Aaliyah

Ajax MOR part 2 in response to Riess I think that right now Tecmessa is just trying to get the best out of the situation.  She realizes that she has no protection for her or her son apart from Ajax and knows that very bad things could happened to them both. Tecmessa: Doom me not to the cruel taunts of those Who hate thee, left a bond-slave in strange hands. For shouldst thou perish and forsake me in death, That very day assuredly I to Shall be seized by the Argives, with thy son To endure henceforth the portion of a slave. Then one of my new masters with barbed words Shall wound me scoffing: "See the concubine Of Ajax, who was mightiest of the host, What servile tasks are hers who lived so daintily!" Thus will men speak, embittering my hard lot, But words of shame for thee and for thy race. Nay, piety forbid thee to forsake Thy father in his drear old age-thy mother With her sad weight of years, who many a time Prays to the gods that thou come home alive. ...

Ajax, in response to Riess, part 1 I certainly agree that it has started out very eventfully.  I think that Tecmessa is just terrified of Ajax, and it makes sense.  She didn’t exactly get to choose whether or not she wanted to marry him, she’s a prisoner.  I think she has every reason to avoid telling Ajax, and I don’t think he has a good reason to be mad at her.  I think that Athena was just trying to protect Odysseus and his army.  I wonder how far into the future Athena can see.  Does she know for a fact that Ajax won’t hurt Odysseus?  And why does Ajax think that Athena would support him in this endeavor?  He does know that Odysseus is like her favorite person ever, so why doesn’t the sudden switch trigger some alarm bells?  I think that Athena sort of sees Odysseus as her pet, a favorite servant if you will.  Like a gladiator and his patron.  She really likes his wit, ...

In response to Alex's fourth comment (Spoilers for the rest of the book)             I know!  I feel that the writer did a really good job on this book.  It is told from such a different perspective that it sticks out and makes you remember it more.  I was definitely nervous when Lily “didn’t pay attention to the knock.  Later I would remember it didn’t sound like an ordinary knock.  More like a fist pounding” (289).               I guess I’ll start with what I thought it did well.  In the ending, when Lily finally is accepted by the Daughters (and Son), I think it was a very well portrayed and powerful moment, when everything is at odds, they still have their sister’s back.  Even though she’s white.             ...

In response to Alex's second comment (Spoilers through chapter 12) I think it will, Lily will become a writer and take over the bee keeping business while she waits for Zach to finish becoming a lawyer and going back to her.  Do you think they’ll end up together?  I hope so.  It seems August has more compassion and insight than we first thought, she seems really nice, and I’m glad that June has come around to Lily too.  It’s really sad that May died :(  she seemed to be the one who Rosaleen was connecting with most.  She seemed to be filling the place that April left, but now she has to fill the place that May left.  But on a happier note, I’m really glad June is finally getting married!  Yay! I think the end will definitely have something to do with T Ray hunting her down, as scary as that sounds.  What breaks my heart most is that when Lily calls, he makes it all about himself, he’s to sing...

(See Alex's blog for previous comment, neither of us have been able to get the commenting part to work, our apologies.) I think that the bees are definitely real, since she had caught at least one in a jar.  I am very glad that she seems to have gotten out of the hellhole that was her old home.  I definitely think you are right about Lily needing to escape her own jar though, that’s a really good point that I hadn’t thought of.  Like the one bee she did catch, she still needs the jar to be shaken a bit before she can find the strength and resolve to fly away free.  I think this definitely comes when she calls T Ray.  He is so darn selfish.  What kind of parent doesn’t even bother to learn their child’s favorite color?  He has been an abusive jerk this whole time, and I really hope that the call doesn’t end with him finding her.  She really needs some serious help.   I do think the bees ...

MOR Reading I think it ’ s very interesting that the two conflicting images in the book so far are peaches and honey, both food items.  The live trees and peaches seem to represent safety and security for Lily (another living thing hidden in her name), yet the dead peaches seem to symbolize the death of her mother and the death of any good qualities in T Ray.  Seriously, how abusive can you get?  It’s sad how Lily doesn’t believe until later that he could be lying, and even sadder that  Rosaleen  believes it could be possible, ‘“You’re probably right.  Knowing your daddy, he could do a thing like that”’ (52).     How do you think Lily’s mother really died? I don’t think that T Ray would be honest about something like that.  I also think that they should have just been honest with the sisters from the beginning, none of the complex lying.  Also, what kind of naming scheme is months of the year?  I mean, I remember Augus...