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This building made me think of The Woman in Cabin 10, as it reminds me of Lo feeling trapped with all this beauty surrounding her. Even with the beauty of the cruise ship and all the elite people, she is stuck in this loop of tracking down leads and trying to solve a murder. Similar to the feeling of being caught in a maze and trying to find your way out. 

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Discussion Question

For additional reading I chose to read To Tell the Truth, where Angelou speaks about the social lies we tell each other. Out of curiosity, my question is focused on her piece about responding to ‘How are you?’. Have you ever honestly responded to this greeting and if so, what sort of reactions have you received? 

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While reading Maya Angelou’s “Philanthropy”, I was immediately reminded of all the different studies and theories about the effects of smiling. I found this was an interesting TED talk about the powers of smiling on others and ourselves. These findings made me think about Angelou’s discussion of being charitable to others by giving a smile but how that can also include being charitable to ourselves. 

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In the triad of selves that Quinn had become, Wilson served as a kind of ventriloquist, Quinn himself was the dummy, and Work was the animated voice that gave purpose to the enterprise.

pg. 6

This quote really had me thinking, just in terms of ourselves and the multiple personas and faces that we have. We all to some extent have differences in our personality that may show when we are alone, with certain people, or in public but they all are connected to us as a person. In Quinn’s case it is obviously a bit more extreme but the underlying different faces he chooses to show and who he chooses to see which one was a really interesting concept for me to think about. 

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This video shows the author Ruth Ware discussing some of the inspirations behind her writing the novel. I found it really interesting to hear about some of her thought processes that were happening while she was writing and where the source of these ideas came from. Her discussion of the setting also helps to give us as the readers more insight into the intentions behind specific writing choices. 

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Discussion Question

Do you think the other guests on the boat are beginning to get suspicious about Lo’s disappearance or how would Richard have played it off when she didn’t come back? Especially Ben, do you think he’s trying to investigate the disappearance?

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And I thought, There is a murderer on this boat. And no one knows but me.

pg. 103

This quote really embodies the feeling of being trapped that is present throughout the first part of this novel. In this moment, as a reader I tried to put myself into Lo’s shoes and imagine how I would be acting and feeling. This moment is really when the haunting and suspenseful elements of the story truly kick in and I started to question everything about what I was reading. 

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I chose to share this article as it further explains the role of cows in India and the current changes and challenges that surround the cow population. The decisions they have had to make to relocate the animals further demonstrates how humans have put themselves above all other animals with their needs first. Even in a society where cows are such a sacred animal, they are beginning to show a change in the treatment. This demonstrates Elsie’s perspective of how far do humans have to go and why can what they already take not enough. 

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And right before I pass out I think: Is there no end to your cruelty?

pg. 63

This quote just exemplifies the mass amount that people take advantage of animals and all the ways that humans have found to utilize animals to their own advantage. 

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Close Essay Idea

I would like to write my paper on Twilight and specifically focus on the language used and dialogue throughout the story. I am very interested to look deeper into some of the specific language and how that effects the story. 

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This illustration by Christopher Gaultier embodies many of the descriptions and themes we have discussed surrounding the Phantom of the Opera. The darkness and shadows depicted in the illustration demonstrate the darkness of the Phantom and his actions. The illustration also shows the Phantom wandering the halls of the Opera House by himself which ties into the loneliness  of his life. It seems that many of the reasons behind the Phantom’s actions are due to his emotional past and feelings of being alone. 

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This valentine’s day card was posted by the Phantom of the Opera’s theatre account today. I found this interesting after we had discussed how hard they have worked to romanticize the story and the Phantom himself. Throughout the production’s Twitter account they have been sharing many comments about viewing the play as a Valentine’s day event. In the images they share and how many perceive the story, most of the monstrous images of the Phantom are gone and replaced by a longing and romantic affection. 

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Phantom Discussion Question

Considering the rumors and stories of the Phantom, why do you think Carlotta perseveres and ignores his threats? How do you think the owners would have reacted if Carlotta tried to back out of the show?

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Phantom of the Opera Discussion Question

Do you have a monstrous image of the Phantom? Or is the way he is written more subdued than in other works, like Twilight, where the vampires instantly appear as monstrous creatures?

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Monster Theory Connection

Thesis VI: Fear of the Monster Is Really a Kind of Desire-instantly the title of this section makes me think of Twilight and our class discussions. Followed by the quote: “The same creatures who terrify and interdict can evoke potent escapist fantasies; the linking of monstrosity with the forbidden makes the monster all the more appealing as a temporary egress from constraint.” As the text says, “fantasies of aggression, domination, and inversion are allowed safe expression”, we see this in Twilight and the works that have followed its lead. Through the sexualizing and normalizing of monstrous behaviors, readers are able to put themselves into a dangerous story without risking their own safety. This made me look at the book in a slightly different light but also made me concerned that society is still consistently searching for more and more stories that are ‘forbidden’. 

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Discussion Question

Why do you think a majority of popular vampire stories are told from the female perspective? Does the female narrative allow for the behaviors and language used to become more normalized and well accepted? 

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After doing a little research, I discovered this post from Stephenie Meyer about an unfinished accompaniment novel to the first Twilight book. This article describes her vision to write the story of Twilight from Edward’s perspective. After our discussion in class about Edward and his character I was intrigued to see how the author saw him. I haven’t yet read the short piece that she links in this article but I would be really interested to do so and see if I read Edward in a completely different light. This additional piece along with the movie adaption and the original book offer so many different viewpoints for the characters, especially Edward. His behaviors and reactions in Twilight seem so abusive and demeaning that I can’t imagine I would feel much different after reading some pieces from his point of view but I thought that it was interesting that Meyer believed his story was worth telling. I can’t help but think it was maybe her attempt to defend his character after criticisms of the novel surfaced.