Diving bell

1. After reading Vegetable, respond to Bauby's statement: "I belonged on a vegetable stall and not the human race." Why do you think it is necessary for humans to put people into categories? Is our language so limiting in describing the world that we need a way to ourganize our thoughts?

I think it is necessary for humans to put people into categories for needs of communication. It makes it easier to describe someone if there is a premade and understood category to place someone into. Like in the book, the term 'vegetable' is a well known term and makes it alot easier to express that someone is physically alive, but in a coma, or not mentally and physically able to be there. I belive that our language is that limiting that we need to have categories to expressing people and our thoughts. However i do think that a large part of the need for organization and categories is for easiness and fast communication. People are constantly looking for a faster and easier way to do things, so why would they want to spend the time explaining things when they could just put it in a category and have someone understand?



2. Bauby claims that, "Capturing the moment, these small slices of life...I hoard all these letters like treaure." What do you hoard and why?

I hoard gifts and notes. Not like the expensive gifts, but those little signs of affection. The gifts based off an inside joke. I have a wall completely made out of random drawings, cards, signs, pictures, notes, and things like that from my friends. On it it has petals from flowers i have been given on different occasions. I hoard this because there is many happy memories sitting right there on my wall. I just have to look at one of these things and automatically the 'moment, these small slices of life' comes flooding back to me and instantly I become happy. Its a way to never have to forget some of my most precious memories with the friends I love most.



3. Read Outing and respond to Bauby's statement: "I know who he is, but who is he really?" Is he getting any closer to understanding what makes people tick? Also, why will Bauby never tire of the smell of French Fries?

I think he is kinda getting closer to understanding what make people tick. He has come to the realization that even thought he knows this man, and who he is. He doesnt know what the man really is. He doesnt know this mans past, what is going on in his head, why he does the things he does. I think that Bauby will never tire of the smell of french fries becuase its as close as he can get to eating them. Because of the condition he is in now he is unable to eat food and cannot taste them. When you smell something very to you almost a sense noslagia comes over you and you can rember the taste that that certain food has.



4. Read Twenty to One. Bauby claims that, "the memory of that event has only come back to me now, now doubly painful: regret for a vanished past and, above all, remorse for lost opportunities." Do you ever look back on something in your life as a "small near miss"? Is it ever beneficial to have regrets?
I think it is impossible for one not to have some memories that they look back on and wish that they had gone differntly. After something has happened, over a period of time (long or short it doesnt matter) you are able to have knowledge of the effect of what ever had happened. By looking back at it you arer able to have certain view, which leads to regret. I think that some regrets are deffinatly a good thing. They can lead you to act differntly in a bad situation, making what ever the situation is better than the last time you had encountered it.


5. Read Duck Hunt and explain what Bauby means by the statement: "I must have butterfly hearing."
To be 100% honest im not really sure what he ment by this statement. I think he was trying to illustrate to the reader how he can easily find butterflies to escape his reality. Mabey that he seems to notice things others dont now? I'm not really sure.


6. Read Sunday. Why do you think Bauby dreads this day?
I think Bauby dreads this day because he has no human interaction. He is left to only communitcate with himself and search through his head for interestion memories to relive. The only interaction he can get with the world is through his visitors and his thearipists. Since they do not come on sunday he is unable to communicate with them