Life of Pi Quotation Creation [Post #5]

Quickly you make rash decisions. You dismiss your last allies: hope and trust. There you've defeated yourself. Fear, which is but an impression, has triumphed over you. 
(pg. 162, Life of Pi by Yann Martel)

Pi states this in the middle of a discussion about fear in chapter fifty-six. He talks about how fear solely takes over you. When he states the selected quotation above, he is mentioning the last step in which fear takes over your body.

When you feel scared, everything seems to melt away. I am not talking about when your friend jumps out in front of you and screams in order to "scare" you for a brief second. That is more surprise than fright or fear. I am talking about when you are forced into doing something out of your comfort zone and horrifying by your standards by your family as in the people you trust like your mother and father.

Picture yourself at Disney World, the happiest place on earth. You are in a line for a ride you have heard an abundance of good reviews about. It seems like a fun idea which your parents want to engage in. However, you have no idea what this ride is exactly. All you know is it is concealed inside of a tall, mountain-like building. Is it a boat ride where you ride around, listening to small, robotic children from all around singing "It's a Small World?" Is it an elevator which instantly drops what feels like a million floors to the ground like the Tower of Terror? The ideas run wild through your head as you stand in an enormous line. Little do you know, your in for an unpleasant surprise.

As you and your family which consists of your mother, father, and little brother only two years younger than yourself move forward and up the line, you hear screams. You ask yourself, "Are they screams of joy or terror?" It seems somewhat hard to tell. A surge of nervousness shoots through your body. What could this ride be? You look to your left and right for someone to inform you of what in the world you are about to take part in. Aha! A security guard is spotted to your right.

"Excuse me, sir," you say as politely as you can manage, voice shaking a bit.

"Yes?" he responds appropriately.

"What type of ride is this exactly?"

"Well, what do you mean?"

"Um, is this a boat ride, swing ride, rollercoaster--"

"It's a rollercoaster, ma'am."

This is the answer you are cut off with. A bead of sweat begins to form on your head. This cannot be right. Your parents could not be forcing you on a rollercoaster. They know you are terrified of them. You turn to your dad.

"This isn't a roller coaster is it?" you ask, eyes beginning to tear up a bit and heart beginning to beat a little faster.

"Hmmm," he says, clearly trying to avoid the answer which is "yes."

"No, Dad. I really can't ride this. Can I please wait outside?" you ask. You're hoping the answer is yes although you have been waiting in a long line for forty-five minutes.

"No. We have been waiting long enough, and you are going on this ride."

That's the answer, and when Dad says no, he means no. Your heart continues pounding as you grow close enough to see the carts which have been concealed inside this dark, mountain-like structure. Your breathing speeds up, and your eyes begin to tear. As a tear dribbles down your cheek and a whimper escapes your lips, people begin to stare and give you funny looks. Your mother and father begin shooting comments your way telling you to be quiet and calm down. Then, it's your turn. You are defiant as your mother and father drag you toward the cart. You try compromising, but all fails. You are placed in the cart and strapped in. All you can say is "no no no." When the lights turn on and cart begins to move forward, your heart seems to  leap and get caught in  your throat, and your eyes become as wide as a deer's in headlights.

This is the fear Pi describes. The fear Pi describes is that which is traumatizing, leaving a memory firmly planted in your brain. It is like the fear I had as an eleven-year-old being forced to ride Space Mountain at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There was no escaping that. It was similar to the fear Pi desribes. Once you reach that point in no turning back, fear truly "triumphs over you."

William Carlos Williams Inspiration [Post #4]

A Day at the Ballpark

The player swings his bat with the strength of an average man. He misses the ball and is called out. Nearby, the cries are heard of a little girl whose ice cream has become a white, clumpy puddle upon the ground. An old man, a fan of the game for decades, curses under his breath at the umpire's unfortunate call. The young couple to the left smile and whisper. They aren't paying attention to anything but each other. Sweeping can be heard from the tan, slender woman on the cleaning staff who is working three jobs to feed a family of four children and no husband. This is a typical day at the ballpark, a typical day in America.


POEM SET-UP:

A Day at the Ballpark

The player swings his bat
with the strength of an average man.

He misses the ball
and is called out.

Nearby,
the cries are heard
of a little girl whose ice cream
has become a white, clumpy puddle upon the ground.

An old man,
a fan of the game for decades,
curses under his breath
at the umpire's unfortunate call.

The young couple to the left
smile and whisper.
They aren't paying attention to anything
but each other.

Sweeping can be heard
from the tan, slender woman on the cleaning staff
who is working three jobs
to feed a family of four children
and no husband.

This is a typical day at the ballpark,
a typical day in America.