Charlotte's Web

Quotable Quotes from CHARLOTTE’S WEB

Charlotte on living the life of a spider:

“Why not? It’s true, and I have to say what is true. I am not entirely happy about my diet of flies, bugs, but it’s the way I’m made. A spider has to pick up a living somehow or other, and I happen to be a trapper. I just naturally build a web and trap flies and other insects. My mother was a trapper before me. Her mother was a trapper before her. All our family have been trappers. Way back for thousands and thousands of years we spiders have been laying for flies and bugs.”
“It’s a miserable inheritance,” said Wilbur, gloomily.

Dr. Dorian on the miraculous appearance of words in Charlotte’s web:

“…I’m a doctor. Doctors are supposed to understand everything. But I don’t understand everything, and I don’t intend to let it worry me.”

Charlotte explaining why she helped Wilbur:

“You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

On life and waiting for the spider’s eggs to finally hatch:

Life is always a rich and steady time when you are waiting for something to happen or to hatch.

Here are some resources you can check out if you want to know more about the movie and the book:

1. http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php
2. http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/charlotte/
3. http://www.murrieta.k12.ca.us/alta/dfuller/charlotte/index.html
   

Brokeback Mountain

“Brokeback Mountain”

26 March 2006

I just finished watching the controversial movie that everybody expected to win the Oscars but was not really sure it was “the” Oscar movie. True enough to the reviews, watching the movie opens up a lot of emotions. There is the feeling of nostalgia, empathy, excitement, apprehension, elation and fear, to name a few. The movie travels the same path as the movie The Lion King. It’s all about taking your place in the circle of life. Was it Aristotle or Socrates? I don’t remember very well who but one of those philosophers thought about it and paved the way to a whole lot more discourses on the matter. Anyhow, it’s all about who you are and who you are supposed to be. The philosophy goes that each of us has a role to play in the circle of life. There are people whose path has been paved early to carry out a certain mission. They are the lucky ones. Their purposes are so defined that they need not look any further to realize it. There are however those who might have known of their purposes, deny themselves of it and carry out recklessly in the hope that their fate would go away. They are the wayward ones. Another group contains those who do not have a clue at all as to what life is all about for them. They are the hopeful ones. And as these three groups of people move on in their paths, they affect each other’s lives. A lucky one at some point will meet a wayward. And in the course of their interaction, they stumble upon some truths about their existence; truths which are challenged and put to test. The character is tested and the outcome, not as predictable as one could imagine, eventually brings a whole new meaning to the truth about each other’s existence. New truths are created, some rediscovered. And when the lessons are learned, life moves on, on the same path for some but not for all.

I feel for the characters in the movie and I think that it tackles a myriad of issues other that the homosexuality aspect of human psychology. It’s about control, wanting to take risks. Of challenging society and standing up for what you believe in. It is about the sense of denial that each and everyone does when confronted with difficult decisions. You deny yourself of a choice for the very reason that you do not want to decide otherwise. You see two people living normal lives but looking forward to that occasional tryst in the woods if only to rekindle the feeling of wholeness and acceptance. They had a choice but not willing to take it. And they had to live their decision in utter loneliness, sad, indeed. And not all of us would brave through the storm for a glimmer of light in the same manner that not all are cut for the long wait. And so we move one, in the same circle travelled by kings and slaves, literal and figurative beings of all times and we wait for our turn to be tested. For some it might be a very long process, very quick for a few. Doesn’t really matter, so long as lessons are learned and earned. And our purposes vindicated. Then, we have served our purpose.

The Break-Up

I was able to get a good copy of the anticipated butt-exposure movie of Jennifer Aniston after her break-up with her real life beau Brad Pitt. The Break-Up did not have the usual feel good feeling brought about by any other romantic movie. It was more of coming to terms with the realities of every relationship. You have the typical woman who feels unappreciated all the time, and the man who just couldn’t get it.

The movie struck some chord in me when it came to the confrontation scenes between the couple. At some point in my relationship, I have shared Brooke’s feelings of resentment and of frustration; of feeling that I have given so much and getting so little affirmation in return.

I feel disappointment after a hard day’s work, cleaning the house, cooking a good meal, you end up with a partner who would rather hog the television or the computer rather than spend quality time with you. I feel frustration every time I find myself picking up soiled clothes on the floor, used tissue papers on the dresser, toys in bed. But unlike Brooke, I keep everything to myself, continuously hoping that my partner would finally understand what I am going through. Unlike Brooke, I just keep quiet feeling all so bottled up inside.

Perhaps, the striking semblance of the movie’s plot with my personal experience makes me appreciate it. I bet, I’m not alone.