The New Hobbit Hole

[ksen]

What could possibly scare the girl about Hawthorne? Other than the lack of paragraph breaks?

"No Mommy! Don't make me read The Scarlet Letter!!! It's so, it's so.....it's just too terrible to mention! Oh, by the way Sherri and I are going to see Red Dragon this weekend, should be a blast."

[Sam Cree]

RMDupree has the right of it. The mother is asking your wife to believe that her daughter has been kept in a box or is mentally unstable.

Seems silly to redesign the curriculum around such a person.

[RMDupree]

I'm reading Bag of Bones right now.

I loved King back in the 80's and early 90's, but kind of grimaced with stuff like "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" coming out. I couldn't believe it was the same author who wrote The Stand!!!

I'm hoping Bag of Bones is better. Ive read so many of his books.

[RMDupree]

It sickens me to hear high school students moan about reading. I manipulate my schedule every day just to find a way to squeeze in some reading time of my own!!

My younger cousins were talking about how they were "forced" to read The Outsiders and how unfair it is being that there is a movie they could watch instead. AAARRRGGHH!

The generation of brain-dead chad-dangling Democrat-voting drooling morons marches on. My only solace is that homeschoolers will be the only people intelligent enough to lead this country in the future.

[HairOfTheDog]

I have read several of them, Delores Claiborne being my favorite, but also Thinner, The Stand, Tommyknockers, Pet Cemetery.... hmmm... What's the other one that was made into a movie with the writer who was held captive by a crazed fan? Can't remember.

[ksen]

Seems silly to redesign the curriculum around such a person.

While that is true, shouldn't the parents have a bit of say over what they would like their children to read? Even their 10th grade children? What if the kids were assigned to read something like......I don't know, Mein Kampf or The Satanic Bible. Should the parents be given any consideration if they ask for their kids to be assigned something else to read?

[HairOfTheDog]

Of course they should have a lot of say... But I think that Poe is of a classic nature, and a object example of American Literature, which is the subject of the class...

And she wasn't objecting to the subject matter on political or religious grounds, but instead because the daughter has some issues with nightmares... Is that a disability the whole class needs to work around?

I don't know... I think I had to read Mein Kampf in Social Studies!

[RMDupree]

Misery.

[HairOfTheDog]

Thats it!

[Sam Cree]

"shouldn't the parents have a bit of say over what they would like their children to read?"

Yes, unless they are Democrats :-)

I agree that schools ought to reflect the community standards, never federal standards.

My feeling is that concerned, involved parents can (and often do) wield alot of influence over even public schools.

'Course "soccer moms" are known for voting left.

[RosieCotton]

Ew...I saw that movie. It was icky! But then, anything where there's a feeling of being trapped bothers me...I usually leave the room during movies at parts like that. Even though I like "The Great Escape", parts of it disturb me greatly!

I haven't read any Steven King, though. Horror just isn't my cup o' tea (and neither is his writing style).

[Sam Cree]

We had to watch a movie version of Mein Kampf in high school. As a lesson in the nature of evil, I thought it was fine.

[RMDupree]

I actually liked the cheesier novels he wrote as well. Cujo, Christine, It, etc.

After he was in the accident, his writing style changed a lot, which leads me to believe they had a stand-in writing for him until he got back on his feet.

[RMDupree]

He is VERY graphic in all of his descriptions. Not just the gory parts either.

You have to be the type of person who isn't bothered by it to really enjoy it as leisurely reading or watching. I watch a lot of forensic type shows on television, so gore doesn't bother me at all, unless kids are involved. Then, I get sick.

[Sam Cree]

"Horror just isn't my cup o' tea"

I don't like it at all either and never watch or read it. But I can see where Peter Jackson's experience with it helped him with FOTR, with all its monsters and spooky stuff.

[RMDupree]

Do you remember those Creepshow movies? I tohught they were funny more than scary.

The only one that bothered me was the cockroaches. I have a terrible fear of roaches. I get hysterical and scream and flail about as if Sauron himself were after me!!

Then, if it touches me in any way - I barf.

South Florida is not a very good place for me to live. The palmetto bugs here grow over 3 inches long and run TOWARDS you when you turn on a light.

[g'nad]

I was just thinking that sitting perfectly still, hidden up in a tree, with a bow, sounds like something an elf might do.

I hunt from the ground mostly, spot and stalk... but have occaisionally hunted from a stand...

Love that black powder too...

[HairOfTheDog]

There is only the one scene that I just can't watch in Misery.... [shudder]

I like Kathy Bates as an actress.... Loved her in the adaptation of Delores Claiborne too..

Some of Steven Kings stuff is actually not gory... Delores Claiborne isn't gory, neither is Tommyknockers or Thinner. I don't like gore either. (either one! ;~D)

Try those if you ever get the inkling to try one. DC and Thinner are really short stories.

[g'nad]

There is only the one scene that I just can't watch in Misery.... [shudder]

You talkin' about the hobblin' scene?...

When I saw it, even I got a little queesy...

[RosieCotton]

It's not the gore that bothers me...I just don't like reading scary stuff just for the fun of it. And I don't find Steven King's writing very entertaining - don't like his character development, for one. I dunno...hard to put a finger on it.

BTW, THE most disturbing book I've ever read, bar none, was The Talented Mr. Ripley. I think they recently made a movie of it, too. I've never been so bothered by a book in my life - the hero was a sort of anti-hero (a murderer, thief, you name it), and it was written from his point of view (though not an "I" book, as we used to call 'em). Creepy.