strides. "This was my world for two and a half years." She paused. Then she went on to show the location of the window through which she could barely make out the distorted colored images of the cars in the parking lot through the odd glass of the window (which she likened to that which is found in some bathroom windows and shower stalls except that her window had wire mesh within it). She then spoke of the door. Locked, of course. Always locked. And then there was the 8" by 10" window in the door through which, if she pressed her face to the glass, she could see what she guessed was about a seven foot long stretch of blank wall. The room was furnished with a bed and a toilet. She spoke of the medications, the humiliating baths, the shock treatments. "They always referred to it as 'electrotherapy'. But let me tell you that 'shock treatment' seems to me to be a little better at describing it." She told of the horrible cloud in her mind and her feeling of weakness after the shock treatments. She she was fairly certain that the shock treatments were responsible for her becoming "sane" again. She hated them so very much that one day she had a conversation with herself during which, she decided that she had better do something or else this life would be the only life she would have for the rest of her days. Eight months later, she was discharged. It was such an extremely intimate description of a horrible part of this woman's life that I am sure I was not the only one the room who was totally stunned by the time she had finished. I felt this way even though I used to work in a mental hospital. I think what affected us the most was the realization that this could have just as easily been a reality for any one of us. |
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20 Nov 99 - 08:45 PM (#138976) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: Little Neophyte Allan C Thank you for sharing that story BB |
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21 Nov 99 - 02:09 AM (#139075) Subject: RE: Thought for the Day - November 20th From: katlaughing Thanks, Allam. That is what struck me about Janet when watching this move. She didn't seem schizophrenic to me, although they didn't know as much *back then*, and later it was determined that she never was. The juxtaposition of her eight years in hospital with her success at getting publish was relaly surreal and astonishing. |