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Have you ever had a ritual or standing date with a parent or grandparent that you grew out of over the years? Did you make it clear that you had outgrown it? How was that message received?
A view of wartime that we rarely get...those not close to the fighting were leading a relatively normal life. Does this seem surprising?
What would you do if there was a war going on in our country...say, in Minnesota (assuming the Canadians have attacked)? Would you go to school? Would you sell contraband on the black market? Would you try to acquire things from the black market? Where would you fall in this spectrum?
Why does grandfather act so defiantly, knowing that he may be risking his family's well being?
What is the strangest, most interesting thing you've seen at night? Share with us...if we're worthy...
Do you have any stories that have been passed down to you? Give a brief summary and then explain why the story is important to you.
What are your thoughts on the story of the deathless man?
80 comments:
Sarobar is an imaginary city made up by Tea Obreht. In the novel, the city of Sarobar is completely destroyed. The annihilation of the city is a major cause leading to the war. Rakija is an alcoholic beverage produced from the distillation of fermented fruits. It is a popular beverage throughout the Balkans region.
When I was younger, I used to go sledding with my grandfather several times each winter. However, as I approached my bratty teen years, I became less and less eager to go sledding. I even went so far as to throw a few tantrums to protest against going out in the cold. I did not notice my grandfather’s disappointment back then, but as I got older I realized that he missed our annual sledding excursions.
I do not think it is surprising that those close to the fighting were leading a relatively normal life. I believe that most humans are oblivious to what is going on around them until it personally affects them. If there was a war in Minnesota, I am not sure where I would fall in the spectrum. I would try to continue attending school regularly, but it is hard to say what else I would do. It mostly depends on how the war was affecting my community.
Natalia explains why her grandfather acted so defiantly when she says, “Despite the insistent pull of his instinct to protect us, my grandfather still suffered from that national characteristic of our people that is often mistaken for stupidity but is more like self-righteous indignation” (49).
A story that has been passed down to me is my great-grandmother’s immigration from Spain to the United States and her riches-to-rags story. My great-grandmother was only a young child when her family moved to the United States. They were entrepreneurs and started up a grocery business. They became very wealthy. So wealthy, in fact, that they even had chauffeurs to drive them around. However, one day, an employee delivering groceries struck and killed a young boy with his vehicle. The family of the young boy sued and my great-grandma’s family lost nearly everything they had. My great-grandmother’s family never completely recovered and my great-grandmother lived a poor life as a child. This story is important to me because it taught me to be grateful for everything I have and never take anything for granted.
I find the story of the deathless man intriguing. His story is mysterious and almost super-natural.
As Meridith said, Sarobar is a fictional city created in the novel that gets destroyed because of the war. Rakija is a popular alcoholic beverage made by distilling fermented fruit.
It does not surprise me that people that were not close to the fighting were leading relatively normal lives. The war hasn't affected them personally yet so it is logical that there has been no change in their lives.
I think I would probably go to school. My first thought at this point would be not knowing how to react so I would try to keep things as normal as possible. I probably wouldn't sell things on the black market because I would try to keep a level head and realize there will be a life after the war. It is hard to gauge where I would fall in the spectrum because that is a situation that you can't exactly prepare for.
Grandfather acts so defiantly because that's all he really knows. He knows he has to do what is right no matter the cost. It is all about the way he was raised and partially the culture he was raised in.
The story of the deathless man is a little confusing and strange. I am skeptical of it right now but am interested to see where it goes and how it develops.
sarobar was destroyed because of the war, ithink that "the hat" was trying to see if the gradfathers wife as from there and to see if maybe she was mad because of her loyality to her home and to the people in that city. "The hat" upset the doctor and e kndawent a little physco... I felt the doctor went a little to far with his anger.
well I did have ritual with my step father when I was little, when y real father didnt show up for his schedualed visits or not pick me up to go somewhere my stepfather would take me out for mini golf and icecream. I did get old enough to just deal with the disapointment but my stepfather still offers to do something fun.
It does not seam suprizing to me at all we do it everyday, we ae at war now t we do no act as we are in most cases, we still go to school normaly, we don't ration our food or clothing, and we don't have a curfew.
I feel the grandpa wants to prove his families pride and good name. Most likely his name as a good doctor to.
well me myself think that the deathless man story desereves its own comment. God is present in both these stoies, the Life of Pi, and The Tiger's Wife. "The deathless man" was talking about his misreious uncle and a bunch of crazy things that he later proved to be true.I believe the deathless man's uncle happens to be god, and his majic cup is his connection to the uncle. I believe that is why Gavran Gaile is still alive in this book. maybe thats why the grandfather was robbed was because he met Gaile agai and he did promise on is jungle book... something i have been pondering.
When my brothers and I were little, we always used to go grocery shopping as a family on Sundays. Every time we went my parents would buy salami from the deli for us to eat while we shopped. It became kind of clear that we outgrew this family outing because whenever my parents asked if we wanted to go to the grocery store we would always say no and never wanted to tag along anymore. It doesn't seem like a big deal to outgrow something minor like that, but looking back on it I think my parents probably enjoyed those trips .
I don't think it's surprising that some people led relatively normal lives during the war. If you're not in the center of all the chaos, and it has no direct affect on you, why wouldn't you continue to live a normal life? In attempt to keep peace of mind, it's easier to pretend that nothing is going on around you and continue to practice your everyday routine.
One story that has been passed down is the story about my grandfather's outhouse. He would always tell my cousins and I about how he had to walk to an outhouse in the middle of the night to use the bathroom in the pitch black, and they just had a hole dug in the ground for you to go in. Now I know that's not an interesting story, I just like it because it shows you how different things truly are today. We've accomplished so many things, many of which, like a bathroom for example, we take for granted.
I do think that the fact that the people living close to the fighting were living normal lives is surprising. Ignoring the war would be impossible – the fighting is happening inside the city. War elicits extremely strong emotions from people in our country even though the fighting happens thousands of miles away, not down the street. Maybe it seems as if the people aren’t reacting because the narrator was a child at the time. I find it unlikely that the adults in her life would want to appear visibly distressed in front of her. This could be an instance of a somewhat unreliable narrator – I hardly think Natalia is unbiased in her description of the war, and I believe her youth is the main cause for this. If, in reality, the people actually did ignore the war, it could be because the Balkan area is a historically volatile area. The people there would probably be accustomed (if that is even possible) to being in a state of warfare, and would be able to deal with it more easily. If Canada was at war in Minnesota, I would be in the situation that Natalia’s male friends found themselves in: drafted into the military. Therefore, I probably would not be attending school or leading a normal life.
Natalia’s grandmother was born in Sarobar. Rakija is an alcoholic beverage that is made by distilling fermented fruit.
The fact that people who lived far from the fighting lived relatively normal lives isn’t surprising. The war has almost no effect on their lives, since it’s not near them.
If there was a war in Minnesota, there would be a lot of excitement here, but our lives would be relatively unaltered. I believe we’d still go to school. Our safety efforts would be raised, but we’d continue to lives our lives and go on with our business.
I believe that Natalia’s grandfather acts the way he does out of fear and pride. He doesn’t want to lose any part of his life.
The most interesting thing I’ve seen at night is the change in all animals’ behavior. Some become braver at night, and some fall back and become more cautious. I know that the change in behavior happens because all animals are equipped differently, but it still intrigues me.
I find Natalia’s grandfather’s story of the deathless man a little unbelievable. It’s impossible?
Sarobar is a fictional city that was made up in the novel and was destroyed because of the war. Rakija is a alcoholic beverage that was made by distilling fermented fruit and it ended up becoming very popular.
When I was little my parents got divorced and I mainly lived with my mom and went to my dads every other weekend. Since I saw my dad rarely, my mother and I became very close. Every winter we used to both skip school and work on a really snowy day and watch movies and drink hot chocolate. As I grew older we no longer had this special skip day anymore. I don't know what year exactly that we stopped, but I think it was because school started getting more serious and it wasn't as easy for me to catch up. I know I used to enjoy this day and I'm sure my mom did too.
People living a normal life during war does not seem surprising. Look at us, we have had quite a few wars go on and we still have normal lives. There are the few occational things that we do, such as fundraisers to help send food and clothing items to the men, but overall we live pretty normal lives. If there was a war to happen in Minnesota I really don't know where I would stand. I know that I would like to continue attending school, but I am not sure it would be an appropriate or easy thing to do during that time. I can not say if I would be selling contraband on the black market or if I would buy things from the black market. I think during times such as these your actions mostly depend on what others choose to do and how your community is with-standing.
Grandfather acts the way he does because he believes that it is what is right. Although risky, he wants to help people because thats how he was raised and I think he is trying to set that example for his family as well.
The story of the deathless man was very interesting to me. This is the part of the book where I started to get into it. I wanted to keep reading and to see what was really going on. Although interesting, I was very confused as to how this connected to the book so far, but I'm guessing I will find that out later.
Sarobar is a city that was destroyed in war, but is in actuality just a city that was created by the author. Rakija is an alcoholic drinki created by the distillation of fermented fruit which can be bought or produced at home.
When I was younger I would spend most of my summer at my grandparent's house, doing anything from swimming to fishing to riding motorcycles and four wheelers. As I grew older, my time out there diminished little by little. My parents realized that I had become preoccupied and wanted to spend time with my friends rather than spend time at my grandparent's house. I still spend some time out there, but not nearly as much as I had when I was younger.
It does not surprise me that people away from fighting are living a relatively normal life because they don't see the what is going on in war. They were affected some because of friends and family being drafted, but other than that, they didn't have to worry much because they knew they weren't at any risk.
I think if there was a war going on in our country, I would try to live as normal of a life as I possibly could. I would go to school and try to make the best of it, knowing that I am no safer at home than I am at school. I think I would try to avoid the black market though to avoid trouble.
I think grandfather acts so defiantly because that is just his personality and it has worked for him in the past. He doesn't feel like there is any reason to give up that part of him now when it has worked in the past.
I think the story of the deathless man is interesting and it intrigued me greatly. I'm anxious to know where the novel is going with the story of the deathless man.
To reiterate what everyone else said, Sarobar is a fictional town that was uprooted and destroyed during the war. Rakija is a strong alcoholic beverage made from various fruits. It is comparable with whisk or Brandy.
Every fathers day, my dad would play music with his band at a place we called The Trout Farm. It was a huge estate in Sandusky near Cedar Point. The house was a mansion, and it was surround by a huge stream. Every year the owner puts trout in the water for guests to fish. My dad would bring my sister and I to the estate every fathers day, and when he was done playing music we would stay the night in one of the rooms. It was probably around 7th grade when we stopped going. As you get older, you become busier and, especially in your Junior High Years, you tend to avoid doing family things. No one took offense to the us not wanting to go anymore, I don't think. My dad understood that we had outgrown it.
I have put thought into what would happen if war came to the United States. Since America is such a large country, I wouldn't be surprised if people away from it weren't greatly affected. I'm not surprised that Natalia lived a relatively normal upbringing during the war. If those feisty Canadians decided to breach into Minnesota and start a war, I would still go to school. The war would justify skipping school on some days, however. I wouldn't sell contraband, but I would buy it from the black market. The risk of getting caught is much greater when you sell than when you buy.
The strangest thing I've ever seen at night happened last year. I was playing tennis with a few people at the High School. Jake Wise and I were getting ready to have the ball returned to us when we saw a huge streak of orange go across the sky for only about a second. We both just stood there staring at the sky as our opponents scored on us. We both swore it was a UFO, and, of course, the people on the other side of the net didn't see it or believe it. We were contacted by an alien life form; beat that everybody else.
I thought the story of the deathless man was very interesting. So far, it's my favorite part of the novel (on chapter 6). It was very unbelievable, but that's what makes a story good. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Sarobar is a made up town that the author created for the sake of this story. Rakija is an alcoholic drink that is very popular in the several Eastern countries. It’s made from fermenting fruit, similar to wine, only it tends to have a much higher alcohol content.
It doesn’t surprise me at all that life went on for the people not directly affected by the war. What else can you do but move on and continue with life? Bombs aren’t raining down on them, there aren’t enemy soldiers invading their homes. There really isn’t a reason not to go about things in their usual way.
If there was a war going on that close to us, I’d still go about my life just as I had before the fighting started. By needlessly changing our lives and letting the fear rule us would only be helping the enemies win. As for the black market, I couldn’t say. Indulging in illegal matters would not be helping the order of things in a time of utter chaos, which is slightly contradictory. So then it turns into why not? The system is slowly failing anyways, right? Besides, I wouldn’t even know how to gain access to the black market.
I loved reading the story about the deathless man. I wanted to know more; how he wasn’t able to die, why that happened to him. Obviously, that isn’t possible in the real world. So this book is either very unrealistic (I can forgive the made-up cities) or there is some other explanation. I’m hoping for the latter.
Sarobar was destroyed by the war and rakija is an alcoholic beverage made by distilling fermented fruit.
When I was little and used to go over to my grandparents house, I was always expected to go mini golfing with my grandfather. This was something I absolutely adored, because I thought my grandpa was just the best. As I grew older we continued this tradition until I was about 14 and my grandpa began to get sick. As I look back now, and at his funeral a year ago, which is the one thing I wish wouldn’t have ended. I could never imagine intentionally ending a tradition with someone, even if I didn’t enjoy it.
The idea that they are in the middle of war right near their homeland is terrifying. Though there seems to be fear in the air I feel it is strange that the consistent excuse is “there is a war on,” if they want to get away with something. To me that is just unimaginable. I think they know what to expect out of the war, making it less worrisome than being misinformed.
If there was a war in Minnesota because Canada attacked, I would definitely be concerned, since we never tend to fight over in our homeland. I more than likely wouldn’t go to school in the idea that my safety is more important, but I would NOT sell contraband items. I think I would fall in a between place, being unsure of my safety, as well as wanting to have my old life back.
Grandfather acts to defiantly because his only goal is to protect his family from any harm that may come their way.
The story of the deathless man seriously entertained me. It really kept me alert and got me really into the story. I was unsure of this book until this part, now I feel involved and attentive, maybe even addicted to this author.
Sarobar was a city that was destroyed by the war and rakija is an alcoholic beverage made by distilling fermented fruit.
Something I used to do with my grandfather when I was younger, was help him tend his garden. But as I grew older, I slowly began to lose interest in it. He could go on for hours about the different things growing in his garden, or telling me stories about things that had happened in his garden. When I was younger, I found everything fascinating. The garden was like a magical place to me, because his sunflowers grew so tall, it was like being in a little forest. But as I grew (in age and height) it didn't seem as magical anymore. When I completely lost interest, I started taking care of his animals while he tended the garden. I don't think he was too disappointed, because I was still out there helping him with things. And now my sister helps him in the garden, because she absolutely loves it.
I don't find it very surprising that people living so close to the fighting just carried on with normal lives. I think some people don't really act toward certain things unless it affects them personally.
If a war was going on in our country, I think I would try to continue life on as normal as I could. It's hard to say where I'd fall on the spectrum, because I wouldn't want to just stand by and let things happen, but at the same time, I'd want things to continue on as normal.
Grandfather acts so defiantly because he wants no harm to come toward his family. He doesn't want them worrying about his health and he doesn't want them to feel pain.
Like most people above, I really enjoyed the story of the deathless man.
Rakija is, like stated above, an alcohol beverage that is made from fermented fruit. Rakija usually has an alcohol content of about 40%, but when home-produced, the alcohol content reaches about 50-60%. Rakija is the national drink for a number of countries, some of the popular ones being, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey.
I used to have a ritual standing date with my grandparents that I have much outgrown. When I was little, every single Sunday, I would sit by the church doors eagerly waiting for my grandparents to arrive. I would then sprint to them and jump on them and hug them. It always used to gather a crowd when I did that when I was little, but I have definitely outgrown that, in more ways than one, I think I would knock them over now. Ha. I still take the time to make frequent visits with my grandparents, so they never really take anything too hard, they simply realize that I am growing up, no matter how many times I told them I wouldn't when I was little.
Honestly I don't think it is surprising at all that those not close to the fighting were leading a relatively normal life. I think about myself and how our own country is involved in all of the chaos overseas in the middle east, and I know that it is incredibly selfish of me to say, but I honestly do not think about it on a daily basis and all of the lives that are out there being sacrificed for an average person like me. I got about my daily business very normally. It disgusts me to type those words, because reading that question now really makes me think about how oblivious I can be to the things going on around me, no matter if I am connected first-hand or not. I need to be more aware.
I'm really not quite sure what I would do if there were to be a war going on in my own country. I would like to say I would stay in school and stay out of trouble, but with all of the chaos, I think I would lose all form of common sense and responsibility and do what I had to to keep myself safe, healthy and happy. So I guess if getting involved in risky business is what it would take then, I think that is what I would end up getting myself into.
I guess I don't have any fun stories or "folktales" that have been passed down to me, but I always remember my grandma telling me stories of when she was a kid. My grandma was an immigrant from Romania and she came to the states when she was ten years old. Her childhood was incredibly rough, including the way her parents treated her, so all of those stories are very important to me because it makes me realize how blessed I am to be where I am at today with a wonderful family, great friends, and so many other blessings.
I think the story of the deathless man is really interesting. I think it adds suspense and mystery to the novel, which is always great because it keeps a reader wondering and want to keep reading. For some reason when I read that part, Sherlock Holmes was running through my mind...all I could picture was scenes from the movie... weird and nerdy haha.
Sarobar was a made up city that got destroyed because of the war. A rakija is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by distillation of fermented fruit. I have never had a ritual or standing date with a parent or grandparent. I do think it is strange that the people who are not close to the fighting are not scared because even though the people are not close, an attack could happen anywhere since the enemy is already in the country. I don’t think all the people are living a normal life though because all the kids rebel against their parents and their excuse is ‘a war is on’. If a war was going on in our country I would be quite freaked out but I wouldn’t live life in fear and I would live life to the fullest. I would not go to school because I would have to constantly hear updates and bad news about the war and I wouldn’t want that. I wouldn’t sell or buy from the black market unless I needed to.
I think the grandfather was acting so defiantly because it angered him a lot that the ‘hat’ was asking so many questions regarding his family. I don’t think I have seen too many interesting things at night except people walking their dogs and for some reason that weirds me out. My mom told me this one story on how she saved a couple who was running from a guy who had a gun. The couple literally had to run and jump in my mom’s moving car. My mom dropped the couple off to their car and she noticed a book was missing from her backseat; about a week later my mom went back to the area and found the book in a parking lot. On my mom’s way home she was going down this street and saw a girl flip off her bike and really hurt herself. My mom carried the little girl to her house and guess who the parents were? The couple my mom saved a week before that! They thought she was like their guardian angel or something. I thought that was pretty cool because it was just meant to be.
I thought the story of the deathless man was kind of creepy and cool at the same time. I actually liked how it left me with a few questions because I could just imagine the answers up myself. Why did Gavo want water constantly? He was probably Poseidon. Who was his uncle? Definitely Zeus. I thought it was completely unrealistic but if I was in the grandfather’s shoes I would have been traumatized for life.
As everyone knows, Sarbar is made up by the Author. It is sadly destroyed by war.
Rakija is a drink that is made from fermented fruit.
My mom is my best friend. I will never outgrow that or shopping dates with her. But ever since i was little we would go shopping for an Easter dress. The past couple years thats not fun or "cool". I would rather go dress shopping with my friends instead. The older I've gotten the more i realize that, that hurt her feelings. She would say things in a joking manner like "I remember when we used to go shopping for an Easter dress but I'm not cool enough anymore! no no i understand". Now that i'm older I always make sure we go dress shopping together, i wouldn't have it any other way.
If a war was going on in Minnesota, I would say that I would continue on with my life. If it hasn't affected the people around me then why should i change how I live my life?
I think many people could agree with me when I say that at night, when you're driving where there are not many lights, sometimes it looks like people are crossing the road. But really no one is there, your eyes are just playing tricks on you!
The deathless man intrigues me!
Sarobar is the city that Natalia's grandmother was born in. It was destroyed and became an important factor in the war. Rakija is a popular drink made from fermented fruit with origins in the Balkans. It also has a relatively high alcoholic content.
The fact that people living close to the fighting were continuing somewhat normal lives is surprising. I understand that most people do want to try and keep a semblance of calm and routine, but that would become difficult for obvious reasons during wartime. If there was a war here, I think it would be near impossible to live a "normal" life. Even when conflicts and fighting are across the world, they still manage to affect the general population here. So if conflict was even closer, it would seem logical that the effect would be even greater.
Natalia's grandfather acts so defiantly because he simply wants his life to remain the same. It seems that he is just upset over the sudden changes going on.
The story of the deathless man was...odd. I'm not really sure how to interpret it yet.
Sarobar is a city created in the novel that gets destroyed during the war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink made by distilling fermented fruit.
Ever since I was a baby i would spend the summer with my grandparents at our cottage. Before I went to school I was there about every other week. But since i started school it has been all summer from the time school ended till the day before it started. Over the years the amout of time here has lessened do to camp and jobs, but I still come here every summer.
I think if the war was not near home and didn't effect me I would still go to school just like i always have. I don't see a reason to mess up your routine if it dosn't effect you.
The story of the deathless man was very strange. I do not know what to think of it.
If there was a war in Minnesota, unless it affected the community, my friends, or my family, I think I'd still lead a normal life. I would still go to school. I'm sure I wouldn't be completely oblivious to it because something like that would likely be mentioned in conversation often, but if it's not directly affecting me, then it probably be one of those things you only think about every so often.
I actually really liked the story of the deathless man. It was a little confusing but I thought it was interesting. I'm not really sure how it's significant to the story, but I'm excited to find out.
Rakija is an alcoholic drink made from fermenting fruit.
Unless the war was really close to where I lived, I don't think a war in our country would have much of an affect on me. I think I would still go to school and live completely normally.
I thought the story of the deathless man was interesting but I'm not really sure how to make sense of it. I feel like it'll be explained better later in the book and it will make much more sense to me how this man could survive being drowned and shot twice in the back of the head.
Sarobar is a city that was destroyed in war,but was created by the author.
Rakija is an alcoholic drink created by the distillation of fermented fruit which can be bought or produced at home.
I really liked the story of the deathless man. It was very interesting but was confusing as well. I'm still unsure of the significance of the story but I'm sure it will be explained later on in the novel and I'm anxious to find out what that significance is.
Sarobar is a fictional city destroyed in the war, and Rakija/Rakia is a colorless 80-ish-proof (sometimes higher) liquor made with fermented fruit.
If there was a war going on in the country, I think most people would find their own way to silently/loudly rebel. I think I'd continue going to school... solely because a lot of people would stop going.
Grandfather is defiant because that's all he can do anymore. He is a free person, and his family are free people, and he will not allow a government to put a halt on their lifestyle. He knows that regardless of how he lives his life, the war will either destroy them or pass them by.
When I lived in my previous house, my family woke up to handgun-shots. We went outside to see what was going on, and we were half-amused, half-concerned as we watched 10 or so people run out of our neighbor's house into the night as patrol cars pulled up.
I'm not a big fan of the narrator's style of telling her own story, but I really do enjoy the way she tells her grandfather's tale. It's almost as if another person is writing. It gives me some motivation to read more at any rate.
It doesn't surprise me that they live relatively normal lives. The people are protected by their military and are not in extreme danger at this point because the fighting has not gotten close enough to them. The situation would be different if shrapnel was flying through their windows.
A story that has been passed down to me is about how the Native Americans discovered maple syrup. Its only importance to me is that my family makes maple syrup and it rationalizes procrastination. There was a chief who was wifeless and couldn't decide between two girls so there was a cook off. Whoever could make the best venison ever got to marry the chief. The first girl got started right away and cooked it the conventional way, over a fire. The second girl didn't really care and and just assembled hers a few minutes before it was due. The trouble was the second girl couldn't find any water, so she used the mysterious water that was formed in the crevice of the tree. The second girl unknowingly made venison in maple syrup and got to marry the chief. Moral of the story,to win, procrastination is key.
Sarobar was destroyed by war. Rajika is an alcoholic drink made by distilling fermented fruit. My dad and I used to go to Toys R Us and play on the bikes pretty much every weekend, and I must say I think I was more disappointed than him when that trend ended.
It doesn’t surprise me at all, to answer the next question as well, if you aren’t directly affected by the war you shouldn’t have to be involved in anything to do with the war unless you want to.
When I was much younger and my grandparents lived in Sylvania, I used to go and spend the night every so often. My grandpa and I would go to Friendly’s for lunch, and he’d always order mint chocolate chip ice cream- something inconceivably exotic to my four-year-old brain. In the evening, my grandpa would go play cards, giving my grandma and me a chance to hang out until I decided I was too tired to try and finish the needlepoint work she was helping me with. In the morning, no matter how early I thought I’d woken up or how quietly I tiptoed down the stairs, my grandparents would already be awake and in the kitchen. When I got about halfway down the stairs, my grandma would sing-songingly call, “Whoooo do I heeaaaar?” I would laugh and run the rest of the way to where they were waiting with freshly-made coffee cake and the morning paper. Instead of gradually fading out like most traditions do, most of these came to an abrupt stop. My grandpa and I were heartbroken one afternoon when we drove to Friendly’s to find the windows boarded and the doors permanently locked. Shortly after that, he was hospitalized for surgery and never came back home. Without my grandpa and the addition of my little brother, who was now old enough to want to join his sister at grandma’s condo, my grandma and I never got that quality time together again (until I was much older- but even then, she’d moved to Florida and it was very limited). In the months before her death, I kept telling myself to call her just to chat- but by the time I finally got around to that, I only got my drunken great-uncle on the other line telling me she was on her way to hospice. At her burial, I’d try to imitate her sing-songy morning call to show the sympathizers how much I wanted to be like her. My family was never a family of traditions, but the impromptu ones that sprung from my relationship with my grandparents are something I’ll hold onto forever.
Sarobar is a city that has been destroyed. Rakija is some type of alcohol popular in that region that they must make from scratch.
Every year on my aunt's birthday we wear big old fancy hats that she collects and get tea somewhere! It's a ritual I will never outgrow. I'm not the type to act too old for anything...I don't get embarassed by what others may be thinking of me.
This doesn't shock me. A lot of people when chaos has erupted like to keep themselves from panicing by pretending there is no chaos at all. Some people also have the mindset that what they do has nothing to do with war...only soldiers are a part of the war and what they do has no concern.
I would go to school just to keep my friends in check and to get away with more. I'd probably acquire things from the black market rather than sell them. I'd go with the flow. If my friends were skipping school I'd probably skip too but I wouldn't get involved with what they were doing. I'd just like to see what was happening rather than participate.
Grandfather wants to stick to what he knows and not back down on how he feels about things. Just because there is a war doesn't mean you have to turn your back on what you believe in.
Probably when me and my aunts go "ghosthunting" is when I've seen the most interesting things at night. Never a ghost! But still eerie sights.
My grandma always tells me stories...I'm still not sure whats real and whats not but now that I'm older I share them with my friends and they always get a kick out of them.
I loved the story of the deathless man. I don't know what to say other than that...it's pretty crazy.
Sarobar was a city created by the author that was destroyed in the war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink made from fruit.
When I was younger, my grandma would come over in the summer and my sisters and I would go out to lunch with her. She wouldn't call or let us know that she was coming but when she got to our house we would automatically get ready to leave. Slowly, work and our friends occupied our free time so the lunch dates stopped. Nothing was said to make it clear that we had outgrown it because if she stopped over and we were all free we would still go with her.
I don't find this view of wartime surprising. It's kind of like the war is "out of sight, out of mind" even though it is an important event at the time.
I think that, as selfish as it may sound, my life would remain relatively the same as it is now. Unless the war would be in our area where it would be unsafe to continue an everyday routine.
As others have said, the story of the deathless man is confusing. I'm not sure how it will tie into the book or what to make of it.
Every year, for Easter, my grandma hides eggs with quarters in them all over her house. Then we all get bags with our names on them and try to find them. When I was about 13 I told my mom to tell my grandma that I was too old to look for eggs, because none of my older sisters did anymore. My grandma wouldn't listen, so I ended up looking for eggs that year. But the next year when I went to grab my bag, I realized that there wasn't one there for me. When I asked her about she told me that I was much too old. Now doesn't let anyone 13 or older look for eggs.
I think even though they tried to pretend that nothing was wrong and they all tried to lead a normal life, Natalia still talked about how her classmates and friends would just go missing. She also said that while people were on their way to the dentist, they would just see their dentist drinking on the side of road and just go home instead. They weren't allowed to listen to certain music, their school was arranged from youngest to oldest so that if they were bombed the oldest would be hit the hardest. I think that although they tried to live normal lives, the fact that their country was in the middle of a war, still affected them everyday.
As everyone else has stated, Sarobor is a fictional city created by Obreht and destroyed in the novel. Rakija is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented fruit.
It does not seem at all surprising that those away from the fighting are living normal lives. What else would one do? Take cover from the bombs that are landing 700 miles away? All they seemed to do was abide curfew and use the excuse, "There's a war on."
Those darn Canadians. I suppose I'd try and live as normal of a life as possible while still trying to maintain my safety at the same time.
I think her grandfather acts so defiantly because he doesn't accept the change the war has brought and he doesn't agree with it either.
As far as the deathless man, I very much liked the story; it was very interesting. I don't quite know what to make of it though... I would have to think it comes back into play later in the plot. I hope more sense gets made of it than what's so far been given.
The fact that during the war, Natalia's town life was continuing as normal is not that surprising to me. You can't live your life in fear, and even though there was a war going on, they couldn't stop going to school, going to their jobs, or living everyday life. While the war was affecting them, and they had to take precautions, it wasn't happening right in their hometown.
I loved the story of the deathless man. It was a little creepy, left me with questions that couldn't be answered, which drives me crazy, but it was very interesting.
Sarobar is a fictional city destroyed in the war.
Rakija is a strong acholalic beverage made from different suits.
This is not suprising at all in fact its happening right now. The conflicts in the middle east really dont effect us here at home.
If the Canadians did decide to ride down on their polar bears and Minnesota was invaded I would probably continue life as normal as I could.
I find the story of the deathless man the most interesting part of the book so far.
Sarbor is a city that the author created and it is destroyed by the war. Sarbor was where Natalia’s grandma was born. In the book the hat asks about whether or not Natalia’s grandma knows anyone there and her grandfather says that even if she did it would be hard because the city had been razed to the ground. Rajika is an alcoholic drink. In the story they use it to try to lower the little girl’s temperature by wrapping a blanket around her and covering the blanket with walnut Rajika. The diggers in the vineyard also use it just to drink.
I guess a tradition I had with my grandparents would be flying back to china every two years to visit them. I did this when was I little but once I went to junior high I stopped going and I haven’t been back since
It doesn’t really surprise me that they lived a normal life. The war was far away and it didn’t affect them personally. They never had the feeling of losing anyone or losing their house so everything was just normal. It’s like something happening in another state, we’ll hear about it, but it won’t change our lives. If there was a war going on in Minnesota I don’t think my life would change that much. I would still do all the normal stuff because the war isn’t affecting me at all.
I think the deathless man story is really interesting and entertaining. I like how he tells the story of the coffee cup and how he tries to prove that he is actually deathless. I also like the part how he goes underwater and stays under for the whole night. Although the story is entertaining I know that that is impossible.
Ever since I can remember, my family has been obsessed with card games, all card games. Especially the game euchre, and once a week I would go over to my grandparent’s house to play euchre with them. I would always look forward to my dates with my grandparents because they were very special to me. I would always be my grandfather’s partner and, he was the one who truly taught me how to play the game. After the card games I would always help my grandma cook dinner, spending quality time with her too. As the years passed, I got in my teen phase and refused to go. I thought it was "uncool" to spend so much time with my grandparents when I wanted to hang out with my friends. I never realized my grandparent’s disappointment when I wouldn’t show up for our weekly card games, until I finally start making the dates again. Sadly, now time has caught up with my grandparents, and we no longer have the intense matches we used to. My grandfather’s sharp tactics have softened, and my grandmother’s way of cooking has stopped. I truly wish I had spent more time with them, though I knew they understood.
I'm not surprised by the life people were trying to proceed during the war times. I would try to keep life going and act as if nothing is happening. Denial is the easiest way to accept something, especially something as difficult as a war that can ruin everything for you.
If there was a war going on so close to me I’m sure I would do everything to rebel against the strict rules. I could see how pointless they were especially if a war could happen any minute. If the war were threatening to me, I would want to live my life to the fullest and definitely try to require all things possible even if they were on the black market.
The story of the deathless man has truly been the most interesting thing that has happened in the book. Its just basic knowledge that a man that has been shot in the head is dead, but to be proved wrong in such a manner was fascinating. It truly wanted to make me keep reading.
Sarobar, like previously stated, is a fictional city that is destroyed by war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink that is made of fermented fruit.
Every year for as long as I can remember, I would go up to my grandparents house and stay for a week. I always got pretty excited, but as I got older and involved in more activities the week long stay changed to a weekend stay. Its not that I got to old for it, it's just something that has begun to fade out. I think both my grandparents and I have a hard time getting used to the change. I still try to go whenever I can though.
It does not surprise me that people were leading relatively normal lives. The fighting has not yet personally affected them and the way they live, so why should they not continue living the way they are used to? I think I would most likely do the same.
If there was a way going on that was somewhat close to where I was, I have no idea where I would fall in that spectrum. Its hard to say when I have no idea what it would even be like.
The grandfather acts so defiantly because he feels it is the right thing to do, even if he has to risk his family's well being. He would not know what else to do.
I think the story of the deathless man is extremely interesting. It confuses me, but intrigues me at the same time. I want to know more, but at the same time I just keep thinking that it is to weird.
I don't find it that surprising that people who weren't close to the fighting during a war led normaal lives. The only thing I feel would be different to those far away would be the foods and suplies normal people could buy or use. Most of the suplies would probably go to the war effort, so those who weren't bombarded with weapons and hurtful war things, I would think, would lead semi-normal lives.
If there was a war going on in our country, I would want to keep going on normally, but my parents, especially my over-protective mother, would want to keep me home, or even move as far away from the fighting as possible. I would like to say that I would keep going to school and hanging out with my friends, but I don't really know that.
Sarobar was city created by the author to help tell the story. In the novel, Sarobar was the birthplace of Natalia’s grandmother, and was eventually destroyed in the war. As others have stated, Rakija is a popular alcoholic drink created when you distill fermented fruit. The fact that the people continued to live relatively normal lives was not shocking, because the fighting has not become a personal threat to them yet. Although the fighting is close, it is not something that is triggering fear, and quite honestly, there is no reason for the people to change their lifestyles. If a war was to begin near me I think I would definitely try to live my life to the fullest because you never know when it will end, and that I would do everything I could to attain the things I need. The story of the deathless man is extremely interesting. The idea that someone can cheat death, and prove everyone wrong when they thought he could not survive was undeniably one of the most exciting parts of the story.
Sarobar is an imaginary city that is destroyed which leads to war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink from fruit. I never really had a specific ritual with my parents or grandparents that I out-grew. It doesn't surprise me that people not near fighting lived normal lives, because that is how we live our lives in the US while there was a war in the Middle East. If there were a war on Americansoil I would do whatever I could to help but I would also try to live a normal life. Grandfather acts defiantly because that's the kind of person he is, and that's all he's ever known. The strangest thing I have ever seen at night was a month ago, my friends and I saw the moon. It was huge, I'm talking gigantic and bright. The moon took up the whole sky, I've never seen it like that. We all posted about it in twitter but then everyone tweeted back and said they saw nothing so we went back outside and it was gone. The story of the deathless man was cool and it seemed a little supernatural. I'm interested to see where it goes.
I liked that we got a different point of view of the war. Usually when there is a war in a book, we get the point of view of the soldiers or someone directly affected by it, but it is interesting to read an account of someone who is outside the war, but still fully aware of it. The way the war affected Natalia’s life doesn't surprise me. I don’t believe she is living a completely normal life because she notices changes in her life such as her classmates slowly not showing up to school, her living in the “mild lawlessness” of the war, her teacher buying contraband supplies, and her community undoubtedly having a different overall attitude, but she still does go through the same general routines. While these subtle changes are not life altering, I wouldn’t say she lived a “normal” life.
The story of the deathless man is interesting, but I’m not sure what to make of it. I am a little confused so I’m looking forward to learning more about him.
Sarobar is a fictional city in the novel. It was destroyed by the war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink that is made from the distillation and fermentation of almost any type of fruit.
It doesn't really shock me that people not close to the fighting weren't affected by it. I think that they are able to lead a normal life because they are oblivious to it. Out of sight out of mind after all.
I think the grandfather acts so defiantly because that is how he was brought up. I think he doesn't want to give up what he was used to in the past.
Sarobar is a city that was destroyed during the war. Rakija is a popular alcoholic drink that is made from distilled fruit. A ritual that I had with my parents is they would both tuck me into bed every night. For many many years they did it every night and I could not sleep until they did. Until one day I out grew it and I didn't need them to do that anymore. I just told my parents what I wanted and they respected my wishes. I don't think that it is surprising that those not close to the fighting were living normal lives. Think, the U.S is at war right now but many of us here live normal lives. If there was a war going on in our country I would either go on with my normal life or I would join the efforts. I would never join the army or any branch of service today, but if a major war were to begin it would give me a reason to serve my country. Grandfather acts are defiant knowing he is risking his family's safety because he cares about his country and helping other people. He cares about his family but he is just a great person that has a big heart. My thoughts on the deathless man is very confused. The story seems so real but is it really possible for a man to never die? I guess that is why this is just a book!
Sarobar is the city that Natalia's grandmother came from, and it was destroyed. Rakija is an alcohol and seems to be used for medicinal purposes.
To be honest I really don't have a tradition with my parents or grandparents, unless you count what we do for Christmas or other holidays.
The fact that others were leading an almost normal life doesn't surprise me. Even though what is going on in the Middle East right now could technically be called a war, besides praying for our relatives overseas, the most we do is complain about gas prices.
If there was a war going on in our country, I'd try to live life as normally as possible. After all, war can't last forever, and eventually I'd need to grow up and be employed. If war came to Michigan and I was old enough to fight, I would.
The grandfather probably acts defiantly out of pride. There is a stranger in his house asking rude questions. I'd act defiant, too.
Sarobar was a city in the Balkan country that was destroyed, and became an important part of the war. Rakija is a strong alcoholic beverage made from various fruits.
If people are far away from the effects of war then it's only logical to keep going on with life as usual.
The grandfather was defiant because he didnt want the change and he wanted to continue with the way things were.
The story of the deathless man is odd and somewhat confusing.
Ever since my eighth birthday, my grandma has taken me out to lunch and on a book-buying shopping spree. It has always been our special thing. But this year she thought that I was too old and I wouldn't want to do it anymore. After seeing the disappoint on my face when she told me, we decided that we would continue our lunch dates forever!
It does not surprise me that those not close to the actual fighting in the war were living a normal life. Even though the war over seas in Afghanistan and Iraq was not our's to fight, most people back in the United State were unaffected by it or had nothing to do with it.
The most interesting thing I have ever seen at night was a car chase on the Pacific Coast Highway on my family's annual vacation to California. We were driving back from the airport in the middle of the night and suddenly my family's rental minivan was surrounded by black Escalades chasing a tiny red Porsche. It was just like something you would see in the movies.
The story of the deathless man is deeply confusing. It is impossible for someone to be immortal! I'm curious to see if he comes up later in the story.
Sarobar is a fictional city that Natalia's grandmother was born and was a city destroyed in the war. Rakija is a alcoholic beverage that was made by distilling fermented fruit very similar to wine.
It isn't at all surprising that people not close to the violence and fighting would not be affected by the war, unless you or a family member or friend is near or fighting in the war, we don't even think about the war and it gets pushed to the back of our minds.
If Minnesota was invaded by Canada I am certain I would go to school and after a certain amount of time life would return to normal (Assuming Canada only wanted Minnesota and stopped invading or Minnesota chased Canada back over the border) If not though once the war got closer to Michigan I might start to attempt to procure weapons to protect myself from the black market. being a hypothetical there are really to many variables to be sure of anything though.
The grandfather most likely acts so defiantly because he cares about people and his values he was taught thus he acts so strongly to defend them.
Sarobar is a fictional city in the novel that was destroyed by the war. Rakija is a drink that was commonly used made out of fermented fruit.
When I was a child my family and I belonged to the Highland Meadows golf course. During the summer my mom would take my brothers and I to the pool while my dad golfed and then we would later have dinner or lunch depending on the time as a family together. As we grew older we began to have much more responsibilities and were unable to spend as much quality time by the pool together.
Leading a relatively normal life while there is a war around you is common. However, being in constant fear of an outburst is always possible and should be taken in to consideration. If there was a war near where I lived I would take any type desperate measure to be able to survive. If that means selling contraband on the black market, I would.
The deathless man story sparked my interest. At first I thought it was some type of vampire and then thought he was death himself until Chapter 6 when the deathless man tells Natalia's grandfather that death is his uncle and he only repaying a debt.
A ritual I had with my grandpa is that we would go up to is cabin every fall and every summer for about 2 weeks but with me getting older and being busy with sports we hardly go up anymore. No i dont think it is very surprising that the people not close to the fighting are living normal lives i mean wh y would they change if the war is no where near them? If a war did start in the United States i guess i would try and live my life as normal as possible untill i am forced to change becasue of the war. I thought the story on the deathless man is the best part of the book so far. It left me with many questions like how cant he die? Who is his uncle? If he can die how is faking death? I thiught it was a really cool story.
There was a war at Sarobar, a city in the novel. Sarobar is destroyed due to the war. Rakija is a alcoholic drink made by distilling fermented fruit.
When I was younger, My grandpa and I would always take walks around a path in his backyard. The path was about a mile long and it was in a forested area. I was always so excited to do this with him but as I grew older i began to just get tired of doing the walk. I slowly began passing up on the offer to take the walk when I visited him. Eventually we stopped the walks all together and now that my grandpa is getting too old to do them anymore I completely regret ever stopping them.
I am not surprised that the people far from the fighting were leading relatively normal lives. There would be no reason for those people to drastically change their life styles because of a war that isn't even near them.
If there was a war in Minnesota I wouldn't change my life style very much. I would still go to school, still hang out with friends, still be a teenager. One thing that would change a little is the amount of security and caution I have, as well as the amount of time I would spend watching the news.
Grandfather acts so defiantly because he wants to do the right thing regardless of the risks. It is how he was raised and how he has been acting throughout life.
I don't think it's weird that people where living normal lives with the war that wasn't even that close to them. Like Blake said I wouldn't change my life if a war was going on in area that was no where near me. I would be more cautious yes, but there would be no reason to become a hermit. You have to carry on with your life. I would still go to work, school, and hang out with friends just live my life like always just be a little more cautious.
I think the story of the deathless man is interesting but a strang thing in a story like this. I would expect to see this kind of thing in a fantasy novel or something. The man is kind of a curve ball, but a nice twist in the story.
Sarobar is a city that was created by the author. The city was destroyed in war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink made by distilling fermented fruit.
During football season, I would go over to my grandparent’s house every Sunday. I still go over there sometimes, but as I got older, I got busier and didn’t have the time to go over as much. Nothing was clearly said about me not coming over anymore though.
I don’t think it’s surprising at all that people away from the war live a normal life. The people not near the war don’t see the damage that it causes so they don’t feel the fear that war brings.
If a war was going on in our country, I would try to live as normally as I could. I would still go to school and do as many things as I could. If a war was going on, I wouldn’t feel any safer at home then if I was at school. I would not try to acquire things from the black market though, unless I was desperate. I would try to avoid the black market at all costs to stay away from trouble.
I think the grandfather acting defiantly is just the way the grandfather is. It is just his personality.
It's not at all surprising to me that people are able to lead normal lives even though their country is involved in a war. Most of the time in wars or revolutions there are certain areas that are known to be heavily hit but for the most part, the rest of the country isn't caught in crossfire. Everything of course changes though. You hear stories of the death, turmoil, and destruction of your country and your people, you're cut off from resources, and people are taken from you (whether to be drafted or to flee from the draft).
Hahaha. I can't see the Canadians attacking anyone, but I guess I can roll with the scenario for a bit. When considering school and other responsibilities, even excluding the fact that my mother would kill me if I dropped anything, I think I would still work and go to school. For me, personally, it's very easy not to do anything when nothing is going on. If there is however something put in my way, it acts as an instigator. I would become more determined than I could have ever been on my own. Some people grow more under pressure.
i think at some point the black market would become a norm. I would definitely end up[ buying things on the black market but I don't think I would sell anything on there unless I was desperate.
I can't really blame the grandfather for the way he acted. The man was rude, disrespectful, and showed no shame for what he was doing. We also must think about what it must be like to be the grandfather. To have so many things taken away from him due to the war and then to have someone come in to his home looking for more things to take away. The grandfather's anger wasn't just fueled by the man in front of him, it was also fueled by the devastation of the war that had affected him. In that moment, he wasn't just confronting some intruder, he was confronting the war itself.
I don't have a specific story that's held at night. I just think that night itself is an interesting story.
When I was younger, my family would almost routinely visit Wildwood Metropark. We would alternate between riding bikes and rollerblading. This was a very common thing when my siblings and I were younger. As we aged, however, we spent less and less time at Wildwood. The kids in my family, myself included, became busy with school, work, sports, and graduation. Not to mention the fact that we became less and less enthused to ride our bikes with our parents for an afternoon. My parents never seemed too upset that we stopped doing this. I'm sure that they didn't enjoy seeing their babies grow up.
Since the United States hasn't had many invasions in my lifetime (other than the constant flow of illegal immigrants down south), I am not entirely sure what I would do in a time of war. I do know that while the Canadians invaded for the secret of our bacon, I would attempt to lead as normal a life as possible until they road their moose army back into their country.
Sarobar is a city which was destroyed, and rakija is a strong alcaholic drink. I dont think i ever had any rituals with my parents, not that i can remember anyways. If canada was attacking Minnesota it would probably not affect me that much because it is so far away. If the war started moving closer to michigan, then i would probably fly back to Russia and hope there are no wars going on there. I think her grandfather acts defiantly because of his beliefs. I thought the deathless man story was interesting.
Once again, Sarobar is a made up city that was turned into ruble after a war. Rakija is an alcoholic beverage made by distilling fermented fruit.
If there were ever a war here, I suppose I would carry on until things got too out of hand. I would probably stay in school until it were considered "unsafe". As for the black market stuation, whats a kidney here and there? You don't really need both. Why not make some money if you can?
I think the grandfather's acts are understandable. He was most likely tired of being told what to do and losing things dear to him.
Sarcbar is a city that is created by the author that does not actually exist that got destroyed during the war. Rakija is a drink the is very popular and is an alcoholic drink.
I think it isn’t surprising and that it is normal that the people who are not close to the war are leading normal lives. The people who are not close to the war do not see its affects first hand so it is not something they have to change their lives for.
I most likely would go to school if there was war in Minnesota but I do not think I would be selling or trying to acquire anything from black markets because even though there is a war it wouldn’t be something that I would do. I have no clue where I would fall in this spectrum because that type of situation isn’t something you prepare for and it is hard to imagine for me.
I think grandfather acts defiantly because of fear. He does not want to lose such a big part of his life even if there is a war going on.
I find grandfathers story about the deathless man very intresting and I enjoyed it a lot. Whether it is true or not is a different story but it was a story I really enjoyed reading.
I don’t really find it surprising that those not close to the fighting in a war can lead relatively normal lives. I mean, look at everyday people; unless people have family members in the military, they don’t exactly think about the war unless something devastating occurs. (Not that war itself isn’t devastating) I think it’s a good thing that people can still live normal lives when a war is occurring, otherwise nothing in life would matter but war.
Yes, I would still go to school if there was a war going on in our country. It’s just like what Natalia talks about in the book; Life continues, eventually, after war then you have to make something of yourself. There’s no longer an excuse to not take care of your responsibilities, and it shouldn’t have been an excuse in the first place. That’d be like having our current generation drop out of school and not worry about the future, because of the idiotic theory of the zombie apocalypse (Yes, totally different concept, but you get the point).
The most interesting thing I’ve seen at night would probably be the way nature changes as a whole. Some plants/animals appear in the night that you would never see during the day. To view the stars in the sky is interesting enough.
My thoughts on the story of the deathless man is simply that; a story. At least seeing an elephant in your local town could be possible, but to never encounter death? It’s simply impossible.
It doesn't seem surprising that those who are not close to war live a normal life. There has been war in our generation and I have always lived normally. I have no relatives in the military and we do not live close to it so that it would change our lifestyle in any way. No one wants to live in fear for their entire lives. If a war was going on in our country I would still try my best to do things that I would normally do. At times it might be difficult and things might happen where we can't live normal lives. But until it got to that point I would try to make the best of the good things that are still going on.
Unless the war was going on right outside their windows, I wouldn't expect those people to make much of it. It's hard to really know just how bad something is unless you're in the midst of it. Having it go on for that long as well also made them a bit detatched, despite the fact that their own men were fighting in that war. For instance, I have an aunt who was in ICU for six months due to an infection she'd caught at the hospital during surgery. After a while, the routine visits had become just another event on the schedule. My aunt would be comatose, my mom would speak to my grandma in the room, and me and my cousin would go and explore, getting into every secret room that hospital had to offer. It sounds bad, but it's easy to normalize things and grow accustomed to a situation after a while. I think that's what happened to the folks in Natalia's city. The precautions taken by the government became the new norm.
It is surprising to me that the people not directly involved in the war were leading a normal life, because i would think they would be affected by food shortages, and higher prices because of the supplies.
I think the deathless man was trying to show somebody something, or tell them something. Im just not sure what.
If there was a war going on, I would most likely still go to school but I
would not do anything illegal such as being involved in the black market.
Sarobar is a place that the author came up with, and was demolished by the war. Rakija is an alcoholic drink.
When my brother and I were younger we use to love having sleepovers at my grandparents house. We would bake cookies and cupcakes tighter, and watch a ton of movies. I grew out of wanting to stay the night at their house when I started high school. My brother hasn't exactly grown out of it yet. My grandma always brings up that I'm too busy for her now. I guess she really enjoyed those good old days.
It doesn't surprise me that the people living in areas where the war wasn't happening there were living normal lives. Most people have no idea what war is really like, until they are directly affected by it. If there was a war going on somewhere in the US, but not exactly close by, I would probably be trying to live a normal life also.
I think grandfather acts so defiantly is because he seems like a very stubborn person. He is quite the intelligent man, and has led an interesting life. He is just use to getting things done his way.
Sarobar is an imaginary city. It was demolished during a war. Rajika is an alcoholic beverage that seems quite disgusting...
No, that doesn't seem surprising. People that aren't directly affected by things are oblivious to them.
If there was a war in the U.S. I'd sell black market goods (definitely not stuff like CDs and other junk).
My family is big on storytelling, but i lack to remember any of real importance.
The deathless man? Not impossible. It could be as the grandfather did, he found a reed to breathe through. The man did find it easy to take the chain and rope off, maybe he tied the rope to the cinder block and swam to a reed patch.
It's probably a lot more comforting to act like life is going on as usual to acknowledge a war is going on. I think that most people would live in this illusion of peace unless they were forced out of it. I think that desire for sameness, along with a sense of duty to his patients, is why Natalia's grandfather continued practicing medicine.
My great-grandmother lived on a farm at the turn of the century, and she wrote a book about her childhood. We each have a copy. It's interesting to me, because I remember my great-grandmother and remember her telling us other stories, but to my younger cousins who were only babies when she died, it's more like a fictional book as opposed to a family story.
I think the story of the deathless man is an exaggeration on the grandfather's part. In my opinion, he probably cared for a man that had suffered some sort of serious injury and appeared dead, but happened to be extremely resilient. He probably found it amazing from a medical point of view, but exaggerated the things like the bullet wounds and being underwater for an hour to impress the story upon Natalia.
WHen I was little my grandma and I use to go on this path I would ride my little tricycle and she would walk and we would pick up pinecones. That ended when I outgrew the bike and realized pinecones werent that cool.
I don't think it seems surprising, we have soldiers over seas fighting and we still live our regular lives. I guess it would be a little different if it was maybe closer but they cant see it or hear it and niether can we so i think it is kind of the same.
I would still go to school like normal but if the US started to take stuff away that I really enjoyed I would probably buy things from the blck market but I would never sell in it. I would be scared.
I thought the deathless man story was interesting. I thought them thinking if the bullets came out the brains would come pooling out was funny because we know that is not true.
i dont find it surprising that they lived normal lives because the war did not effect them personally so their lives were not directly influenced.
Rakija is an alcohol. My dad and I always used to camp in the back yard, as I got older we stopped. At the age of 10 I decided I didn’t need my daddy to camp with me. Living a normal life during a war does not seem surprising to me, most of America is doing it right now. (Grab your guns, eh, we’re going to Minnesota to start a war). I would not go to school; I would enlist in the military in a heartbeat. Grandfather acts to defiantly because he wants what is best for Natalia and does not want her to think differently just because there is a war going on.
Interesting and scary. When my siblings and I were camping we heard a ruckus in the woods. Being hunters we all pulled out our guns and flashlights. There was a wolf pack containing 10-15 wolves crashing through the woods and swarming our cabin. These wolves had stalked me for one mile while I was driving my four-wheeler from my deer blind back to the cabin.
I enjoyed the story of the deathless man. I’m not sure what to make of it. I don’t believe in curses or whatnot, so if someone told me they could not die, I would not believe them. Although, after seeing him pull two bullets out of his skull and not die, and staying under water for an hour, I would consider a curse.
Every year my brother and I would go with my parents to a family friend's house for trick-or-treating. That was really the only time we saw them so we always felt obligated to go with them and their kids, but the older we got the less fun it would be. Also, when you get to the teen years people are not as willing to give you candy so we figured we were too old and just told them straight up.
If there was a war going on I think I would just keep living my life. I don't really think you would need to go into hiding if it's states away. Obviously if the war started spreading and coming our direction I would be more cautious, but i wouldn't do anything until it was in our area.
I thought the story of the deathless man was a little weird and unexpected.
Rakija is an alcohol popular in the Balkan states and is produced from fermented fruit.
A ritual my mom and I follow is my mom yelling to me every saturday morning at 10o'clock that the t.v show He Man is on and I tell her that Spider-man is better. My mom and I still do this.
It's not surprising that people outside of a war zone try to keep life as normal as possible. Human beings dislike change in their routines, so unless forced to, people won't change their everyday lives.
If a war were going on in our country I would probably go to school. I would try to live my life as close to how I was living my life before the war. However, if the need for money or certain items arose, I would probably sell or obtain contraband in order to help my family get through the war.
The strangest thing I have seen at night is also the strangest thing I have ever seen. One night my mom, my sister, and I were walking back to our car from Kroger. I was a very curious and inquisitive child, so I would sometimes peek into car windows as I passed by. On this particular night, I peered into the back window of a minivan, and I was horrified at what I saw. I saw what I thought then to be a dead body, which turned out to be a mannequin, which is still creepy.
I am having a hard time believing the deathless man story. I find it difficult to grasp that a man was held underwater for ten minutes, and then shot in the back of the head twice and lived. Then, he was underwater for hours and just walked away. The only way I can believe this story is if his uncle is God, or some other higher being preventing him from dying.
Not to sound like a broken record but sarobar is a city that has been ruined and uprooted by war time and raijika is an alcoholic drink. When I was little my grandma use to make me homemade macoroni and she love making it for me. As a kid I would eat it but as I grew up I found it disgusting. By she kept making it. Eventually I had to tell her that I didn't like macoroni and she was totally crushed. I feel bad just talking about it but it's disgusting. I thought that the way she described their lives was interesting. We usually think of war times as everyone hiding out in fall out shelters. It was intriguing to read how they lived normal and very care free lives during the middle of the war.
Sarobar is the destroyed town that Obreht made up in his writing of the novel. Rakija is an alcoholic beverage made by various fruits. One thing that I find interesting about this drink is that before it can be served, it has to sit for 40 days in order to be tasted. This has some sort of religious significance because Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, and also, the ancestral spirits that went through the drawers in The Tiger's Wife lasted 40 days as well.
When I was younger, my grandma would buy me short stories and books filled with classic poems. She lived in Connecticut, and I had just moved to Bedford, so this was her way of bonding with me over such a long distance. Each week she would make me read and write about these books she sent me and then talk to her about what I came up with over the phone. But since I was so young, I thought that everything she sent me was boring. I hated writing about different topics each week, but I did it anyways because it made her happy. One week, when I didn't do what she asked, I had my older sister write me a poem so my grandma would think I did my homework. Unfortunately, the poem was way to good to be mine. After she scolded me, I had to have my parents talk to her and tell her that I didn't want to write things for her anymore. Thankfully, my mom and dad were able to get my slightly insane grandmother to stop this tradition.
Sarobar was an imaginary city that got burnt to the ground during the war. Rakija is a type of alcohol made with fermented fruits.
Well, we used to have this family tradition of my moms side gathering at my grandparents house to eat tradtional foods after church. But after awhile everyone just kind of stopped the tradition, and it was pretty mutual.
No, if they weren't close to the fighting why should they be worried? Only when it starts to get closer is when you start to try and keep thing under control at home.
If there was a war in Minnesota I would still go to school. I mean it's still far enough away to not worry about the school. I wouldn't sell contraband because I feel like that's just a really shady business in general. I'd only buy from it if something really caught my eye, or if things that i normally bought became illegal.
The story of the deathless man was kinda interesting. It is almost a contrast compared to the rest of the book. Pretty much a story within a story, and it's kind of amusing.
As others have already stated, rakija is an alcoholic drink made from fruits and Sarobar is a fictional city.
Whenever I used to visit my grandmother, she would sing "Good Morning" (it is a song from some old movie, but I'm not sure which)'to wake me up. She did this for everyone, almost regardless of age. As I got older, I really hated it, but she always did it anyways. I'm sure she would still be doing it if she were alive today.
I am not surprised by those not fighting being relatively unaffected by the war. Just think about how many recent wars the US has been a part of that has affected us even less than the characters in the book.
If war broke out, I would probably continue going to school, but, depending on what is considered contraband, I would consider going to the black market setting.
The story about the deathless man is Interesting and probably an allusion to some religion that I missed.
On another note, the grandmother was watching Gone With the Wind. I wonder if that is at all important.
Sarobar is the fictional city in which Natalia’s grandmother was born, later to be destroyed by war. Rakija is a alcoholic drink that can be easily made at home with distilled fruit.
The fact that those not close to the fighting live a normal life isn't surprising to me at all. If people dont have a close enough attachment to something, usually they dont care about it. I cant see people living a different life style unless the war is taking place in their backyard or they have a loved one in the war.
Rakija is alcohol. If war was going on in our country i would sell lots of merchandise on the black market, i could start a lucrative business of it and would not need to get a real job so it would all work out. The strangest most interesting thing at night that i have seen was probably when i saw the sweetest shooting star and i made a wish upon it and i will always remember it because it was so cool, the story of the deathless man was so cool! i wish i could not drown cause then i would be a swimmer and would be awesome because i would never have to breathe and i could live on like the bottom of a lake if i wanted to.
War broke out in Sarobar and rakija is a type of alcohol.
When I learned to tie my shoes. Looked my Mom straight in the eyes and was all like " Momma, please, I got this."
Not at all. just think of America. While we have troops dying and fighting for their lives down in foreign countries, we're all cozy in our lazy lifestyle, but it could be different considering it's not in our backyard.
I would become an information broker. I'd make bookoo bucks with my incredibly accurate predictions of enemy forces mainly coming in from the North before it even happens, man.
Sarobar is a city that was destroyed by war. To me this is a scary thought. The fact that violence like this can be so devastating to a whole city brings me to the relization the human beings are capable of great evils. If there was a war in my city I think i would be greatly against it. I would join what ever peace organizations I can. I think violence is a useless use in human capabilities that proves nothing in the end and solves problems that could have been resolved in other ways. Ways that don't end in destruction.
I would defiantly go to school because education is the back bone to a prosperous future and if I wanted to make a difference then i would have to know what was going on.
I assumed that life would go on for the people not affected by war. There was no reason that they shouldnt move on. They were no longer getting hit with bombs and they finally were living with just their family and not any soldiers. It was time that they moved on with their life.
Sarobar is a fictional city that Obreht made up and was annihilated due to war. Rakija is an alcoholic beverage that is made from fermented fruit.
When I was younger, my mother and I would get breakfast every Friday before school. As I grew older and sleep became more of priority, the time for these breakfasts began to slip away and became fewer and fewer until they were non-existent. There was never a definitive stopping time; they just faded away as I grew up.
If there was a war in Minnesota I think life would stay pretty normal. Assuming the Minnesotans get evacuated and the war stays confined to Minnesota. But say this war did spread and we were on rations, I would definitely buy items from the black market if my family’s life depended on it.
Grandfather is the way he is because he was raised to help people. He believes what he is doing is the right thing.
If there was a war going on in this country, I would go on as if nothing is different as the community in the novel does. It is the human mentality, if nothing is different in my life then there is nothing going on, there is no war because everything is the same. It would be important for everyone to keep a routine otherwise there would be chaos, there would be riots, increased criminal activity, more drugs, etc. This would be the case because, like a group in the novel, you have the excuse of “there’s a war going on, we could all die anyway” so basically it would be the equivalent of all of America shouting “YOLO” and jumping off a bridge. Keeping with a routine would create a sense of normalcy and the child’s mentality of “if I can’t see you then you can’t see me”, but ultimately it would save the county from destroying itself.
I think the deathless man is such an interesting story and it adds so much to the novel. I guessed from the first section of it that the man’s uncle was Death. The deathless man has an interesting approach of telling people they are going to die. I’m glad by the end he instead indulges people at the end of their time rather than make them angry. I am conflicted on whether or not I should like his character or not. On one hand he reminds me of a con artist, with the whole lake bit and betting. Plus, he bet his cup, which he said later replaces itself automatically. Not exactly a valuable thing to bet. But I also feel sympathy for him, I would never want to live forever and not only that, but now his whole life is dedicated to death, the thing he wants most. So not only can’t he die, but his whole deathless life is taunting him. I feel bad for him, but he makes it hard to.
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