Golden Lines "Golden lines" are powerful quotes that automatically provide interesting discussion material. Many students find it much easier to select something the author said than to come up with their own reactions. Therefore, Golden Lines are an easy and effective strategy for gathering information to discuss.
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The golden lines I chose are from Chapter 7. A steaming Bowl of Sadness.
"Everybody reacts different to something like this- some people cry buckets, other folks store it up inside. When someone you love dies, you get a big bowl of sadness put down in front of you, steaming hot. You can start eating now, or you can let it cool and eat it bit by bit later on. Either way, you end up eating the whole thing. There's really no way around it.
"A yidda yadda! he cried. "A yidda yadda!"
Nate, Cyn, Teddy, Brad and I stood there staring stupidly at the ladder.
"A little ladder!" we all said in unison. "A little ladder!"
(Remember me the guy who didn't even want to read this book.) I became emotional over the amount of love that this family obviously had for each other, which I felt was illustrated best in those simple, little lines.
mmmrag
Why is this a golden line to you? It seems powerful and touches me on so many levels, but why you. Also keep in mind that I'm only up to chapter five, so don't give away the story.
In Chapter 7, A Steaming Bowl of Sadness, I really thought Uncle Billy's quote about the walking wounded was very touching. "During the war the hospitals had certain guys they called 'walking wounded.' These were men who had been through combat, but looked fine, most of them. They could walk around, eat, and talk pretty regular...But on the inside they wer all twisted up. There thoughts, feelings. They couldn't function..." I could very much relate to this because my grandfather fought in WW11 and told me a very similar story before he passed on about his experiences in Germany and how he dealt with the death and destruction and the saddness he felt. I certainly never expected this story to be so emotional. I don't know about you guys but I spent the rest of the chapters crying..Bobbie
Chaper 9: A Family Secret
"I found Mom and Dad at the small kitchen table, leaning against each other, eyes closed, tears running down their faces. Dad Shoulders were shaking. He grabbed his gut, as if in pain. Mom was red faced, gasping for breath."
(135)
I felt as if this passage signified the beginning of healing and family reunification. The entire family expressed joy through laughter and initmacy. Although it was at the end of the book, it's quite obvious that it signifies a new beginning.
In response to John's comment about a yidda yadda. I had a real life situation like this. When my daughter (who is now 28) was 2 years old she walked around the house saying "body ya yu" and the she would purse her lips and blow. We had no idea what she was doing until a month later when it was my mothers birthday and we sang. Body ya yu was birthday to you and the pursing of the lips was blowing out the candles!
I chose those golden lines because I felt there is so much truth in those words. There is no getting around dealing with the immense feelings when someone you love passes. It took me ten years to grieve my mother.
The description of Cliff's relationship to his younger sibs on page 3 offer the golden lines that set the stage for the relationships among the children in the Abernthy family as seen through Cliff's eyes.
"Living in a family with so many people can be pretty weird, too. Ever go to bed on a cold winter night with the heat turned down and your room so cold you have to pile a bunch of blankets on top of you? While you lie there you mostly feel the flannel sheet and quilt right next to you. With the other blankets, the ones added last, your body doesn't notice whether thoose blnkes are mde of wool or cotton. all you know is that they're helping keep you warm."
Cliff describes his relationship to baby, Josh.
"I was almost ten when he was born. He's okay, as babies go, but most of the time I don't pay all that much attention to him. He's like that last blanket piled on my bed just before I fall asleep."
I love the matter-of-fact and yet poetic language that Fletcher uses in Fig Pudding--His similes are rich and descriptive and truly evoke the atmosphere of the Abernathy home.
I agree that "A Steaming Bowl of Sadness" makes the family's grief tangible and personal evoking the reader's involvement in the sadness enveloping the husehold
This is the second time I have read this book and when I got to the line on p.16 when grandma says, "Alright, everyone wake up and die right!" It sent a shiver down my spine. I wonder if the author has the same feeling when he reads it or if he was just trying to interject the grandmothers humor?
I wonder what type of experiences the author has that allows him to express such powerful feelings about death. I would have a very difficult time writing about the death of anyone never mind a young child. I wonder if this was his way of grieving for someone he lost. I think that the "steaming bowl of sadness" is one of the most powerful lines in the book. Good choice mmmrag!
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