20)#102-2.The Numeric Reference in Oates

For some reason I cannot post images from CC, so as a substitute, here is a picture I found on Google:http://anmolastrologers.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/numerology11.jpg

Last class we discussed the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was able to capture a deeper meaning of the story thanks to my fellow class mates.

Those who were in section C2 that afternoon might remember my unusual connection between the Bible and the numbers 33, 19, and 17. Of course, this was discovered when I did some background research on the story.

Anyways, I am going to write what I tried to explain that day. The biblical connection is as follows. 33 refers to the 33rd book(Book of Judges), 19 is the chapter number and 17 is the verse number. Interestingly, the Book of Judges is a Bible written in Hebrew and when you look in it as I say, you are supposed to see that there is a line which goes, “Whither goest thou? And whence comest thou?” Does this ring a bell? Yes, it is the title of the short story. When I saw this I was shocked for words and I thought that Ms. Oates was one hell of a writer!

19)#102-1. Demystifying “The Sound of Silence”?

The Sound of Silence.. This song has left a deep impression on me. The reason for that is even now I cannot wrap my head around on what it means exactly. It is quite frustrating :/

Since the meaning of the lyrics is ambiguous, I thought I would just elaborate on how these lines made me feel when I heard them the first time. This way, I hope to understand Benjamin, the protagonist of our in-class film The Graduate, a bit better.

In the beginning, the song made me feel like I was all alone. I was in the dark where no one else could reach me. I felt slightly sad. In the middle, my loneliness progressed in an unexpected way. Unlike the beginning of the song, I knew that there were many people around me; however, I could not relate. Random people passing and speaking with muted words was replaced with the soft and rather melancholic melody of the music. It felt like I was floating amongst the crowd. From the outside, I looked like just an ordinary person, but my soul was rebelling, rebelling for freedom..I wanted to be different just like Benjamin wanted. Unfortunately, my soul could not break away. It wanted to reach others that were drowning, but it couldn’t.

Finally, the sound of silence..

Of course, this is just what my emotions appeared to be when I heard The Sound of Silence. There is neither right nor wrong, so please feel free to add your own impression of the song. I’m curious about other people’s views: DDD