517 Matching Annotations
  1. Last 7 days
    1. The Dreamof the Rood uses alliteration rather thanrhyme; it is divided into half-lines (witha pause, or caesura, in the middle) thatvary between short rhythmic sections andlonger hypermetrical sections (with moresyllables).

      I was excited when I saw these poetic techniques for the first time. There are so many techniques, such as alliteration, half-lines, and caesura. I also think the people who identified these techniques in such old poems and explained them to us are really impressive.

    2. All angels of God beheld it,Fair through future ages; ’twas no criminal’s cross indeed

      The cross is no longer seen as an instrument of execution. It's transformed into a symbol of salvation and glory. As I grew up in a church, I heard this several times before. While not until I thought about it again did I realize what a brilliant contrast it was.

    3. Begirt with gold; jewels were standingFour at surface of earth

      This makes me think about why the cross is decorated with gold and jewels. Although the cross represents suffering, its beautiful appearance suggests glory, victory, and redemption.

  2. Oct 2026
    1. They went up through the maze of parked and cruising cars to the bright-lit, fly-infested restaurant, their faces pleased and expectant as if they were entering a sacred building that loomed up out of the night to give them what haven and blessing they yearned for.

      The specific description of the restaurant makes me feel uncomfortable , especially the “fly-invested” make me confusing that why Connie and their friend would like to go there

    2. the music was always in the background, like music at a church service; it was something to depend upon.

      I think the comparison to a church service is interesting because church is usually associated with safety, faith, and guidance, while the music Connie listens to eventually becomes connected to something dangerous.

  3. Sep 2026
    1. Four at surface of earth, likewise were there fiveAbove on the shoulder-brace.

      The shining jewels represent Jesus's divinity and the glory after Jesus's death. At that time, the rood was a cruel punishment equipment, but through the decoration of the jewels, it has been transformed into a victor tree. It's new for me to know that jewels can represent as a symbol of sacred.

    2. Scyld the Scefing

      Scyld Scefing is the legendary founder of Danish royal line in Beowulf, representing an ideal warrior-king. Scyld: Means ''Shield'', symbolizing his role as a protector of his people. Scefing: Means "with a sheaf of wheat" or "son of Scef", refers to his story as a helpless orphan found floating in a boat.

    3. Care is renewed in him who must needs sendvery often his weary mind over the frozen waves. And thus I cannot think why inthis world my mind becomes not overcast when I consider all the life of earls, howof a sudden they have given up hall, courageous retainers.

      When later generations listen to the stories told by their predecessors, only those who truly experienced it can truly understand.

    1. Leave me alone,” Connie whispered.“Hey, you know that old woman down the road, the one with thechickens and stuff — you know her?”“She’s dead!”“Dead? What? You know her?” Arnold Friend said.“She’s dead —”“Don't you like her?”“She’s dead — she’s — she isn’t here any more —”“But don’t you like her, I mean, you got something against her? Somegrudge or something?” Then his voice dipped as if he were conscious ofa rudeness. He touched the sunglasses perched on top of his head as ifto make sure they were still there. “Now you be a good girl.”

      This passage surprise me because they suddenly mentioned about death.Arnold kept saying that Connie doesn't like her.I couldn't help but guess Arnold killed the woman with the chicken.

    2. She put out her hand against the screen. She watched herself push thedoor slowly open as if she were safe back somewhere in the other door-way, watching this body and this head of long hair moving out into thesunlight where Arnold Friend waited.

      I can't understand why Connie walked out the door the first time reading it.I was wondering except the reason that she wants to protect her family.Is there other reasons related to mental issues or something?

    3. Ellie turned for thefirst time and Connie saw with shock that he wasn’t a kid either — hehad a fair, hairless face, cheeks reddened slightly as if the veins grew tooclose to the surface of his skin, the face of a forty-year-old baby. Conniefelt a wave of dizziness rise in her at this sight and she stared at him as ifwaiting for something to change the shock of the moment, make it allright again.

      I was shocked when Connie discovered that Ellie was perhaps 40 years old by his face.Because I realized that maybe Arnold was the same age as Ellie.This made me feel disgusting.

    4. ButIknowwhatitis.Iknowyournameandallaboutyou,lotsofthings,”ArnoldFriendsaid.Hehadnotmovedyetbut stoodstilllean-ing backagainstthesideofhisjalopy.“Itookaspecialinterestinyou,suchaprettygirl,andfoundoutallabout youlikeIknowyourpar-entsandsisteraregonesomewheresandIknowwhere andhowlongthey’regoingtobegone,andIknow whoyouwere withlastnight,andyourbestgirlfriend’snameisBetty.Right?”

      I was surprised by how much Arnold Friend already knows about Connie.

  4. Jul 2026
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  6. Jan 2026
    1. June did this, June did that, she savedmoney and helped clean the house and cookedand Connie couldn't do a thing, her mindwas all filled with trashy daydreams.

      Connie’s mother uses June to compare with Connie, I think her mother wants to take Connie’s pride and her beauty.

  7. Dec 2025
    1. She had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand and a letter in the other.

      This image shows the conflict between Daisy’s public elegance and her private distress. The letter suggests unresolved feelings that threaten her carefully arranged future. The wine in her hand reveals how overwhelmed she is by the choice she is about to make.

    2. Taking a white card from his wallet, he waved it before the man’s eyes.

      This moment shows how casually Gatsby uses personal influence to control the situation. It reduces the policeman’s authority to a simple gesture. It also reveals the hidden power Gatsby relies on beneath his glamorous image.

    3. what’s your opinion of me, anyhow?

      This question exposes Gatsby’s deep insecurity beneath his confident exterior. He needs validation to support the image he has carefully constructed. It also shows how fragile his persona becomes when he loses control of the narrative about himself.

  8. Nov 2025
    1. June did this, June did that, she savedmoney and helped clean the house and cookedand Connie couldn't do a thing, her mindwas all filled with trashy daydreams.

      I can’t imagine how stress Connie would be if she’d to heard those kind of salty remarks that keep compare her with her sister.

    2. "Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you're so pretty?" she would say.

      Her mother used the word “gawking”, I think it’s kind of impolite to her daughter. Her mother seemed to be irritated to her that she had to used such an indecent word.

    3. Her mother, who noticed everything and knew everything and whohadn't much reason any longer to look at her own face, always scolded Connie about it.

      It’s interesting here because it’s impossible in real life that one can know everything about the other. But the author made Connie’s mother be a person who omniscient about her daughter.

  9. Oct 2025
    1. My br other is also a physician, and also of high standing,and he says the same thing.

      It’s interesting that either her husband or her brother are all physician and had same idea about her. It shows that how stressful the narrator would be if none of them believed she was sick.

    1. He didn't bother talking much to them, but around his bent headConnie's mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and sheherself was dead and it was all over.

      It is surprising that a teenage girl would wish for both her mother and herself to die just because of family arguments.

    2. with charm braceletsjingling on their thin wrists; they would lean together to whisper and laugh secretly ifsomeone passed who amused or interested them. Connie had long dark blond hair thatdrew anyone's eye to it, and she wore part of it pulled up on her head and puffed out andthe rest of it she let fall down her back. She wore a pull-over jersey blouse that looked oneway when she was at home and another way when she was away from home

      This sentenceis interesting because the author writes out the scene which Connie is free and happy with her friends.

  10. soochowmss.sharepoint.com soochowmss.sharepoint.com
    1. She told the blind man she'd written a poemand he was in it. She told him that she was writing a poemabout what it was like to be an Air Force officer's wife

      It’s interesting because it shows how deeply the blind man influenced her inner life. Even years later, she still felt the need to share her emotions and experiences with him through poetry.

    2. On her last day in the office, the blindman asked if he could touch her face. She agreed to this. Shetold me he touched his fingers to every part of her face, hernose---even her neck!

      It surprises me because I never imagined that touching someone’s face could be such an intimate and meaningful act, especially between two people who were not romantically involved.

  11. Sep 2025
  12. soochowmss.sharepoint.com soochowmss.sharepoint.com
    1. I didn't tell her that. Maybe I just don't understand poetry.I admit it's not the first thing I reach for when I pick upsomething to read

      One might expect him to feel curiosity, or strong emotion reading about it , but he responds with self-reflection. H is emotional is unexpected to me

    1. Her heart was almost too bignow for her chest and its pumping made sweat break out all over her. She looked out tosee Arnold Friend pause and then take a step toward the porch, lurching. He almost fell.But, like a clever drunken man, he managed to catch his balance. He wobbled in his highboots and grabbed hold of one of the porch posts.

      This passage is interesting because Arnold Friend seems both clumsy and in control. His strange movements make him look unpredictable and threatening, which makes me feel tense.

    2. Maybe you two better go away," Connie said faintly."What? How come?" Arnold Friend cried. "We come out here to take you for a ride.

      This is troubling because Arnold’s words sound friendly at first, but they actually suggest danger and coercion. It shows that Connie is being lured into a situation she can’t control, creating fear and suspense.

    3. He didn't bother talking much to them, but around his bent headConnie's mother kept picking at her until Connie wished her mother was dead and sheherself was dead and it was all over.

      I'm surprised that Connie and I have the same feeling because of Mom's constant nagging.

    4. mother's tone was approving, and if Connie's name was mentioned it was disapproving.This did not really mean she disliked Connie, and actually Connie thought that hermother preferred her to June just because she was prettier, but the two of them kept up apretense of exasperation, a sense that they were tugging and struggling over something oflittle value to either of them. Sometimes, over coffee, they were almost friends, butsomething would come up—some vexation that was like a fly buzzing suddenly aroundtheir heads—and their faces went hard with contempt.

      Initially, Connie clearly expresses that her mom doesn't like her, but in this paragraph, she says her mom prefers her to June, and sometimes they act like friends. However, they seem to pretend to argue. That is interesting to me.

    5. I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl, and found out all about you—like I know your parents and sister are gone somewheres and I know where and how longthey're going to be gone, and I know who you were with last night, and your best girlfriend's name is Betty. Right?"

      In the beginning, I think the boy only knows Connie's name, but in this paragraph, he tells her that he knows where her family goes, how long they will be gone, and even the name of her best friend. It makes me feel uncomfortable.

    6. "Connie, you ain't telling the truth. This is your day set aside for a ride with me andyou know it," he said, still laughing. The way he straightened and recovered from his fit oflaughing showed that it had been all fak

      That part where Arnold pretends Connie already agreed to go with him is troubling because it feels manipulative and fake.

    7. n. Ellie turned for the first time and Connie saw withshock that he wasn't a kid either—he had a fair, hairless face, cheeks reddened slightly asif the veins grew too close to the surface of his skin, the face of a forty-year-old ba

      I didn't find that Arnold's friend was even older than him.

    8. He looked at her. He took off the sunglasses and she saw how pale the skin around hiseyes was, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light. His eyes were like chipsof broken glass that catch the light in an amiable w

      This paragraph vividly portrays Arnold’s image and makes readers sense that something is off about him.

    9. This here is my name, to begin with, he said. ARNOLD FRIENDwas written in tarlike black letters on the side,

      The way he introduced his name was strange, and he even marked numbers on his car, which makes people question his identity and purpose.

    10. They must have been familiar sights, walking around the shopping plaza in theirshorts and flat ballerina slippers that always scuffed the sidewalk,

      This is interesting because it reminds me that teenage girls often pay close attention to their appearance.

    11. "Aunt Tillie's. Right now they're uh—they're drinking. Sitting around," he saidvaguely, squinting as if he were staring all the way to town and over to Aunt Tillie's backyard. Then the vision seemed to get clear and he nodded energetically.

      The stutter gave it away that he's attempting to fabricate a lie. Or that he really had seen them before. It's vaguely put. Either way, it's extremely alarming.

    12. June did this, June did that, she savedmoney and helped clean the house and cookedand Connie couldn't do a thing, her mindwas all filled with trashy daydreams.

      Her mother, to add salt to the wound, would praise her sister, June. Whatever June is Connie isn’t. A distraught favoritism at play.

    13. He looked at her. He took off the sunglasses and she saw how pale the skin around hiseyes was, like holes that were not in shadow but instead in light. His eyes were like chipsof broken glass that catch the light in an amiable way.

      The sharp contrast between his skin suggests he had been chronically predatory.

    14. so much land that Connie had never seen before anddid not recognize except to know that she was going to it.

      An uncertain fate awaits Connie as she is taken away. Whether she really recognize the place or not, the landscape here represents uncertainty, vast and unknown.

    15. Everythingabout her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home:

      I think this sentence was very interesting is because it shows that Connie is two different people at home and outside. It feels like the common phenomenon among teenagers: "one way in front of parents, another way outside."

    1. I don’t like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs thatopened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, andsuch pretty, old-fashioned chintz hangings! but John wouldnot hear of it.He said there was only one window and not room for twobeds, and no near room for him if he took an other.He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir withoutspecial direction

      This passage is troubling to me. John calls himself loving, but he controls every part of her life.This didn’t make her condition better,but made it worse.

    2. John is a physician, and perhaps— (I would not say it to a livingsoul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to mymind)— perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster

      I find this interesting because it shows irony. The narrator’s husband is a doctor, but instead of helping her recover, his actually makes her worse.

    3. I’ve got out at last,” said I, “in spite of you and Jane! AndI’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!”

      This is troubling because the narrator believes she has escaped by tearing down the wallpaper, but in reality she has lost her sanity.

    4. That spoils my ghostliness, I am afraid; but I don’t care—there is something strange about the house— Ican feel it.

      The narrator sensed something that makes her insecure and afraid. And her emotions got triggered unreasonably because of it.

    5. Personally I believe that congenial work, with excitement andchange, would do me good.

      His husband and brother are both physicians, but they don’t seem to understand psychiatry. I actually think the main character, as a mental patient, knows better how to heal herself.

    6. Now why should that man have fainted?

      Surprising: This sentence surprising me because narrator have no idea what she done is crazy, she even confuse about why her husband fainted, showing she completely lose her mind.

    1. “We can’t change the world, at least not quickly, but we can change our brains. By practicingmindfulness all of us have the capacity to develop a deeper sense of calm.”— Rick Hanson, author,Resilient

      focusing on ourself first, rather than trying to make some difference in this world. It is significant to have good mindset and develop calmness first to be ready to deal with tasks.

    2. The mosteffective way to combat procrastination is to use time and project management strategies such as schedules,goal setting, and other techniques to get tasks accomplished in a timely manner.

      It is truly important to schedule tasks and break the tasks into smaller pieces, in order to finish work step by step. Just like the quote which professor mentioned in class : "You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

  13. drive.google.com drive.google.com
  14. Jul 2025
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  17. Apr 2025
    1. "Within African imaginations, too, 'Africa' came into existence through the slave trade and colonialization." p. 9

      The concept of blackness as a collective is not established until post-Atlantic Slave trade. Where thereafter there is a bundling of different cultural and regional groups not through their unique heritages (including language, culture and region) but through a somewhat shared range of darker complexions.

    2. "European travelers to West and Central Africa helped to invent 'Africa' (and African Americans) when they purchased people who had been severed from the family relationships and the linguistic and political affiliations that gave them identities as persons." p. 9

      The black diaspora and folks' broader desire to connect to a home (besides the State in which they were born to) that is unidentifiable is what has lead many folks a part of the black diaspora who are unable to know the region, country or tribe of their ancestors to instead connect to the broader continent of Africa; this broader connection to the continent rather than one specific region has lead to different cultural elements from different countries and regions of Africa resonating with black diasporic populations, such as Kwanzaa, adinkra and daishiki. All of which have origins spanning across the African continent including West, Central and Southern Africa.

  18. Mar 2025
    1. KoponewtPelicram ❤️ Slug Goblin 3 points4 points5 points 3 hours ago (3 children)Do you know what's the serial number on that? Some manufacturers had special models mostly for export purposes with extra keys. For example Royal 11 is a 10 with extra keys, Underwood No. 46 is a 5/3/6 with extra keys. Remington No. 9 is an 8 with extra keys.

      via https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jgg4kh/royal_kmm_extra_column_of_keys/miyumvn/

    1. the BGH was reluctant to invoke natural law, because it's hard to define what the "minimum content" should be. instead, the relied on the international human rights - but they found that border shooting on itself does not violate the Covenant, only its excessive nature or unnecessary use violates it

  19. southtexascollege.blackboard.com southtexascollege.blackboard.com
  20. Feb 2025
  21. Jan 2025
    1. Disease for patient 1: Von Willebrand Disease Type1, transmitter VWD-type 3

      Disease for patient 2: Von Willebrand Disease Type 3

      Patient1: 90 YO female (Afro-Caribbean)

      Patient2: 40 YO female (Afro-Caribbean)

      Notes multiple variants in the VWF gene but have focused on variants in the D4 domain. However cannot discount the impact of some other variants.

      Variant 1: VWF NM_000552.5: c.6647del p.(Cys2216Phefs*9), results in VWF protein missing D4 domain and C-terminal end of molecule

      Phenotype patient 1: Reduced VWF levels in VWF:Ag, VWF:ristocetin cofactor, FVIII:C, FVIII(VWF:FVIIIB). Bleeding score 0, required Helixate treatment before and after receiving surgery.

      Variant 2: VWF NM_000552.5: c.6432dup p.(Pro2145Thrfs*5)

      Three sequence variations in family study showed other variants highlighted p.(Cys1149Arg) and p.(Pro2145Thrfs*5) are not on the same allele.

      Does have other variants in VWF but they are stated by authors to not be detrimental. p.(Val510=) is noted to be potentially deleterious.

      Phenotype patient 2: severely reduced VWF levels, absence of multimers, bleeding score 32, epistaxis, bruising, oral cavity bleeding, prolonged bleeding from minor wounds, menorrhagia, hemarthrosis, ankle arthropathy.

      Suggests premature termination codons in these variants may lead to NMD but that this mechanism was found to be PTC position-dependent. Degradation was not 100% and need to perform cellular experiments.

  22. Dec 2024
    1. The brute took up his position on the wash-basin stand; and every attempt to dislodge him brought to the ground some fragile articles of furniture — glasses, basins, and jugs

      This sentence troubles me because it portrays the monkey as a destructive force, wreaking damage without care. The chaos described here feels almost excessive, making it difficult to imagine how an animal could cause so much intentional damage.

    1. mutualizing forms of governance and ownership, can also have extraordinary effects on the amount of needed energy and materials. For example, in the context of shared transport, one shared car can replace 9 to 13 private cars, without any loss of mobility.

      for - stats - climate crisis - example - positive impacts of mutualisation / sharing - car sharing - 1 Shared car can replace 9 to 13 cars without loss of mobility - from Substack article - The Cosmo-Local Plan for our Next Civilization - Michel Bauwens - 2024, Dec 20

  23. Nov 2024
  24. Oct 2024
  25. Sep 2024
  26. drive.google.com drive.google.com
    1. The first useful concept is the idea of short assignments. Oftenwhen you sit down to write, what you have in mind is anautobiographical novel about your childhood

      9/30 Interesting : This often happens to me whether im writting an essay or paragraph with a childhood topic.

    2. So you get up and do your morning things, and one thingleads to another, and eventually, at nine, you find yourself backat the desk, staring blankly at the pages you filled yesterday.

      9/30 Interesting : This line relates to things we do in our daily, when you feel like you doing lot of things but actually not.

    3. Writing can give you what having a baby can giveyou: it can get you to start paying attention, can help yousoften, can wake you up

      Yes, but there’s a little bit of different with writing and a baby. For example, you can rewrite the essay but you can’t rebirth a baby.

    4. n, I couldn't think of a single restaurantwhere I'd ever actually eate

      9/30 Surprising: I thought it’s command to remember the restaurant I’ve been to, until I read this sentence and find out that I can’t even remembered which restaurant I’ve been to yesterday.

    1. There is no back passage by which any one could have descended while the party proceeded up stairs.

      It's quite interesting that it said no other ways the murderer(s) could take (escape). In addition, witnesses said it's about 3-5 minutes from hearing the vioces to breaking the door. How did the murderer(s) run away?

    2. After a thorough investigation of every portion of the house, without farther discovery, the party made its way into a small paved yard in the rear of the building, where lay the corpse of the old lady, with her throat so entirely cut that, upon an attempt to raise her, the head fell off.{i} The body, as well as the head, was{j} fearfully mutilated — the former so much so as scarcely to retain any semblance of humanity.

      I wonder how did the murderer cut the Madame L’Espanaye's neck so deeply that her head fell off when people tried to raise her corpse. Also, what knid of weapon did the murderer use? I guess the weapon is probably big or long, but how did the murderer take away and nobody saw it?

    3. We had been talking of horses, if I remember aright, just before leaving the Rue C———. This was the last subject we discussed. As we crossed into this street, a fruiterer, with a large basket upon his head, brushing quickly past us, thrust you upon a pile of paving-stones collected at a spot where the causeway is undergoing repair. You stepped upon one of the loose fragments, slipped, slightly strained your ankle, appeared vexed or sulky, muttered a few words, turned to look{m} at the pile, and then proceeded in silence. I was not particularly attentive to what you did; but observation has become with me, of late, a species of necessity. “You kept your eyes upon the ground — glancing, with a petulant expression, at the holes and ruts in the pavement, (so that I saw you were still thinking of the stones,) until we reached the little alley called Lamartine,(18) which has been paved, by way of [page 536:] experiment, with the overlapping and riveted blocks.(19) Here your countenance brightened up, and, perceiving your lips move, I could not doubt that you murmured{n} the{oo} word ‘stereotomy,’ a term very affectedly applied to this species of pavement.{oo} I knew that you could not {pp}say to yourself ‘stereotomy’ without{pp}, being brought to think of atomies, and thus of the theories of Epicurus;(20) and since{q} when we discussed this subject not very long ago, I mentioned to you how singularly, yet with how little notice, the vague guesses of that noble Greek had met with confirmation in the late nebular cosmogony, I felt that you could not avoid casting your eyes upward{r} to the great nebula{s} in Orion,(21) and I certainly expected that you would do so. You did look up; and I was now{t} assured that I had correctly followed your steps. But in that bitter tirade upon Chantilly, which appeared in yesterday's ‘Musée,’ the satirist, making some disgraceful allusions to the cobbler's change of name upon assuming the buskin, quoted a{u} Latin line{v} about which{w} we have often conversed.

      This part surprised me a lot. I also find it creepy as the first time I read it, for all the narrator’s movement were observed and memorized by Dupin. It feels like the narrator stayed with a monitor. What’s more, Dupin can even follow up the narrator’s mind.

    4. We know of them, among other things, that they are always to their possessor, when inordinately possessed, a source of the liveliest enjoyment.

      I feel troubling at first. This sentence kind of makes me feel like it's narrtive by a psychpath who has serious obsessive behaviour.

    5. on Mr. Smith attempting to go into another room for his pistols, the monkey leaped on his back with the speed of lightning, made various efforts to reach his throat, broke his watch guard assunder in rage, and, dropping to the [page 523:] ground, bit his leg, and again fled to the basin-stand. Mr. Smith pursued him and flung him off many times in his leaping attacks. After skirmishing a considerable time, the worried animal dashed through the window, carrying the frame and glass along with him.

      All these incidents and fights happened in seconds, making the readers nervous and scared as if we were there. Meanwhile, it gave me a shock about the intelligence and strength of the animal, for it almost hit him every single time! This is the most surprising part for me to know the power of the Pongo pygmaeus.

    6. but an unusual quantity of soot being observed in the fire-place, a search was made in the chimney, and (horrible to relate!)(24) the corpse of the daughter, head downward,{h} was dragged therefrom; it having been thus forced up the narrow aperture for a considerable distance.

      I was horrified by this scene, but also curious at the same time. I couldn’t understand how the daughter could be “head downward and was dragged”. Was she trying to hide in the fire-place but fell down? Or was she trying to run but being caught by the animal?

    7. They seemed to be{r} screams of some person (or persons) in great agony — were loud and drawn out, not short and quick. Witness led the way up stairs. Upon reaching the first landing, heard two voices in loud and angry contention — the one a gruff voice, the other much shriller — a very strange voice. Could distinguish some words of the former, which was that of a Frenchman. Was positive that it was not a woman's voice. Could distinguish the words ‘sacré’{s} and ‘diable.’ The shrill voice was that of a foreigner. Could not be sure whether it was the voice of a man or of a woman.

      It is interesting to read the description of the voice. I am imagining the “not like man or woman” voice in my mind when reading this part. I am still wandering how the voice could be.

    8. “I will explain,” he said, “and that you may comprehend all clearly, we will first retrace the course of your meditations, from the moment in which I spoke to you until that of the rencontre{j} with the fruiterer in question. The larger links of the chain run thus — Chantilly, Orion, Dr. Nichol,{k} (16) Epicurus, Stereotomy, the street stones, the fruiterer.” There are few persons who have not, at some period of their lives, amused themselves in retracing the steps by which particular conclusions of their own minds have been attained. The occupation is often full of interest; and he who attempts it for the first time is{l} astonished by the apparently illimitable distance and incoherence between the starting-point and the goal.(17) What, then, must have been my amazement when I heard the Frenchman speak what he had just spoken, and when I could not help acknowledging that he had spoken the truth. He continued: “We had been talking of horses, if I remember aright, just before leaving the Rue C———. This was the last subject we discussed. As we crossed into this street, a fruiterer, with a large basket upon his head, brushing quickly past us, thrust you upon a pile of paving-stones collected at a spot where the causeway is undergoing repair. You stepped upon one of the loose fragments, slipped, slightly strained your ankle, appeared vexed or sulky, muttered a few words, turned to look{m} at the pile, and then proceeded in silence. I was not particularly attentive to what you did; but observation has become with me, of late, a species of necessity. “You kept your eyes upon the ground — glancing, with a petulant expression, at the holes and ruts in the pavement, (so that I saw you were still thinking of the stones,) until we reached the little alley called Lamartine,(18) which has been paved, by way of [page 536:] experiment, with the overlapping and riveted blocks.(19) Here your countenance brightened up, and, perceiving your lips move, I could not doubt that you murmured{n} the{oo} word ‘stereotomy,’ a term very affectedly applied to this species of pavement.{oo} I knew that you could not {pp}say to yourself ‘stereotomy’ without{pp}, being brought to think of atomies, and thus of the theories of Epicurus;(20) and since{q} when we discussed this subject not very long ago, I mentioned to you how singularly, yet with how little notice, the vague guesses of that noble Greek had met with confirmation in the late nebular cosmogony, I felt that you could not avoid casting your eyes upward{r} to the great nebula{s} in Orion,(21) and I certainly expected that you would do so. You did look up; and I was now{t} assured that I had correctly followed your steps. But in that bitter tirade upon Chantilly, which appeared in yesterday's ‘Musée,’ the satirist, making some disgraceful allusions to the cobbler's change of name upon assuming the buskin, quoted a{u} Latin line{v} about which{w} we have often conversed. I mean the line {xx}Perdidit antiquum litera prima sonum{xx} I had told you that this was in reference to Orion, formerly written Urion; and, from certain pungencies connected with this explanation, I was aware that you could not have forgotten it.(22) It was clear, therefore, that you would not fail to combine the two ideas of Orion and Chantilly. That you did combine them I saw by the character of the smile which passed over your lips. You thought of the poor cobbler's immolation. So far, you had been stooping in your gait; but now I saw you draw yourself up to your full height. I was then sure that you reflected upon the diminutive figure of Chantilly. At this point I interrupted your meditations to remark [page 537:] that as, in fact, he was a very little fellow — that Chantilly — he would do better at the Théâtre des Variétés.”{y}

      I'm surprised that Poe, as the pioneer of detective literature, can come up with such a deliberate and coherent process of thinking.

    9. Poe wrote his story hastily. The manuscript shows more changes than do most of his surviving manuscripts, which appear to be copies carefully made for the printer rather than working drafts.

      I know nearly nothing about Poe so this description arouses my interest in the public impression of him: Is Poe the type of writer who is a bit worldly? otherwise, why does the manuscript look different from the others?

    10. The faculty of re-solution{d} is possibly much invigorated by mathematical study, and especially by that highest branch of it which, unjustly, and merely on account of its retrograde operations, has been called, as if par excellence, analysis. Yet to calculate is not in itself to analyse. A chess-player, for example, does the one without effort at the other. It follows that the game of chess, in its effects upon mental character, is greatly misunderstood. I am not now writing a treatise, but simply prefacing a somewhat peculiar narrative by observations very much at random; I will, therefore, take occasion to assert that the higher powers of the reflective intellect are more decidedly and more usefully tasked{e} by the unostentatious game of draughts than by all the elaborate frivolity of chess. In this latter, where the pieces have different and bizarre{f} motions, with various and variable values, what{g} is only complex is mistaken (a not unusual error) for what{h} is profound. The attention is here called powerfully into play. If it flag for an instant, an oversight is committed, resulting in injury or defeat. The possible moves being not only manifold but involute, the chances of such oversights are multiplied; and in nine cases out of ten it is the more concentrative rather than the more acute player who conquers. In draughts, on the contrary, where the moves are unique{i} and have but little variation, the probabilities of inadvertence are diminished, [page 529:] and the mere attention being left comparatively unemployed, what advantages are obtained by either party are obtained by superior acumen.{j} To be less abstract — Let us suppose a game of draughts where the pieces are reduced to four kings, and where, of course, no oversight is to be expected. It is obvious that here the victory can be decided (the players being at all equal) only by some recherché{k} movement, the result of some strong exertion of the intellect. Deprived of ordinary resources, the analyst throws himself into the spirit of his opponent, identifies himself therewith, and not unfrequently sees thus, at a glance, the sole methods (sometimes indeed absurdly simple ones) by which he may seduce into {ll}error or hurry into miscalculation.{ll}

      Using chess to connect with the concept of analysis at the beginning of the story is innovative, however, I have to admit that this "chess metaphor" doesn't work for me ----It neither provides me any necessary background information nor triggers my interest and curiosity to read on.

    11. Between ingenuity and the analytic ability there exists a difference far greater, indeed, than that between the fancy and the imagination, but of a character very strictly analogous. It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly{b} imaginative never otherwise than{c} analytic.

      I've never doubted the similarity between being fanciful and imaginative, yet it seems that imagination is often grounded in logical understanding while fancy is associated with whimsical thinking. True genius lies in the combination of imagination and analytic ability.

    12. A chess-player, for example, does the one without effort at the other. It follows that the game of chess, in its effects upon mental character, is greatly misunderstood. I am not now writing a treatise, but simply prefacing a somewhat peculiar narrative by observations very much at random; I will, therefore, take occasion to assert that the higher powers of the reflective intellect are more decidedly and more usefully tasked{e} by the unostentatious game of draughts than by all the elaborate frivolity of chess. In this latter, where the pieces have different and bizarre{f} motions, with various and variable values, what{g} is only complex is mistaken (a not unusual error) for what{h} is profound. The attention is here called powerfully into play. If it flag for an instant, an oversight is committed, resulting in injury or defeat. The possible moves being not only manifold but involute, the chances of such oversights are multiplied; and in nine cases out of ten it is the more concentrative rather than the more acute player who conquers. In draughts, on the contrary, where the moves are unique{i} and have but little variation, the probabilities of inadvertence are diminished, [page 529:] and the mere attention being left comparatively unemployed, what advantages are obtained by either party are obtained by superior acumen.

      This surprised me, as I initially thought both games should be played with a unique move to mess up the opponent's plan. Instead, because of the lack of possible moves in chess, the moves will not be as unique as playing draughts.

    13. Had the routine of our life at this place been known to the world, we should have been regarded as madmen — although, perhaps, as madmen of a harmless nature. Our seclusion was perfect. We admitted no visitors.{s} Indeed the locality of our retirement had been carefully kept a secret from my own former associates; and it had been many years since Dupin had ceased to know or be known in Paris. We existed within ourselves alone.

      I find this part interesting. Why should they have been regarded as madmen? Is it merely because their lifestyles? Or the fact that they are isolated from the city. I don't think only by these traits should one be regarded as madmen.

    14. There appeared to be no furniture in any part of the building except in the fourth story.

      I couldn't find myself understanding why there is no furniture in the other parts of the building. Is it because of any superstitions? Or is it just mainly because of the home owner's preference. Or it may just be an unimportant statement I can ignore.

    15. There is also a well-known story of a pet monkey, who, imitating his master shaving himself, cut his own throat.

      I find this part surprising because it demonstrates the bizarre and tragic consequences of animals mimicking human behavior. I never expected that a monkey could imitate something as complex as shaving with such disastrous results.

    16. As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting in such exercises as call his muscles into action,(1) so glories the analyst in that moral activity which disentangles. He derives pleasure from even the most trivial occupations bringing his talent into play. He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics; exhibiting in his solutions of each{b} a degree of acumen{c} which appears to the ordinary apprehension præternatural.

      These are the traits I've seen on both Sherlock Holmes' novel and the BBC television series starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

    17. There is also a story, still sometimes told by stage comedians, about a barber's pet monkey who, in the absence of his master from the shop, essayed to shave a customer with disastrous results.

      Probably because Poe was deeply influenced by Voltaire, a man committed in breaking conventional social norms. Hence the absurd story.

    18. Voltaire's Zadig

      Edgar Allan Poe was deeply influenced by Voltaire (伏爾泰).

      Voltaire was a prominent figure in the 18th-century French Enlightenment movement.

      Hence, I anticipate the incorporation of elements from that era, especially the philosophical discussion and dialogue that challenge conventional social norms, as evident in Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”

    19. “I will explain,” he said, “and that you may comprehend all clearly, we will first retrace the course of your meditations, from the moment in which I spoke to you until that of the rencontre{j} with the fruiterer in question. The larger links of the chain run thus — Chantilly, Orion, Dr. Nichol,{k} (16) Epicurus, Stereotomy, the street stones, the fruiterer.” There are few persons who have not, at some period of their lives, amused themselves in retracing the steps by which particular conclusions of their own minds have been attained. The occupation is often full of interest; and he who attempts it for the first time is{l} astonished by the apparently illimitable distance and incoherence between the starting-point and the goal.(17) What, then, must have been my amazement when I heard the Frenchman speak what he had just spoken, and when I could not help acknowledging that he had spoken the truth. He continued: “We had been talking of horses, if I remember aright, just before leaving the Rue C———. This was the last subject we discussed. As we crossed into this street, a fruiterer, with a large basket upon his head, brushing quickly past us, thrust you upon a pile of paving-stones collected at a spot where the causeway is undergoing repair. You stepped upon one of the loose fragments, slipped, slightly strained your ankle, appeared vexed or sulky, muttered a few words, turned to look{m} at the pile, and then proceeded in silence. I was not particularly attentive to what you did; but observation has become with me, of late, a species of necessity. “You kept your eyes upon the ground — glancing, with a petulant expression, at the holes and ruts in the pavement, (so that I saw you were still thinking of the stones,) until we reached the little alley called Lamartine,(18) which has been paved, by way of [page 536:] experiment, with the overlapping and riveted blocks.(19) Here your countenance brightened up, and, perceiving your lips move, I could not doubt that you murmured{n} the{oo} word ‘stereotomy,’ a term very affectedly applied to this species of pavement.{oo} I knew that you could not {pp}say to yourself ‘stereotomy’ without{pp}, being brought to think of atomies, and thus of the theories of Epicurus;(20) and since{q} when we discussed this subject not very long ago, I mentioned to you how singularly, yet with how little notice, the vague guesses of that noble Greek had met with confirmation in the late nebular cosmogony, I felt that you could not avoid casting your eyes upward{r} to the great nebula{s} in Orion,(21) and I certainly expected that you would do so. You did look up; and I was now{t} assured that I had correctly followed your steps. But in that bitter tirade upon Chantilly, which appeared in yesterday's ‘Musée,’ the satirist, making some disgraceful allusions to the cobbler's change of name upon assuming the buskin, quoted a{u} Latin line{v} about which{w} we have often conversed. I mean the line {xx}Perdidit antiquum litera prima sonum{xx} I had told you that this was in reference to Orion, formerly written Urion; and, from certain pungencies connected with this explanation, I was aware that you could not have forgotten it.(22) It was clear, therefore, that you would not fail to combine the two ideas of Orion and Chantilly. That you did combine them I saw by the character of the smile which passed over your lips. You thought of the poor cobbler's immolation. So far, you had been stooping in your gait; but now I saw you draw yourself up to your full height. I was then sure that you reflected upon the diminutive figure of Chantilly. At this point I interrupted your meditations to remark [page 537:] that as, in fact, he was a very little fellow — that Chantilly — he would do better at the Théâtre des Variétés.”{y}

      I know that the author wants to create an image of Dupin as a detective who is good at reasoning; however, I wondered, how could he link all these details together and never miss one action or facial expression from our narrator? If the author had cut some of the details, would it be more convincing to most people? Since most of us could barely do that, we might not be able to think of it and resonate with it.

    20. The piece has a fault, shared by too many later detective stories, of one too gory passage, something avoided in the far finer tale, “The Purloined Letter,” which Poe himself valued more highly.

      The explicit depiction of violence can evoke discomfort or revulsion in readers, prompting them to question the necessity of such details in the narrative.

    21. An extraordinary burglary — attended by very singular circumstances, and perpetrated by a curious felon — occurred in this town on Monday night.

      The idea of using an animal as a perpetrator is quite unusual, it details the chaotic encounter between the monkey and the residents, showcasing a blend of humor and absurdity that makes it particularly interesting.

    22. The{a} mental features discoursed of as the analytical{a′} are, in themselves, but little, susceptible of analysis.

      still found it hard to fully understand this, but Edgar put it in the beginning of the story, it should be an important or inspiring idea.

    23. As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting in such exercises as call his muscles into action,(1) so glories the analyst in that moral activity which disentangles.

      Although the wording is quite complex and difficult throughout the passage, but I think with this explanation makes me understand it better. (a man showing muscles just like analyst solving problems, both have its own happiness)

    24. He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics; exhibiting in his solutions of each{b} a degree of acumen{c} which appears to the ordinary apprehension præternatural.

      ok then that's why he can be a detective, I even have no idea about the wording here...literally looking up for the words all the time...

    25. Like all the rest [of the tales], it is written backwards.

      I had to reread this paragraph multiple times to understand this line. Does it mean the story starts from the present and end at the past? It means, that the story forms clearer and clearer with each edition.

    1. Addressed an issue where weapons other than Shotguns could be affected by the Enforcer perk in specific circumstances.

      Thrown weapons would benefit due to "Enforcer" [PERK:00322354] checked for Subject.WornHasKeyword = WeaponTypeShotgun instead of Subject.HasKeyword = WeaponTypeShotgun

    1. Addressed an issue where weapons other than Shotguns could be affected by the Enforcer perk in specific circumstances.

      Thrown weapons would benefit due to "Enforcer" [PERK:00322354] checked for Subject.WornHasKeyword = WeaponTypeShotgun instead of Subject.HasKeyword = WeaponTypeShotgun

    1. the rest of the country had fully moved on to beating the drums for war and violence, using our city as their pretense. I grew increasingly protective and defensive about New York City, about what it means to those of us who live here, and to this day I have a white-hot resentment of how our town’s grief was used to justify hateful violence without our consent.

      I was at Penn when the news of the first strikes on Afghanistan rolled visibly through the main hall. People fell to their knees, people cried. I didn't know what caused that, until I saw a screen in a sports bar showing the news a minute later. Suddenly there were news crews all over too.

    2. Anyone who says they were here then, and doesn’t mention the smell… well, they’re flat out lying.

      Dash is right here. Smell, and in Enschede's case the shockwave too. The shockwave going through your body was the dividing line between those who were there that day and those who weren't. It was and is a clear tell 24 yrs on.

    3. That was the emotional context, but there was also the visceral, sensory experience of being around those days. The most pervasive part was the acrid, searing smell of electrical fire, from the smoldering rubble pile that would keep burning downtown for the better part of a year. It pervaded everything, and you could be almost anywhere in town and the wind would change and then suddenly the smell would catch you off guard and you’d be crying again.

      When I stood at ground zero a few weeks after, the smell is what made me cry then. It catapulted me suddenly back to the explosions in my home town a year before. That a smell could so abruptly and vividly surface those emotions took me by suprise.

  27. Aug 2024
  28. Jul 2024