Thursday, February 26, 2015

Articulation and Blame / Train From Rhodesia

Although, the man should not have bargained for the lion, he thought he was doing what his wife wanted. She stated that she "liked" it and "wanted" it -- she even stated that it was too expensive. The lady did not articulate her thoughts correctly. She thought the lion was a lovely craft, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she wanted to buy it. She became upset with her husband because they, in a sense, stole from the native. They cheated him of 2 shillings. The woman hated that apartheid was taking place, but she didn't realize that she was also part of the problem; this is much like Orwell. Orwell hated oppressors yet he himself was one.  Would you blame them for what they did?  

20 comments:

  1. I kind of even feel bad for her, she is a part of a 'society' she doesn't really want to be a part of. I think the reason she was so bothered and frustrated was that she couldn't do anything about who she was and who surrounded her; almost helpless.

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    1. If she felt so bad about it, how come she didn't have the courage to go back and pay the man?

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    2. I mean, I don't think it was possible for her to go back. I feel like if I were in her position that wouldn't be an option. Especially since travel must have been expensive

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  2. That's interesting now that you bring that up. With all honestly, I didn't even bother to read Orwell's bio because I jumped straight into the reading. Although, I could see how she could part of the problem too & at this point, I can't really see who to blame. The women was the one to throw a fit in the first place. Although, the man had no intention to buy the figure after the wife told him to stop bargaining, the old man still came 'to him' & was open to accepting a lower offer. Yet, the old man just needed to sell in order to actually get profit for food and necessity good. So, I honestly have no idea who to blame anymore...

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    1. I am on the same boat. Yes, it was wrong for the man to bargain but he thought it was what his wife wanted. It was also common in society. The wife didnt articulate her thoughts correctly so she's partially at fault. But, I do not blame the native as he really had no other option but to try to sell.

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    2. this situation reminds me of my parents because my mom always brags about things she wants and when my dad goes and buys it for her, she gets upset. women can be tough to handle at times so its normal to see why the woman got upset about her husband buying the craft.

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  3. I don't know if we can really blame the husband. I mean he did cheat this man of money but he did it to make his wife happy. For example, it's like when a homeless man steals money from people in order to provide for his family. Is he completely in the wrong?

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    1. I agree with Amanda, he really was only trying to satisfy his wife & she did say she liked it, but it was too expensive. I wouldn't blame him at all.

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    2. This is the question I always run into, and I'm not sure how to answer it. Based off of my morals, stealing in general is wrong. But, the intention of the man was not. He was just trying to make his wife happy.

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  4. The things they did were completely subjective in both cases. Anyone can ridicule someone from a place where you can see everything clearly, but you can't necessarily say that you wouldn't make the same mistake or another when placed in that same situation.

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    1. This is very true. Everything is subjective and if we don't put ourselves "in each other's shoes" we wouldn't get anywhere, because we would be thinking about our way and our way only. There are different perspectives to everything.

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  5. I like how you stated that they were both kind od at fault. Although the woman did not clearly put it out there that she wanted the lion, i guess it could have been seen in her enthusiasm for the lion. Although the man is more at fault for having gone through with the transaction, i think that if the woman really was hurt by it, she should have found a way to contact the seller and pay the full price for it.

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    1. I see what your saying and I agree, but what that always be possible. For example, if you were on a trip to New York and you found out the someone near and dear to you cheated someone of their money would you travel for miles and miles just to pay what your loved one failed to?

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  6. It reminds me of what people would do for the ones they love, no matter the cost. In this case, the husband bargains for a priced item that in my opinion was inexpensive for the handiwork.

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    1. Do you think the husband was thinking about how his actions would affect the native?

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  7. I would immediately blame them in a second without thought. But after thinking it through, I don't really fully condemn them since it's naturely human for us to give into pressure to survive in society.

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    1. I feel the same, in the midst of reading the text I blamed the husband but after thinking about it, I am not quite sure if they're at complete fault.

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  8. I would definitely blame them. However, she never told him to buy it and you can not really blame certain people for society's problem as a whole.

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    1. are you saying that the individual cannot really make a difference in society?

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    2. I agree with you Lupe, I also blame the man. It was his reaction that caused the problem, his behavior.

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