A BIRD IN THE HOUSE

I enjoyed reading this book because i felt i could relate to Vanessa. As a child, i can remember numerous occasions when i was asked to leave the room so the adults could discuss something. although i would listen to them while sitting on the step discuss or argue at each other about something that to me could be discussed in front of me. I felt that Vanessa in some ways was describing my childhood by dealing with things such as death, that most children are oblivious too. I really enjoyed this book and felt the writing style of it made it easier to read and follow and completely get involved into.

Living Life through Writing

I must admit, 'A Bird in the House," is not my favorite book. However, I admire Laurence's ability to fluidly write in Vanessa's different ages. It is hard for me to discern whether Vanessa is eight, or whether she is eighteen. Laurence's writing is a train of thought that is traceable throughout all of Vanessa's life.

My favorite chapter is "Horses of the Night." Vanessa lives a privileged life, and is often shielded from the Great Depression. However, this chapter hits the essence of this time period, a time when many people lived in squalor and had no foreseeable future. Although Chris is not the main character of the novel, I find him to be the most intriguing. He is an optimistic man who loses everything when he loses his chance to be educated. He then goes mentally insane when fighting during the war and is kept in a mental institution for the rest of his life. Although sad, I like that Laurence incorporates a bit of reality into her novel. I often found myself becoming angry due to Vanessa's fairytale-like lifestyle when many suffered during the economic crisis. Although upsetting, Chris is a refreshing burst of life whose character epitomizes the mentality of many during that time.

"A Bird in the House" does not inspire me, but Laurence's writing technique does impress me. She is able to float betweeen different times, and she subtly exposes different lifestyles and experiences through side characters.

Listening

Vanessa's development into an adult may have easily started with her constant eavesdropping. It is near impossible to write convincingly about a subject without an understanding and our education starts with aural experience. We learn not only from what we are taught through reading, but from what we hear in the world around us. I think back to the days when much more of my life belonged to my parents, when I would not make as many serious decisions, when consequences did not require my input.

After bedtime I would lie wide awake in the dark, straining for the signs of conversation in the living room downstairs. At the slightest hint of discussion, I would tiptoe slowly out my door and down the hall (I never figured out which was quieter, stocking or bare feet). The hardwood floor of the hallway and aging stairs rarely accepted my presence without a few creaking complaints, each of which would stop me short, holding my breath and hoping I hadn't blown my cover.

Once at the top of the stairs, I would descend just two or three steps to gain the best point of hearing without being seen. It was from those top steps that I first began to understand that there was often much more to what I wanted and needed than I could comprehend. Some discussions would yield previews of my punishments or gains, but in those days Dad's hearing was more perceptive and I rarely made it to that last greedy stair without being discovered.

Still, from my perch I began to learn, even if I didn't yet possess the worldly knowledge to fit each piece of the puzzle into a cohesive diagram. I have since gained more respect for their discussions; becoming a young adult has afforded me the chance to speak for myself and an equal opinion in family decisions, yet I can't help but recognize Vanessa's escapades a necessary of a curious only child's education.

Honesty

Honesty in writing is a real treasure. When you read writing that is truthful in every detail it is so much more inspiring than something that is vague.
Moving to A Bird in the House, it is probably my favorite book this semester. Margret Laurence's writing strikes a chord in me that I don't find very often when I read. Sure I feel connected to a book, it's characters, and the meaning but for some reason her book hits somewhere deeper. Part of it think is her honesty. Nothing is sugar coated but it isn't horrific either. Her work is true to the time period. It is the Depression. People are angry and confused. Granted she is fortunate enough to not have to worry so much about her famiy's money but it is clear her environment still affects her. She see's her grandfather as a consistently grumpy man, partially because this is how her mother and Aunt Edna talk about him. As a child she is very observant.
Laurence's handling of the passage of time is excellent.
What touches me most is the theme of death. It seems to me that the moment one death occurs the others come faster then I wantedthem to. It's like I knew they were coming even though I had never read the book before. It makes me so sad for Vanessa and yet interested in the way she handles each one. Since she is not allowed to go to her grandmother's or her dad'd funeral, her description of her grandfather's is important. It is her first full blown confrontation with death.
The final thing that sticks out to me is that since the book is through Vanessa's eyes I am left wanting to know more about her family and every other character's personality. At the same time I don't feel this is necessary information and that I am just overly curious. But I really enjoy viewing the world through Vanessa and like to imagine how the book would change if it were her Aunt, grandfather, grandmother, or mother narrated.

Just Words

When people write, I often imagine, it continuously reflects their inner passions. And while that topic may so often be very specific or something that speaks loudly only to them, I find that readers are often just as able to relate to these passions, not because they share them necessarily, but rather because of the words that are used to describe them.
These words are the matter, the building blocks that I continue to associate with everything: people, things, ideas, dreams, or feelings. That is their draw, their magnetism. And there is wonder in that such little, powerful things spring themselves from our lips on a daily basis. But words, while so simple and easy to employ, are rifted with incredible potential. The very number of things that we, as human beings, can accomplish through words by using them honestly and without regret continues to amaze me.

Writing for fun?

Here is a touchy subject for some people, myself included. I don't write for fun nowadays. There were times that I wrote for a fantasy forum back in high school. It nearly consumed me for 2 weeks. I couldn't wait to think something new up that would happen to my protagonist. I still have that writing. I love to look back and read it. I come across so many sentences where i say to my self "did I really right that?" I think it can be beneficial to read some of your own work that was created for pleasure and not for a grade. Its almost like examining a hobby, and we all know how insightful that can be.

Meaningful Writing

I don't know about the rest of you, but I tend to write significantly better writing when it deals with something that is meaningful to me. I'm certainly going to be much more into what I'm writing about if it relates to music or food (both of which I'm very fond of!) versus the Spanish Armada (sorry to any Armada fans out there!) I feel like I've felt this way ever since I began writing, from my first piece of academic writing to the writing we have done in our journal entries. When I am given an assignment that relates to me, not only am I much more into what I am writing about, but I also tend to have much more to say, and end up writing a far more satisfactory paper than that of a not-so-interesting topic. Of course, writing is about focusing on a variety of topics, and not just sticking with what I like to call "comfy" topics that feel good to write about. Writing is about having different experiences, and realizing that variety improves the quality of ones writing. However, you can't beat that feeling when you've been assigned a paper, whether it be expository or research, that feels like it was created specifically with you in mind!