#like no pinocchio is a whole book there is no pinocchio before collodi it's not an oral tradition that was sanitised | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tm0500042 · 4 years

Text

Notes from Collodi’s Pinocchio

I have now finished reading Collodi’s Pinocchio. While reading I made notes of everything I believed to be of note or which may be useful to refer to in the course of my essay:

p.3: The wood itself is alive p.4-5 Geppetto described as “jolly” but “short-tempered”, and gets into a physical altercation p.8 Geppetto shows anger towards P, even before he has come to life p. 10 Geppetto’s aggression towards P gets him sent to prison p. 11 Introduction of the cricket, P tells him to leave p.12 Cricket warns P about running away from home P wants a life “to eat, drink, sleep and amuse myself” P.13 P attacks cricket in anger P.19 Cat is violent towards P, Geppetto again threatens P with violence P. 21 Geppetto feeds P P.22 Geppetto lets P “cry and complain for half a day” as punishment P. 23 Geppetto’s poverty is noted, he makes clothes for P P.24 Sells clothes to help feed P P.25 P says he want to learn at school P.26 Quickly gives into temptation, doesn’t go to school P.27 Sells book Gepetto sacrificed for him, text draws attention to Geppetto’s sacrifice being disrespected P.30 P one of many other living puppets P.31 Fire-eater/circus master sympathises with P once sees he is sad Guilt established within book as common factor for kindness P.33 P offers to sacrifice himself for other puppets P.35 Financial concerns noted P.36 Blackbird appears, acts as voice of conscience P.37 P tempted by financial incentives P.38 Fox and cat act as representatives of glutony P.41 P Pays money to help friends Ghost of cricket appears says “Children who do as they please and want to have their own ways sorry for it sooner or later” P.42 “May heaven preserve” you (implication of religious/Christian element to the story) P.43 P says that “all try to advise boys as if they are their fathers” P.46-47 ethereal blue haired child described P.48 Violent death imagery P.49 Blue haired child identified as “fairy” P.53-54 P told to drink bitter water before he can taste sugar, has sugar first then tries to avoid the water (metaphor for needing to work before getting the rewards in life) P.54 P says that would “rather die than drink that horrid medicine” P.55 “We bad boys fear the medicine more than the sickness” (consequences rather than treatment) P.56 Nose grows upon lying about money P.57 Fairy laughs at his lies P.58 P can’t get through the door because of nose; a comic image P says wants to live with fairy P.60 P remembers but ignores advice P.62 Fox and Cat promise to “show you how to get rich without hard work” P.63 P reflects on “what a fine gentleman” he’ll be once he has money P.64 Parrot mentions importance of earning “money honestly with the labour of your hands or your brains” P.65 Very quick change of scene (court house” Four months go by P taken to prison and everyone released P.67 P refers to fairy as “sister” P.68 P refers to himself as “ungrateful, heartless” P.70 “hunger not a good excuse for taking what is not yours” P.72 P admits he “wanted to be a good for nothing, and a vagabond” P.75 P given freedom in return for telling “truth” P.76-77 Blue haired child dies “of sorrow” P.79 Sees Geppetto at sea by coincidence P.82 P refers to himself as “the worst son” and Geppetto “the best father” P.83 Description of Shark P says “I was not born for work” “Only the aged, and crippled, have a right to be” P.84 P notes he is “not a donkey” P.87 Fairy denies, then reveals identity, to P P.88 “If you deserved it, you could become [a real boy]...by being a good boy”; fairly describes what good boys do P promises to turn over new leaf P.89 P says he doesn’t like work, fairy says people who talk like that “end up in hospital or prison...everybody must work” “Idleness is a disease of which one should be cured immediately in childhood, if not, one never gets over it” Blue fairy says promise of being a real boy “depends on [P] P.90 P goes to school P.91 Wins respect of whole school including master Warned of “bad friends, will make you loose love for books” P.93 Kids ask P “aren’t you ashamed to be so proper and industrious; you make us look so small in the master’s eyes” P.94 P identifies “seven [bad kids], like the seven deadly sins” P is punched, retaliates P.96 Book hits one of bad boys, P waits until police arrived P.97 P taken by police as it was his book P.98 P runs away to sea P.100 P saves mastiff’s life for self-interest “One good deed deserves another” P.106 Pretends not to be P, and responds to description as “slander” Nose shrinks as he confesses his sins P.108 Needs snail to open door, snail moves at sluggish pace P.109 3.5 hours of snail journey! p.110 Abrupt shift- P goes to school for year and becomes top student Fairy promises “tomorrow cease to be a puppet and become a real boy”

P.110 Party planned to celebrate become real boy P.111 “Children make promises very easily, but they are not so ready to keep their promises” P.112 P’s friend Lampwick introduced “laziest and most mischievous boy in the school” P.113 Dreamland introduced, Lampwick tempts P P.114 P resists temptation because of promise P.115 P gives in to more and more temptation P.118 P “sighs” as he realises he will do the wrong thing again P.119 Whispered words warning P of furture P.121 Five months pass in Dreamland

P.122-123 P turning into Donkey, told has donkey fever by a squirrel p.13 “It is writted in the decrees above that lazy children...must end up, sooner or later, becoming little donkeys” P asks why listen to a false friend P describes self as “heartless puppet, with no sense” p.126 P and Lampwick become donkeys, first find funny, then traumativ p.128 Children become donkeys “from endless playing, and lack of studying” Lampwick’s fate is unknown but P has “a hard life full of drudgery” p.129 P eats hey, not so bad but says “how much better it would have been if I’d gone on with my studies” P says “I hope my failure will serve as a lesson to disobedient children who don’t like studying” p.131 P tries to call out to fairy but can only bray p.132 P becomes donkey taken to market p.133 P bought for skins for five crowns New owner tries to drown P p.134 Fourth-wall break (”what do you think?”) becomes puppet again p.135 P says “every mother loves her child...helps him with all his troubles, even when he deserves no help” p.137 Shark described as “Atilla of fish and fishmen” p.138 P sucked in by shark p.141 P finds Geppetto, confesses sins P.142 Geppetto lived in shark for two years P 143 P identifies need to escape immediately P.144 P takes charge and rescues Geppetto P.145 P encourages father to stay brave p.146 Fish helps them p.148 Cow and fox afflicted with afflictions they pretended to have “The devil’s flour is all bran” p.148 Cricket asks P to remember his cruel treatment, and says that “should treat everyone as kindly as possible” p.149 P works for money to rescue Geppetto p.150 Meets Lampwick as a donkey P works for five months and practices reading and writing in the evening

p.151 Geppetto survives through “ingenuity and diligence” Snail tells P that fairy is in hospital P gives all money has to save fairy P.152 P says he would give his clothes Snail now runs Lies “couldn’t find suit that would fit me” but nose does not grow Works harder after sacrifice Wakes up as real boy P.153 Laughs at puppet form

#Narratology

9 notes · View notes

citylightsbooks · 4 years

Text

Interview with Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Author of The Mountains Sing.

Born into the Viet Nam War in 1973, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai grew up witnessing the war’s devastation and its aftermath. She worked as a street seller and rice farmer before winning a scholarship to attend university in Australia. She is the author of eight books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction published in Vietnamese, and her writing has been translated and published in more than 10 countries, most recently in Norton’s Inheriting the War anthology. She has been honored with many awards, including the Poetry of the Year 2010 Award from the Ha Noi Writers Association, as well as many grants and fellowships. Married to a European diplomat, Quế Mai is currently living in Jakarta with her two teenage children. For more information about Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, visit her at nguyenphanquemai.com. Her new novel is The Mountains Sing, published by Algonquin.

***

City Lights: If you’ve been to City Lights before, what’s your memory of the visit?

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai: In June 2018, while I was at the “Dialogues Across Borders” writing retreat hosted by the Djerassi Artists Program and the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN), I accompanied Viet Thanh Nguyen and Thi Bui to their event at City Lights, for the launch of The Displaced. The three of us traveled by car from the Djerassi Residency. During that beautiful drive, Viet told me the history of City Lights and how the books that you published had influenced the whole publishing industry. When I attended the event at City Lights, I was deeply impressed by how smoothly everything ran. The house was full that night and the audience was so attentive and fantastic.

Before the event, I browsed your store and felt immediately at home. I was ecstatic to find quite a few titles from Vietnam, including several novels of Dương Thu Hương.

I love bookstores and there is nothing that makes me happier than being surrounded by books. I just want to take this opportunity to thank booksellers and readers who support independent bookstores. You are my heroes!

What are you reading right now?

There are too many good books to read, therefore I am always going through four to five books at the same time, some in English and the rest in Vietnamese. I often re-read my favorites, too. My reading list includes newly released as well as award-winning titles. If interested, you can check out my Goodreads page to see what I am currently reading or have recently read.

At this very moment, I am re-reading books penned by the amazing authors with whom I’ll be having conversations during my book tour (Viet Thanh Nguyen, Karl Marlantes, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, Thi Bui, Madeleine Thien, Ethelbert Miller, Wayne Karlin). I know that my conversations with them will be centered on The Mountains Sing but I would also like to mention how influential their work has been to me. [Editor’s note: Que Mai’s Spring 2020 book tour was unfortunately canceled due to coronavirus concerns]

What book or writer do you always find yourself recommending?

I often recommend Vietnamese writers whose books can’t be published in Vietnam or have been withdrawn from the market due to censorship reasons. My recent recommendations include Nguyễn Quang Lập’s Kiến Chuột và Ruồi (Ants, Rats and Flies), Hoàng Minh Tường’s Thời của Thánh Thần (Times of the Gods), and Tạ Duy Anh’s Mối Chúa (The Queen Termite). These novels are about the turbulent Vietnamese history as well as the current situation. I would love to see them translated and published in English.

What writers/artists/people do you find the most influential to the writing of The Mountains Sing and/or your writing in general?

When I was six years old, my family moved from my birth village in north Việt Nam to Bạc Liêu, a small town that dangles on Vietnam’s southern tip. We traveled across Bến Hải River which had slashed my country into two during the Vietnam War – the war that lasted nearly twenty years and killed more than three million people. When we arrived in Bạc Liêu, it was just a few years after the war and the north-south tension was high. For a long while I didn’t have any friends, and books were my companions. They enabled me to escape loneliness and poverty. My imagination and joy soared with books such as Tô Hoài’s Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (Diary of a Cricket), One Thousand and One Nights, Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio… These books, along with the many others that I read during my childhood, pulled me into the arms of literature. And it was the real-life stories from my relatives, neighbors and friends that ignited in me the wish of becoming a writer.

If you opened a bookstore, where would it be located, what would it be called, and what would your bestseller be?

Khương Dụ Village where I was born and Bạc Liêu Town where I grew up are far away from any big city of Vietnam. Readers there don’t get easy access to literature. If I had a chance, I would open bookstores in both places. It would be exhilarating to invite authors there for book events, run book clubs and foster a wide range of activities that entice people to fall in love with literature. The bookstores would be call Ánh Sáng, because books bring light to our lives, as well as to our world. As for the bestseller, I don’t know and I don’t think it’s so important. Whenever I can persuade someone to pick up a book and read, whether it’s my book or another author’s, I consider it a triumph.

#Nuguyen Phan Que Mai #The Mountains Sing #City Lights Bookstore

4 notes · View notes

caselottiscastle · 4 years

Text

2. Pinocchio (1940)

A Little About the Film

After the great success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney decided to make another adaptation, Pinocchio, based on the children’s book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Walt recruited more famous voices for the characters in his second film, such as Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket), Dickie Jones (Pinocchio), and Evelyn Venable (the Blue Fairy). Although it seemed that all factors pointed in the right direction, it took years before the film won popular approval, tanking at the box office but winning two Academy Awards for its music. The film benefited from a re-release in 1945 that saw more audiences coming out to see the picture. Today, it has a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and it is still ever-present in Disney culture.

Plot Summary

Like the first Disney picture Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the film begins on a shot of hands opening a storybook. (This is a direct homage to the fact that the following story is an adaptation, and it also sets you up for that child-like feeling of being enshrined in a book. Fun fact: the books surrounding the Pinocchio book are Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan!)

A cricket named Jiminy Cricket takes us into the story, and then takes himself into the quaint cottage of Geppetto, a woodcarver. Jiminy’s technically not supposed to be there, but he makes himself cozy in the house anyway. Geppetto lives with his cat, Figaro, and his goldfish, Cleo. They are happy together, but you can tell that Geppetto wants another companion– a child of his own. Geppetto is putting the finishing touches on his latest wooden creation, a puppet named Pinocchio when he remarks “wouldn’t it be nice if he were a real boy.” His cat and fish, in their adorably loyal jealousy, don’t seem to think so.

As Jiminy Cricket settles down in a cigar box, Geppetto and Figaro settle in for the night– and then a shooting star passes. Geppetto wishes for a real boy. He falls back asleep, and the Blue Fairy comes and gives Pinocchio sentience– (he is still a puppet outwardly, but he can walk and talk like a human). The Blue Fairy tells Pinocchio that in order to become a real boy, he must prove himself to be “brave, truthful, and unselfish.” She also tells him that he must learn to choose between right and wrong, and that his conscience will always help him do that. Jiminy Cricket, who we know by now eavesdrops on everyone’s business, basically volunteers himself to be Pinocchio’s conscience. Geppetto wakes up to Pinocchio and is shocked and delighted to be able to interact with him.

The next day, Geppetto sends Pinocchio to school. While Pinocchio is on his way, he is spotted by a fox named Honest John and his ditzy cat sidekick. Honest John, in search of cash, seeks to enter Pinocchio into Stromboli’s puppet show. He manipulates Pinocchio, telling him that he can show him the “easy road to success.” As Honest John steers Pinocchio away from the path to school, Jiminy Cricket awakes to the horror that he has slept in late. He rushes to find Pinocchio with Honest John, but cannot save him in time. When he cannot convince Pinocchio to go to school, he gets frustrated and leaves.

Pinocchio performs in Stromboli’s show to great success. But when he wants to go home, Stromboli locks him in a cage and Stromboli’s true colors are revealed (although it is pretty clear from first glance that he is bad news). Luckily, our not-so-perfect conscience Jiminy Cricket decides to check in on Pinocchio after sensing danger. He isn’t able to help him get out of the cage, but the Blue Fairy appears. She questions why he didn’t go to school, and Pinocchio lies. With each lie, his nose grows longer and longer. Panicked, Pinocchio promises that he won’t tell any more lies. The Blue Fairy warns him that she won’t be able to help him after this time, and helps him escape.

Honest John and his sidekick aren’t done scheming yet. They strike a deal with a coachman to find young “naughty” boys to bring to a place called Pleasure Island. Because this movie needs to get darker and darker, they run into Pinocchio again and decide to target him.

Again, Honest John is able to convince Pinocchio to listen to him. Pinocchio arrives at Pleasure Island, a place with an eerie carnival vibe and zero rules. Pinocchio and his new friend, a little punk named Lampwick, participate in smoking, drinking, vandalizing, and gambling. At this point in the story, Jiminy Cricket can do nothing but watch in distress.

Adult fun with zero adult supervision? To many of the kids, the place seems like heaven, although Pinocchio isn’t completely comfortable with it all.

After a while, the island’s secret is revealed: the boys will be turned into donkeys and sold into slavery. Pinocchio witnesses Lampwick turn into a donkey and begins to transform as well. With the help of Jiminy, he escapes the island before becoming a full donkey.

When they return to the village, they find Geppetto’s cottage empty. They are informed that Geppetto sent out to save Pinocchio from Pleasure Island but was swallowed by a sperm whale in travelling there. Pinocchio and Jiminy swim in the sea and get swallowed by the sperm whale and find Geppetto on a makeshift boat in the whale’s belly.

Source

(Side comment: the whole concept of this is so cool. It might be my favorite part of the movie. Geppetto’s boat is fully loaded with his daily essentials and kitchenware, which is so unrealistic but very cute. His pets Figaro and Cleo are with him on the boat too).

Geppetto and Pinocchio have a heartwarming reunion, and they plot to get out of the whale by making it sneeze. Their plan succeeds, but just when you think the ending is near, the whale decides to chase them. (This scene is just so hokey unnecessary in my opinion. There is no reason why they should survive, going up against a speeding sperm whale, but they do, and they make it to shore.)

On shore, Geppetto, Jiminy, Figaro, and Cleo are dismayed to find that Pinocchio is dead. (Apparently a wood puppet and the ocean don’t mix). But because the Blue Fairy thinks that Pinocchio proved himself to be a “real boy,” she brings him back to life in the form of a fully human child.

The Re-Watch

My first thoughts on the re-watch were “well, I guess I know why I didn’t watch this one too many times as a kid.”

Pinocchio is really dark and not just in the sense that bad things happen… there is an air of eeriness surrounding this entire movie. For me, it’s there the whole time, even during the happy parts. This could be for several reasons. Many of the characters look uncanny to me– Pinocchio, Geppetto, and especially Lampwick.

And aside from the many distressing points of the story, the most discomforting part of the whole story is the sense of enduring evil.

Unlike in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, where the loose ends are tied up and the Wicked Queen is defeated, there is not a sense of defeated evil in Pinocchio. None of the film’s villains are stopped; they all accomplish their goals in one way or another and get away unscathed. Stromboli, Honest John, and the Coachmen are free to keep doing whatever they please.

I think this is a really strong point of the story, and it is by far the most realistic. In the real world, people who do bad things go on living, often without ever getting caught or changing the error of their ways. If I remember correctly, this idea is also present in other classic Disney films such as Dumbo and Bambi, but way more subtly. In those films, the animals must put up with and try to overcome the deeds of humans, but there is no sense of total victory, only continuous struggle.

Now that I think about it, this idea might be one reason classic Disney films are known to be much darker. Nowadays, we see villains conquered or “enlightened” all the time (think Incredibles 2 or Moana), which is the far more cheerful, but way less realistic outcome.

This is all not to say that Pinocchio is the most nitty-gritty story. There is a lot of signature Disney fluff, beginning with the successful wishing upon a star in the opening of the film. (Fun fact: The song “When you Wish Upon a Star” debuted here.)

There is also a lot of rhetoric for the kids, whom this film is clearly targeted at– all the “don’t talk to strangers, don’t steal, don’t drink or smoke or vandalize or skip school, listen to your conscience, be truthful, and make sure to be optimistic” makes it clear that Walt Disney specifically wanted Pinocchio to be a cautionary tale to children–and a hit with the parents.

Pinocchio’s rhetoric follows in the trend of the children’s literature at this time of the 20th century, which looked to moralizing more often than it did actual storytelling. Given this, it is cool that Pinocchio seamlessly blends the two to give a pretty entertaining story.

Overall, Pinocchio is a very interesting follow-up to Snow White- interesting because of the different tone it takes on, going deeper and darker in its portrayal of evil while dosing out more rhetoric for the kiddies. A neat connection between the two stories is that both of the title characters share the same hamartia: gullibility. (Pinocchio’s other main flaw is lying, but we can see that his very first issue is being manipulated easily). I wonder how far we’ll see this hamartia in Disney films…just kidding, I already know it’ll happen a lot, haha.

Thank you for reading! Next up is a hybrid film of live-action and animation, Fantasia! See ya then

#disney #review #film #classic disney #pinocchio

2 notes · View notes

hollenka99 · 5 years

Text

The Great War

Summary: Jackson Trinity continues to find more success, Jameson with it. However, a war rages on in Europe and it is inevitable that hearts will be broken by the end of it.

Warnings: Minor character death, World War One, references to infant/child mortality

July 29, 1914

Dear Mother,

I think I may have accidentally trained my son to call me Pops. He quite enjoys it when Siobhan and I sing 'Pop Goes The Weasel'. I think it may be his favourite tune. Siobhan will sing the song while I will pop to emphasize the last line by pulling my finger out of my mouth. He loves that. He has taken to following me around, attempting to do the same. Failing that, he tries to say the word.

So, I suppose I am 'Pops' now. I don't mind, especially with origins like these. Siobhan is still 'Momma'.

Yours, Jameson

August 5, 1914 Harvey,

I heard Great Britain declared war on Germany. I know exactly what that means for Canada. I also know what your intentions are. I disagree with them wholly. Enlisting is the wrong thing to do. You have three young daughters who rely on you, not to mention Edith. What would happen to them while you were away getting shot at?

I don't know whether you miss South Africa, the structure of the army or simply enjoy risking your safety. I cannot begin to imagine why you are so set on enlisting. I could tell you would be the type to come running at Hughes' beck and call. And to think, I counted myself lucky that the British had not yet announced their plans to get involved.

Yours, Jameson

August 21, 1914 Jameson,

For someone who is rarely verbal, you have surprising trouble knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

I am fully aware of the risks involved with warfare. Have you forgotten that I have military experience? I've already fought against those primitive Boers. The Europeans should be an actual fight worth being part of.

Furthermore, don't speak to me about leaving family behind. You make constant promises of visiting Saint John yet never deliver upon them. You are forever telling us you plan to see your nieces and nephews then never show. We wouldn't know what Anthony looks like if it were not for those meaningless photographs you send. When you stop turning your back on us so you can progress your career, perhaps then we can discuss familial commitment.

It's all glamorous for you, the beginnings of a life in the spotlight. Soon, you'll have it all. By the end of the decade, you'll be living in a large expensive home with an impressive array of influential acquaintances. One day, it will all come crashing down on you. Technology will advance further than you can cope and it will leave you irrelevant. Face it Jameson, moving pictures are going to have sound eventually. Where is that going to leave a mute such as yourself?

My daughters will grow up knowing their father served their country bravely, an ordinary hero like thousands of others. All Anthony will have to be proud of is a father who starred in the pictures before he became forgotten about.

Yours, Harvey

September 7, 1914 Harvey,

Don't try insult me.

When I inevitably have to hold our mother as she grieves, I'll remember how stubbornly arrogant you have been. You weren't there for over two years. There wasn't a day where she wouldn't worry endlessly for your safety. Then Father died. We had to watch her fall apart. He'd been ill during Christmastide and he barely saw the new year. She became a widow and all she would talk about was the goddamn telegram she swore she would receive any day. It was hell to see her like that. I may live on the other side of the continent, in whole other country, but I know where her head will go as soon as you leave Saint John. I'm not 13 any longer. I am not at home to ensure she is not fixated on very possible outcomes. The only one left in Saint John will be Mabel. God knows she pulled her weight and then some at the beginning of this century. Once again, you're tearing everything apart.

It is clear you have rendered yourself deaf to sense. So go. Go get yourself killed. Allow yourself to be shot at, far away from home and curse your family with bereavement. Make your daughters question what their absent father was like. I don't care if you find your life at the factory tedious. Your outlet should not be risking everything that matters. No brother of mine would turn his back on family.

Furthermore, I have been to Saint John with Anthony. You could have met him if you weren't celebrating Thanksgiving elsewhere. I know my career has a time limit. It is why I am so determined to succeed and give my son the best life possible. Far better than the life you could ever provide your children. I may have been happy to lend you some of my profits, if you weren't acting like an ass.

Yours, Jameson

October 19, 1914 Dear Jameson,

While I am tired of hearing about your argument with Harvey, I thought you have the right to be updated. He went to Quebec earlier this week to hear Sam Hughes' speak before being shipped across the Atlantic. The girls and I will be okay. Your mother has kindly offered to let us stay at her home should we ever need it.

I share a similar view to yours regarding all of this. I by no means wished for him to leave. He wholeheartedly believes this is what he should do. The government is bound to release propaganda to encourage enlistment eventually. I suppose, as his wife, I can't do anything but trust he will return.

All the best, Edith

November 11, 1914 Dear Mother,

Siobhan has been longing for a pet for several months now. We have made the commitment of owning a dog. It is a Dalmatian she has named Lyra. Anthony has immediately taken to her. My only concern is that he will treat her too roughly and she will defend herself aggressively. He doesn't know much better but we are trying to prevent anything from happening.

I have taken to helping train her in my spare time. It is refreshing to be obeyed by a creature of lesser intelligence. It may be too soon for results to show but it is a start. Perhaps you should get yourself a dog as well. I'm sure Harvey's girls would adore one. Mabel might be interested in introducing a pet into her family. That said, Walter (if he is indeed a boy as she insists) is going to be born any day now. Maybe she should wait until her sons are older.

Yours, Jameson

April 13, 1915 Dear Mother,

Have you seen Chaplin's latest? That Tramp character looks like he has promise. My Jolly Gentleman is selling well also. I am grateful people adore him. He is dear to me. Could you imagine a meeting between Chaplin's Tramp and my Gentleman? It would be quite the escapade.

Did Cliff tell you I've met the man? They are acquaintances from their respective times at Keystone. I met Cliff outside of the studios at the end of a day of filming. Chaplin was there too. Cliff introduced us so I did my best to strike a short conversation. He comes across as a good fellow. If I'm going to be honest, I find it difficult to imagine he and the Tramp share the same face. I doubt people have the same issue with me as my moustache is genuine.

Yours, Jameson

June 11, 1915 Dear all,

We're amazed by how successful 'Puppet Man' has become. To think, the idea came to me from a children's book. I bought a copy of Carlo Collodi's 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' last year. It is originally Italian but a woman named Mary Alice Murray translated it into English. It has illustrations and I generally thought Anthony would enjoy it. Instead, I found myself reading it.

It's about a carpenter who creates the eponymous puppet boy. Pinocchio is a compulsive lair and by the end he finds himself as real of a boy as any reading the story. The Christian message is blatant but overall, it is not a bad book. My only issue with it is the scene where bandits hang Pinocchio until they tire of waiting for him to suffocate. I am not sure whether I will include that part when reading it to Anthony.

I never plagiarized. 'Puppet Man' was merely inspired by the story. I could never use the elongating nose because that trait is unique to Pinocchio. Honestly, the only similarities between the two are that a puppet finds life by the finale.

Still, $300,000 is a lot of money. We've never made this much profit before. It's not our first feature film but this is Pearl's directorial debut. This may be the big break we've been hoping for. We have nothing to do but celebrate and plan how to proceed.

Yours, Jameson

Oliver Charles Jackson Male October 21, 1915 Los Angeles Siobhan O'Hara Jameson Jackson

October 30, 1915 Dear all,

It seems we have a jealous older brother on our hands. Yesterday, we found Anthony hiding Oliver in his toy box after he emptied it, saying it was all Oliver's fault. When he noticed we were watching, he cried. He says we stopped paying attention to him and that he's been replaced. I attempted to calmly explain to him why we don't bury baby brothers in our toys.

It may take time for him to get used to this new arrangement. Let us hope the two are on better terms eventually. As of now, it is clear he is the same Anthony he was a month ago. He later leaned over the cot and reminded 'Ollie' who was in control but was apologetic when caught. He's just attention-seeking now that his parents have to dedicate more time to the baby. I was similarly upset with Pearl, wasn't I?

Yours amusingly, Jameson

January 23, 1916 Dear Jameson,

It was delightful to see you reprising your role as best man at Cliff's wedding. Anthony made a good ring bearer, even if he was a little side-tracked by the amount of guests present. Furthermore, I loved meeting baby Oliver. Either he was on his best behaviour or Anthony is finally beginning to warm to his brother.

I was wrong about Loretta. She is a charming woman and I am glad she has now joined our family. You were right, his relationship with her is worlds away from what he had with Elizabeth. While I do wish them a happy life with children, I can't help but wonder what became of Clara and Daniel. They are still his children, even if none of us have laid eyes on them in years. Let's hope their future half-siblings will be raised with their father present.

Yours, Your mother

May 1, 1916 Dear all,

I have been following the recent rebellion in Ireland. I wasn't exactly supportive of the Unionists using violence to promote their views. Then a British soldier began using human shields and shot a child who was likely minding his own business. His superiors better take appropriate action after this. I'm not necessarily saying the man must hang but he should be punished accordingly. And no plea of insanity. If I hear he gets away with his despicable actions because he feigns insanity or the British turn a blind eye, I will be furious. I sincerely hope the Irish won't let this rebellion be forgotten. I don't endorse the fighting, especially as Europe has enough blood being shed as it is, but I do understand their struggle.

I wonder what Granny would make of all this. It's impossible to forget the passion with which she would insist it was never a famine but a starvation. She had every right to be feel strongly on the subject. I may have listened to her a little too intently as a child. Although, she was always right about the British making their way up the global hierarchy. The sun may never set on the British Empire but maybe it should, it would be easier to pretend blood didn't water the soil years ago.

I've learned two things over the past few years. I find myself somewhat impassioned when it comes to the British and pacifism. I prefer to stay slow to anger. I doubt I will ever cease reacting strongly to those subjects. I plan to stop so I do not carry on this narrow-minded attitude in my sons. Besides, Siobhan is the Irish one. She doesn't have as strong of an opinion on British rule.

I suspect the Irish will continue fighting for the Ireland they want during the remainder of this century. I can only hope the fatalities and casualties involved in this is kept to a minimum.

Yours, Jameson

June 23, 1916 Dear Mother,

The other day, Anthony must have been somewhat bored because he heaved his brother off the floor and made Ollie 'ride' Lyra. I'm not sure how she felt about the incident but she didn't react negatively. Oliver, however, wasn't too pleased to be handled in such a way. Eight months after meeting his brother, Anthony is still learning how to be gentle. I suppose there have been worse brothers. Didn't Cliff try to drag me into the sea at one point because I tripped on his blocks? I glad our relationship has matured and he isn't planning my murder anymore.

I managed to capture the moment. It is a little blurry but you can see well enough what Anthony is doing. I hope you enjoy the photograph.

Yours, Jameson

July 16, 1916 Dear Jameson,

Do you remember David Wynton? The two of you used to be such close friends. You seemed to lose touch with each other after you left for New York. I never really understood why that happened.

I am so sorry, Jameson. I ran into his mother at the market and we began to talk. She received a telegram earlier this month. I didn't know how to respond. I wish I didn't have to tell you about his death. You should at least know.

You have my sympathy, Your mother

August 1, 1916 Dear Mother,

Thank you for telling me the news. Although, I think you may be mistaken. David and I still talked to each other until last year. I'll admit it was at a decreased frequency than in our youth but we corresponded nonetheless. In fact, he was at the wedding. Do you not remember?

Anthony is excited for his fourth birthday next Monday. He is very confused as to why his Pops has suddenly decided to stop playing with him. I feel bad for subjecting him to this unexplained change in behaviour. I'm not sure whether he would even understand the concept of death. I found myself telling Oliver about David last night as I prepared him for bedtime. Nine month olds are not inclined to ask you questions throughout your story. In the end, I had to pass him to Siobhan.

Siobhan herself is very understanding. I am grateful for that, not that I ever expected her to be anything but supportive in times like these. There are boys she knew from Limerick who are never coming home too.

I wish this war would end already. In the very least, we still have Harvey. As against his decision as I am, I do miss him. If this is how affected I am by the death of a lifelong friend, I cannot bare the thought of losing a brother.

Tell his family I am thinking of them, Jameson

October 12, 1916 Dear Mother,

It was odd to be back in Saint John after the news earlier this year. Even stranger was visiting David's family for a moment to personally give my sympathies, only to discover he has a son. He'd told me he had a girlfriend but never mentioned she had been expecting when he left. Maybe he believed I'd think less of him because the boy is illegitimate. I never could judge him for that.

It is funny that his son is named Winston. David was always jokingly telling me he would have a son with that name. I would proceed to chuckle and encourage him to do so with jest. I am beginning to question whether he had been serious the whole time. I do find it humorous that there is a Winston Wynton out there in the world. That knowledge makes it easier to carry on without being able to properly bid farewell to his father.

If I were raising my sons in Saint John, I would like the three boys to be friends, preferably as close as their fathers were.

Yours, Jameson

November 27, 1916 Dear Mother,

If you hear anything about a lawsuit involving us, ignore it. It is complete nonsense. Keystone claim Cliff has performed mutiny, betrayed them, whatever drivel they are spouting this week. There is no case. There was no legal agreement that Cliff wouldn't return to Jackson Trinity during his contract with Keystone. Even so, he had little involvement with our productions during that time out of respect. His contract had been ceased for several months before any of these allegations began.

We have found ourselves a decent lawyer, simply for the security of it. It is best to prepare in case Keystone's legal team is persuasive. He agrees this is all hot air but understands why we are being cautious.

Yours, Jameson

April 6, 1917 Dear all,

Nearly three years into the war, the United States of America has declared war on Germany. I suppose the allies are glad for the extra help. God knows how long this conflict will last. I recall people insisting it would all be over by Christmas. Three years ago. There are hundreds of thousands of American men who are of the right age and fitness to enlist. With all those new recruits, perhaps this is the boost the allies need to win.

However long this war lasts, I am dreading the first glimpse of how affected the country is by the deaths of family members that will inevitably come. Let's pray it will be this Christmas that we can celebrate peacetime once more.

Yours, Jameson

July 21, 1917 Dear all,

The case has been won in our favour. The three of us are relieved. We will celebrate quietly then return to business as usual. This was simply an annoying blip.

Just thought I'd update you on our situation.

Yours, Jameson

October 14, 1917 Dear Jameson,

How are you doing? I am looking forward to seeing you again one day. It will be a good day. We can share a drink and you can live up to your name, Whiskey. With an Irish wife, I expect you to outdrink me with ease. I would kill for some alcohol now.

I wanted to apologize, Jem. We've had a tense relationship over these past few years and I've sensed the distance between us. I thought I knew full well how dangerous the battlefield can be. I know that far better than you, yet I was the one who chose to join regardless. I've since discovered France is nothing like South Africa.

You've constantly blamed me for abandoning my family. I can assure you that I love Edith and my daughters. All I wanted was for them to grow up with a favourable impression of me. Isn't that what we all wish for, our children wanting to follow in our example? You have no idea how desperately I'd love to see them right now. I want to be reunited with you all.

I want you to know I'm proud of you. While we can't exactly go to the pictures here, I have heard a fair amount of news about your success from Saint John. I know it is a team effort and the three of you are just as responsible for your rise as each other. That said, there would be no movie without a script. All the actors are doing are bringing your stories to life. You were always good with a pen. You're not bad with arithmancy but, trust me Jem, you would be wasted as an accountant.

I've also heard you've given Anthony a little brother. Make sure they don't end up like us. No one person can control the events of the world but you can raise your sons on knowledge of our mistakes. Teach them to be forgiving. Teach them time is not always their ally. Most importantly, teach them to treasure each other and never forsake the bond they were gifted. If they don't heed those words, then it all goes to waste.

I'm in the infirmary right now. Breathed in something I shouldn't have. It was unintentional but I am sitting here, resenting my foolishness. I hope you can forgive me for all our quarrels. I will be fine, don't you worry. We can shake hands the next time we meet.

Wishing you a long and happy life, Harvey

October 26, 1917 Dear Clifford, Jameson and Pearl,

I'm sure you are all hard at work. I am looking forward to watching your latest feature at the Imperial. However, I insist that you return home immediately. I received a telegram regarding Harvey. The worst has happened. We need to be together as a family.

Regrettably awaiting your arrival, Your mother

November 4, 1917 Dear Harvey,

Yes, you are a fool. But so am I. This is my fault. I've been so angry at the prospect of losing those dear to me I acted irrationally.

Dorothy, Alice and Minerva could never see you in a bad light. They only wish to have you home for good. You've missed three years of their lives but it can be rectified. I hear from Edith that next year, Dorothy and Minnie are beginning middle school and elementary school respectively. Be there for that. They are growing up faster than you'd like. I struggle to understand how Anthony and Ollie are already 5 and 2 years old.

I know you never cared for ancient texts but I am reminded of a moment during the Trojan War. There was a disagreement between Agamemnon and Achilles. After Achilles' good friend (some argued lover) dies protecting his honour, Agamemnon apologizes to Achilles. He says something along the lines of the gods stealing their common sense. I feel that applies to us.

God must have stolen both of our common sense. I am willing to let bygone be bygones so long as you

March 6, 1918 Dear Jameson,

We saw your latest film. We can't say we enjoyed the messages it conveyed.

I will warn you once and once only; do not let your works become political. This will get you nowhere and destroy the reputation you have earned. Especially when you come to your senses and remind yourself that the war in Europe is yet to reach its conclusion.

I understand Jem, I truly do. We are all doing our best to carry on without Harvey. Making a film about boys being raised to fight is not the right way to grieve. For the love of God, you used your sons! I hope you feel at least the slightest bit of shame. How Cliff or Pearl, let alone your wife, allowed you to use them is a mystery to me.

I remember the happy boy who would steal my candy when he thought I wasn't looking. I remember the brother who smiled whenever he was ill so we wouldn't fret too much. I remember the Jem who had his voice stolen as a child, his health forever compromised, but took it all in his stride.

I don't recall a man with an uncharacteristically dark mind.

You have so much to be happy about. Your third child is due in June, you have a successful career and business, your wife cares for you and you still have three other siblings who have always been there for you.

Please think things through, Mabel

Sophia Evelyn Jackson Female April 29, 1918 Los Angeles Siobhan O'Hara Jameson Jackson

May 8, 1918 Dear Mother,

Sophia arrived a week ago on the 29th. She is 5 weeks too early and I have been so consumed with anxiety that I forgot to even inform you of her birth. I apologize.

The boys haven't been able to properly meet their sister. Children are so susceptible to diseases. God forbid one of them develops a cold and interacts with Sophia. She is so unbearably fragile as of right now. All it takes is for her to be infected with a common illness, one that is relatively harmless, and she could be gone.

I fear that will be the thing to push me over the edge. Harvey's death is fresh and I can't bare to lose more of those I care for. Everything is out of my control and cruelly so. I know there were two between myself and Pearl. Siobhan had a number of older siblings she never got to meet. Was this how it was for you and her parents? I know Cliff and I had a habit of making a nuisance of ourselves. If we caused you distress while you suffered this way, I cannot begin to apologize enough.

I don't care if she is a sickly child. She can spend her whole life bedridden and I will care for her with everything I have. I will happily remain paranoid regarding her wellbeing for as long as I live. If she must be isolated for her own good, I will keep her company. So long as she is still here. There cannot be any other alternative.

Wishing I could have given you good news, Jameson

November 12, 1918 Dear all,

It's over! It's finally over. I may have shed a tear or two when I heard the news. I can't help but think of all the fortunate families who will be welcoming their fathers, husbands and brothers back home. I can't imagine how relieved they must be at the announcement. Then there are families such as ours who will find all of this bittersweet. I suppose the only comfort we can have is that no more will have to grieve like us because of the Great War.

They call it the war to end all wars and, as desperately hopeful as I am that will prove true, I know what Man is like. Give it a century or so. The survivors will pass war stories down to their sons and grandsons. One day, this war will be but a collection of stories and some fool will cause history to repeat itself.

I'll do what I can to make sure neither Anthony nor Oliver will end up that fool. I hated having to raise them during such a horrific conflict. I hope they won't remember this part of their life. Six and three years of age is too young to retain vivid memories, I think.

Thinking of you, Jameson

#the life of jameson jackson #tlojj #writersofjack #my writing #jameson jackson #jacksepticeye #crosspost #originally posted on Quotev and AO3 on Nov 11th 2018 #minor character death #world war 1 #ww1

3 notes · View notes

msfranloiacono-blog · 6 years

Text

Day 2: In Which I Have No Strings

If you saw my previous post, the challenge I did yesterday, color a page in a coloring book. My cousin got me a lovely Disney book for Christmas so I needed to use it, and then promptly finished at exactly 11:56 pm. Not a lot of time to blog, so you get me double today, I’ll do another post tonight for day three as well.

How’s this for anxiety? I’m sitting in a library right this second because I love to write in libraries, and in this case, i prefer to be alone, however, in this particular library there is only one table. One of those long dining room table looking jobs that seem to be the only hard surface I can type on. Picture me, and this woman who is concentrating very hard on her work and not trying to make conversation with me, of which I am intensely grateful. We are sitting on the opposite end of the table just painfully ignoring one another like some kind of yuppie couple who cannot divorce because no one wants to let go of the poolhouse. Well, you might be asking, why don’t you just leave? I can actually work out again for the first time since my surgery and this library is down the road from my gym. That way I can type until the very last second. (oh god she’s clicking her pen, headphones don’t fail me now). So let’s get into what I wanted to write about today: Pinocchio.

You will notice, that the houses in the picture are not, in fact, a typical image when you would think of an Italian scenery. That’s because it takes place in the mid-1800s, in northern Italy. Think Tuscany except Disney made it way more northern than it needs to be, which is why everyone is pale, blonde, and white, in the film and you can see the swiss alps in the background. Pinnochio tells the story of a lonely woodcarver named Gepetto (a pet name for Giuseppe-Joseph- with a nickname from Florence, Italy…okay.) The whole story was written by Carlo Collodi, about a puppet named Pinocchio (basically it means “little pine needle” or “little pine” since Pinocchio’s made of pine wood).

Pinocchio realizes that every tie he acts ungrateful or selfish he suffers the consequences. Including but not limited to, having Geppetto being eaten by a “dogfish” (really translators?! It’s the Italian word for shark. get it together). So as opposed to the scene in the film where Pinocchio gets swallowed by the whale, it’s Geppetto.Trust me, no Italian fable is complete without a biblical reference and/or an ungrateful kid.

When I watched it, as a little kid I used to say ‘I’m a real, real, boy!’ which my parents would consistently correct me and tell me, ‘no, you’re a real, real girl!’ had i had the diction at the time I would have said something like “daddy, that is not the line, deal with it,” I picked Pinocchio for a few reasons; 1) so I can nerd out to you guys on Italian fables and my heritage as a whole and 2) because frankly I have not felt like a real, real, anything for a while now. Told someone today that I felt like the scum of the earth.

I felt useless as if I were not doing my due diligence as a member of society. My illness always makes me want to overcompensate because it is like saying “yes! I too think I am garbage but I want to drive the point home and be productive to show you that I AM NOT USELESS!” Has anyone ever judged me or told me that my Post Grad blues was anything but normal? Nope. Does that stop me from thinking it? Absolutely not.

I have been relatively overwhelmed lately, it's not family drama but a lot of stuff just coming down and I'm doing my best to do some stuff for others and be the best friend I could be, I mean my resolution was to just “be better” whatever that may be. The problem is that I often neglect myself and my self-care in the process. Something akin to putting my breathing mask on before I help others. So being forced to sit there and color this page allows me to decompress, mostly it takes me a week to finish one of these pages because I get bored halfway through and stop. This time I was determined to finish one small thing for myself. In this case, just like these posts, I can do something that makes me feel like a real, real, girl.

I mean...it stands to reason...

I’ve got no strings.

#stupid northerners and their fables #strega nonna's way better #bitter sicilian here make no mistake

0 notes

thecrapshoot · 7 years

Text

PINOCCHIO IN FLORENCE

While I was in Florence taking a course on something called content language integrated learning (a course designed to offer strategies for conversational English teachers), I found a bookstore where I saw a copy of the book The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi. Carlo Collodi is the pen name, or pseudonym, for Carlo Lorenzini. He was born in Florence, but was raised in the nearby town of Collodi, hence the pen name. Collodi is a town in Tuscany where his mother is from. This was my second time in Florence because I had been there a year and a half earlier at the same school taking a different course from the same instructor. I decided to go back and further strengthen my C.V. (curriculum vitae or resumé) with a follow up course about these teaching methodologies that are so popular throughout Europe. I felt like it would do me some good because after taking her class the first time, I wound up with a job teaching English online. I wound up with a second job online after traveling to Florence this second time. I am starting to see a pattern with Florence.

For this most recent visit to Florence, I planned a whole three-month trip around this “CLIL” course. I visited five different countries; two of which I had never been to before: Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Germany, with Spain and Germany the countries I had never seen before. I knew the dates of the course in Florence and meticulously crafted an itinerary around them, taking care to arrange all my lodging and transportation with this class being the real reason for my trip. It was kind of an excuse to travel, too, but hey…

When I got home from this most recent visit to Florence, I was looking through my pictures as I had recently decided upon making a travel blog that documents some of my experiences and things I have learned from them or found odd during them. I found this picture of myself that I took while I was sitting in the Tronchetto People Mover in Venice. The People Mover ferries you from the main bus station over to the real Venice that you see in the travel brochures. As you can see, it is rather odd as I was fooling around with the picture options and effects and came up with this:

Being in Florence just a few weeks before finding this picture again, it reminded me of the The Adventures of Pinocchio book that I found as I decided to find a book to read in Italian in order to improve my command of the language while I was in Florence this second time. Traveling and teaching English gives me the chance of immersion in these different countries. With immersion among the people and culture, I feel like it is an excellent opportunity to practice and become more familiar with the languages I study. And with immersion in the culture comes a closer observance and accessibility to the literature. I had decided to get the book because I kind of knew the story of Pinocchio, so if there were vocabulary words that I did not know, I would have more of a chance to figure them out given the context clues and my general previous exposure to the story. Everyone knows the story of Pinocchio.

I absolutely love the Italian language and the more I expose myself to it, the more and more I become familiar with it and the happier I become. The bookstore was in very close proximity to this language school

at which I was earning my second certificate for teaching English as a foreign language. Since my first visit to Florence, my fortunes had been improving. I had been traveling over a big part of Europe and since my last visit here, I had been through a lot of ups and downs. Slowly but surely I had been growing more and more optimistic about being legally and financially able to make a life and name for myself in Europe as an English teacher. It had seemed a hopeless and next to impossible thing getting a visa for an extended stay in Italy without being a student, a wealthy retiree, or the fiancé or husband of an Italian woman. Since with the right credentials and networking, teaching English can be a fairly lucrative endeavor, and it was something I could build a flexible schedule with, it was the perfect thing to do as I also have aspirations to go to graduate school. Teaching English is an ideal way to earn money, stay close to the linguistics field, and have time to study and learn different languages.

So, as I looked in the window and saw the book about Pinocchio, I thought that I should go in and get it. The book only cost me four euros and when I asked the old Italian man who was working in the store if the book was really four euros, he looked at me and told me yes slightly cynically, as if to imply that I should know that already from having looked at the price beside the book. It was like he was asking me why I was in awe because it is only a book. I was so into the moment about finding this classic piece of literature in the author’s birth city, I was kind of in awe. I laughed a little to myself at his manner of slightly snide reply and I bought the book and left. I was so happy that I found this little treasure for such a nominal amount.

The picture of me at the beginning looks a little like Pinocchio and I thought that I remembered this picture once I started reading the Italian text. Thumbing through my travel photos on my tablet with my two thumbs, I found it again and decided to write about my time in Florence. The real (cartoon version) Pinocchio looks like this:

Don't we look a little similar? Don't both of our eyes seem to be bulging out, big and wide with wonder and anticipation? I feel so close to being able to make a life among the many languages I love to read and speak in Europe. Around the time of that picture, I was just experiencing how difficult the Italian bureaucracy makes it for Americans who want to teach English. There was a point in time where I felt like I was crying out like Pinocchio for an opportunity or a contact that would help me along the way. All I wanted was to get my foot in the door and have the chance to start teaching English and enjoying the Italian culture.

More often than not, the process has seemed hopelessly just out of reach as I have trudged around Italy seeking a school that would give me a work contract. The thing about Italy is that paying the taxes on English teachers from the United States is not actually financially worth it to them, especially when there are so many English teachers in the U.K., which had been in the European Union until recently deciding to leave the agreement. An American finding work in Italy or France was something that people were telling me was next to impossible. Now there is a little wave of optimism now that England has voted out of the European Union. It will take some time but it seems like there may be more opportunities on the horizon for Americans who want to teach in Italy, even though I have felt like an ass for trying sometimes.

This book about Pinocchio, a wooden puppet or burattino in Italian, kind of gives me hope about this primarily pessimistic situation. The book first appeared on shelves for public reading in 1883. Those familiar with the story can see the theme of opportunity in the story as Pinocchio wants to be a human boy, and experience life and learning. Traveling around Italy looking for a job as an English teacher made me identify with Pinocchio’s character. It makes me think about how difficult the process has been up to this point. I have been able to sustain consistent income since becoming an English teacher, but only online and not in a traditional classroom. I actually did get hired by a school in Treviso, Italy but still have not been assigned any teaching duties as of yet. I doubt that will ever happen with that particular job. I think I have gotten lost in the administrative shuffle.

Twenty years before The Adventures of Pinocchio hit the shelves in 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and made all slaves in the southern rebellious states free. I figure the story of Pinocchio, wanting to be a real boy and experience what is was like to be human, to be a spin-off of the story behind the Emancipation Proclamation and the hope that Lincoln incubated by freeing slaves in the rebellious southern states, declaring that slaves were no longer the property of slave owners.

Even though I was in Florence, I did not think that this was an impossible comparison to make. Florence was a city known for its guilds and powerful working class families. Back then, guilds were the city’s integrity. I learned this on a sort of backstreets tour of Florence by one of the teachers at Europass, away from the main monuments and all of the obvious brochure/textbook places that all of the tourists see. Guilds had power and were master craftsmen and experts, putting a completely positive light on the work they did and the nature of their commerce. Everyone knows the impact that slave labor had on the American economy. It was free labor, but the nature of the labor was not based around the idea or structure of guilds; it was based on inferiority.

As an African-American trying to find opportunities in Italy, I often feel dwarfed by that sense of giant pessimism cast by the Italian bureaucracy. I can't help but imagine the zeal that baited the African-American psyche by that singular endorsement by the nation's leader over in the United States with that order that finally started to lift some of the burden that slaves had been assuming up to that point. I call it bait because it would take so many years for Black Americans to experience the benefits of actual citizenship. I would have been like, “What are we supposed to be, glad? Uh...glad?”

White Americans were the perfectly imperfect children of God surely to be redeemed by Christ, while that side of being pitifully almost human and subservient was something African-Americans knew too well. The Emancipation Proclamation was a small step, but it was a step in the right direction, like manipulating the limbs of a burattino Pinocchio. Ideally through the granting of human status, one would surmise that the ultimate goal would be for the bruised collective black embryo to start to grow and develop into that then, modern man whose imperfect ways were human, too. But, it would take a century before the African-American collective would even begin to be considered citizens in the same vein as European-Americans.

Before becoming a children’s author, Carlo Lorenzini founded several political newspapers in Florence and was also involved in the theater and censorship. This loans more validity to my hypothesis. I can't help but notice this metaphor in the story of Pinocchio when I think about American history and being an American who has spent time in Italy. “Collodi” was a Florentine and I see this connection with the intellectual community in Italy reacting to the Emancipation that maybe culminated in Collodi writing this book about the antics and tribulations of a puppet, that was a symbol of a slave, that wanted to be a boy who would eventually become a man. This new man would lead an adult life inspired by some estimable anticipation of what the joys of being human must have been. Thomas Jefferson had well-known ties with Italy before Lincoln’s presidency, so I don’t think it too far-fetched a hypothesis to think that The Adventures of Pinocchio may have something to do with legally and officially freeing the slaves in the United States.

This is just a thought, but there is a pleasant metaphor of redemption about the melancholic and mourning side of a trapped human spirit inside a medium of wood that is crying and crying to be raised, cared for, and let out in order to experience a decent life. This spirit has a nose for the good life, but is still ultimately compromised and seems intent on defending its place in the world among sin, among virtue, with the repeated antics of the puppet symbolizing the trial and error inherent with this newfound increase from what I see as slave master America, an increase that only some generations would see.

It seems that Collodi was teaching this metaphor to a historically stubborn readership because it was among his final works because he died in 1890, just seven years after its publication. It makes me think of African-American teaching psychology and how much African-Americans have had to accomplish in order to be believed and deemed credible instructors. The one thing about Pinocchio’s brand of burattino was that with every lie he told, his nose would grow into an obvious sign of him having just lied about something. As an African-American on this journey I am on, as I am often in Europe these days, I feel an impetus that tells me that I can maintain a relevance in the teaching field, as long as I strive to be genuine with my circumstances and thankful for the opportunities that I have been afforded. With every new credential I get, no matter how minor or what corner of the world it may come from, I feel my credibility as a teacher being buttressed, and my appreciation of it comes from moments of revelation to myself like my picture in the Tronchetto People Mover and my finding of this book in a little Florentine bookstore.

The burattino is hung, or dangled, and manipulated in the theater performances that feature it. It could be considered a mild simulation of being hung, or lynched, a fate experienced by many African-Americans throughout America’s history. There is a longstanding metaphor that African-Americans are played against each other like puppets and you can see it by the number of us in prisons and the number of us who live in less-than-desirable conditions as a part of America’s urban demographic. How do survivors of the legacy of lynching begin to describe that transition from noose to afterlife that this story just may also represent? Who would even dare to look at the story that way? One of my Italian teachers from Sardegna even told me that Italians have a history of being lynched, something I knew nothing about.

The African-American intellectual voice is rooted in years of servitude and fear. After much tribulation, that servitude evolved to vocation and skilled labor, paired with a new and evolving awareness of what that kind of skilled labor and master craftsmanship could mean. Everybody likes nice things. The sophisticated side of skilled labor has to be present in the scholarship, voice, and pride that you hear in the names attached to works and accomplishments now being worthy of standard documentation as opposed to works where our contributions, competence, and genius were once upon a time routinely hidden. No one wants to be associated with work of low quality, and people want to be praised when they do something special. The guilds in Florence were synonymous with quality work and pride in craft, unlike the associations with crudity and being half-witted that slaves in America experienced.

Psychologically, I often feel tentative when engaging intellectually with others, but I don’t think it is always rooted in fear or lack of self-confidence on my part. I always feel like there is so much more at stake with every accomplishment I try to make, and with every positive step forward I take. I think it’s because that a lot of what happens, and what has happened, academically in America is based on fear or an inability to respond and it is based on a historic inability to defend oneself because of lynch mob psychology and racist bombardment. If I may offer the metaphor of the puppet show and an audience at a puppet show, being a lynch mob in the American South surrounding a new victim guilty or not guilty of God only knows what. That theory of three-dimensional effigy in a puppet show speaks volumes about that period in American history and it is a bit unsettling.

Trying to assemble a portfolio to the Italian bureaucracy in regards to potentially coming and living in their country is an unsettling task, as well. Not to compare being lynched to the labyrinth of the Italian bureaucracy, but the process does seem a little too hopeless and a little too arrogant to take part in, but nonetheless I will continue until a door opens. I have been shot down several times from people at embassies telling me what a privilege it is to live and work in Italy, without ever really answering my questions posed in the emails. Ironically, the kinder, gentler side of the spirit of community is present in the story about Pinocchio around the protagonist struggle of the single father, Geppetto and the spirit of community that loves to see the value in a soul and what it can communicate. Some Italians are very protective of their culture and would rather not see anyone intruding on it.

Pinocchio’s story was written in that now familiar backdrop of European great expectation, and the not-so-comfortable African-American backdrop of a dream deferred is something one could easily miss as a part of this humanity Carlo Collodi was describing.

Charles Dickens was a contemporary of Carlo Collodi, but it would take another century before Langston Hughes even put to page that concept of a dream deferred.

The older generation always has some idea, however remote, of what may or may not bridle the next. Things that may shock me may come as no surprise to people older than me from the previous generation. It is always what that older generation has experienced that becomes the norm. I think that stereotypes have resulted in a disproportionate number of African-Americans in the global teaching game. Every little step I can make forward means a lot to me.

0 notes