The joys of reading

Only the eyes changed expression. He gave the impression of being a thinker and a fighter, a man who could work with infinite patience to jockey an adversary into just the right position, and then finish him with one terrific punch.

…………

“Nobody ever called on me to organize a corporation, and I’ve never yet probated an estate. I haven’t drawn up over a dozen contracts in my life, and I wouldn’t know how to go about foreclosing a mortgage. People that come to me don’t come to because they like the looks of my eyes, or the way my office is furnished, or because they’ve known me at a club. They come to me because they need me. They come to me because they want to hire me for what I can do.”

She (the client) looked up at him then. “Just what is it that you do, Mr. Mason?” she asked.

He snapped out two words at her. “I fight!”

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That was Perry Mason (the defense lawyer) in the "Case of the Velvet Claws" by Erle Stanley Gardner. I looked up to give myself a break. I had been sitting in the library. There were two 11 year old boys sitting in the front seat fighting and fooling around. I was surprised. When did the boys get in there? When I had sat at the bench with the Perry Mason, there had been a quiet girl sitting with a book in my front seat. She had not looked very interested in the book. She sat there turning the pages of her book and seemed to be whiling her time away.

The loud cry from the boys in the front seat, broke my reverie again. It took me a while to bring myself to my world around. I looked at my watch. One and half hours had passed by since I had sat in the library. I realized I had been lost in my book.

As I was growing up, books have been a constant companion. I remember, we were allowed to take one book from the school library every week. I would take one book, finish reading it in two days. There were times, I would get home at two pm and by seven pm I would finish a 400 page Nancy Drew. Once I finished reading my book, I would go to school eagerly the next day, to exchange my book with a friend's. By the next library period, I would have read atleast three books.

Other than reading books in the afternoons, we would read novels in the nights. Nights were meant to be study time. And parents were always checking on us to see if we were studying. So, we would take a full scape book, hide the small novel within the full scape book and read it as if we were reading our school assignment. It worked most of the times with dad, but mom always caught us.

Barely able to conceal her mischievous smile, she would say in a stern voice “Veena, remove the novel from with in the book.”

Well!

I have enjoyed the time I spent reading so much, that whenever I think about my childhood and books, it always manages to bring a smile on my face.

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To kill a mocking bird - Atticus says !

I have had one post on "To Kill A Mockingbird" earlier too.

Among the various things that catch your interest in this novel, one thing that you cannot help but notice is the depth of character of Atticus, a middle aged Lawyer and father of the two children( 6 year old Scout and 10 year old Jem ) , who are the main protagonist in this novel. His understanding of life, the way he connects to his children and the values with which he brings them up really make you notice him.

The plot in the novel takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus in this novel defends a black man much against the ways of the society in America in those days ( The novel is set in the 1930s ). He knows that he is not going to win this case, but he follows his conscience.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" is also been made into a movie with numerous awards to its credit. The character of Atticus has been played by Gregory Peck and must say - he has done full justice to the character.

Check out the few dailogues Atticus speaks out in this novel. Much of the dailogues listed below are about what Atticus believes in , while he is defending the black man or about how he wants to bring up his children as strong, responsible, mature human beings.

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I heard from a few people that the people and the relations mentioned in the dailogues below are getting confusing . So here is a summary -

Atticus - main character
Scout - 6 year old daughter of Atticus
Jem - 10 year old son of Atticus
Jack - Brother of Atticus
Bob Ewell - The white man whom Atticus proves guilty


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Scout : "If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you ... doin' it?"



"For a number of reasons," said Atticus. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again." […]



Scout : "Atticus, are we going to win it?"



"No, honey."


Scout : "Then why-"


"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win," Atticus said.


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Jack ( Atticus's brother ) is having this conversation with Atticus - while Scout is listening on behind the door. Atticus is aware of this - and wants Scout to listen to every word he says.

Jack : But she doesn't know the meaning of half she says- she asked me what a whore-lady was..."

Atticus : "Did you tell her?"

Jack : "No, I told her about Lord Melbourne."

Atticus : "Jack! When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness'
sake. But don't make a production of it. Children are children, but
they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply
muddles 'em. No, you had the right answer this
afternoon, but the wrong reasons. Bad language is a stage all children
go through, and it dies with time when they learn they're not
attracting attention with it.

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Atticus to his son Jem - "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. "

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Atticus to his six year old daughter Scout explaining why he needs to defend the black man - “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

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Atticus to Scout , advising her , not to get reactivated when people make fun of her or her father about defending the black man - “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change…it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.”

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Atticus to Scout “It’s not okay to hate anybody."

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Atticus to Jem"As you grow older you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, of how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”
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"Best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open."

Atticus will not try to spare his own family from the consequences of their actions. When he thinks (wrongly) that Jem has killed Bob Ewell( white man who Atticus proves guilty ), he insists that the “best way to clear the air is to have it all out in the open”.
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Atticus to Jem “Jem see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that household full of children out there.”

Bob Ewell is a white man , who Atticus proves guilty in the court of law. In a fit of anger, this man spits on Atticus's face and Atticus does not react to it. He later explains to his son Jem, about why he let Bob spit on his face.
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Fountainhead - Your self expression against life - 2

Below is another conversation that I loved in the fountainhead.

Here Henry Cameron( the person whom Roark respects a lot and who even though has been acclaimed as a very modernistic thinker , was put down by the world and could not grow to fame -coz the world could not see and understand his views and opinions -( did that sound familiar ;) ) ) sees his admirer and colleague establishing himself. He is mighty proud of his patron , however he is wary. And here are his words of pride , caution and encouragement to his dear friend .
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Howard Roark, has just shown Cameron, the photographs of his office and the board outside his office door that says 'Howard Roark'.

Henry Cameron says - It doesnt say much. Only 'Howard Roark, ARchitect.'. But its like those mottoes men carved over the entrance of a castle and died for. Its a challenge in the face of something so vast and so dark, that all the pain on earth-and do you know how much suffering there is on earth?-all the pain comes from that thing you are going to face. I dont't know what it is. I don't know why it should be unleashed against you. I know only that it will be. And I know that if you carry these words through to the end, it will be a victory, Howard, not just for you, but for something that should win, that moves the world --- and never wins acknowledgement. It will vindicate so many who have fallen before you, who have suffered as you will suffer. May God bless you --- or whoever it is that is alone to see the best., the highest possible to human hearts. You're on your way into hell, Howard".
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This para moved me to no ends. Have you struggled a lot of times to express yourself and have got disheartened and dissappointed that you havent been heard. Have you at the end of it all , grown in your self realization and realization of life. I have always believed with great struggle, comes a great realization and a lot of growth in a human being.

No struggle, there is no growth.

The biggest struggle a person has is a struggle to express himself.

And the greatest victory of every human being, is being able to express and voice himself, and be heard, just the way he is and way he is not.

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Integrity of the Fountainhead

Have been reading the Fountain head of late and am loving it.

And what I like most in this book are the conversations on integrity - Integrity of a building, Integrity of the person who builds a building ( here an architect ) .

Hope you enjoy the post. ( Inspired by Raghav's series on Alchemist )

Below is one such conversation --

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Roark , a student of architecture in the Staton university has just been expelled from the university for his submission of a ridiculous design. His dean is trying to make him see sense and trying to have a conversation with him to get him back to the university. ( Roark however is clear that he has learnt whatever he had to in the university and is in no mood to get back ).
Presenting this post on Roark's idea of integrity :)

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" But I dont understand. Why do you want me to think that this is great architecture ?" Roark pointed to the picture of the Parthenon .
"That, " said the Dean , " is the Parthenon"
"So it is. "
"I havent the time to waste on silly questions "
"All right then". Roark got up , he took a long ruler from the desk, he walked to the picture. "Shall I tell you whats rotten about it ?"
" Its the Parthenon!" said the Dean.
" Yes , God Damn it, the Parthenon!"
The ruler stuck the glass over the picture.
"Look , " said Roark. "The famous flutings on the famous cloumns - what are they there for ? To hide the joints in wood - when columns were made of wood, only these arent, they are marble. The triglyphs , what are they ? Wood . Wooden beams, the way they had to be laid when people began to build wooden shacks. Your Greeks took marble and they made copies of their wooden structures out of it, because others had done it that way. Then your masters of the Renaissance came along and made copies in plaster, of copies in marble, of copies in wood. Now here we are , making copies in steel and concrete , of copies in plaster, of copies in marble, of copies in wood. why ? "
" Rules ? " said Roark . " Here are my rules : what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site , the material determine the shape. Nothing can eb reasonable or beautiful unless it is made by one central idea and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive like a man. Its integrity is to follow its own truth, its one single theme , and to serve its own single purpose. A man doesnt borrow pieces of his body. A building doesnt borrow hunks of its soul. Its maker gives it the soul and every wall , window and stairway to express it . "

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What do you think of this conversation . What is "integrity " for you ?

Post script --

If you are interested to know more about the Parthenon and the Roman Architecture , check out this link. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/partheno2/ss/aa061300a.htm

Will put up more conversations from the Fountainhead on and off..( not as a series) - so keep watching :) .

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